5. Legal aspects

5.1 What means the signature of a Confirmation Letter / Declaration of Acceptance (CLD)?
By signing the Confirmation Letter/ Declaration of Acceptance (CLD) all organisations participating in a proposal confirm that they firmly intend to participate in the specified project and that they have taken knowledge about and accepts the payment rules and the conditions for the Celtic fee. It is requested that the CLD is available at the Celtic Office before the Celtic label is awarded. In case the CLD has not be received at this time the label remains provisional for a short time until the CLD has been sent. The signature of the CLD confirms also that the project participants acknowledge and accept the rules laid down in the CELTIC-NEXT Frame Agreement (CFA-Plus). Both parts of the CLD (CL and DoA) have to be signed by all partners for every new project (except for Celtic Core Group companies who have to sign only the CL part)

5.2 Is a Confirmation Letter still necessary even if my company has already signed one for another proposal?
The CL is valid only for an specific proposal and, consequently, only valid for that particular proposal. In case the same partner participates in another proposal a new CLD has to be signed again.

5.3 Can I modify the text of a Confirmation Letter?
No, the CLD must be signed as it is. Modifications are not acceptable and will be consequently ignored.

5.5 What is the CELTIC-NEXT Frame Agreement (CFA), do I need to sign it?
The CFA-Plus is the basic agreement on the legal organisation of Celtic. The CFA-Plus is only signed by Celtic partners (core group companies). Project participants have to sign the CLD instead. By this signature they accept the rules of the CFA.

5.6 How to assure confidentiality during project submission/ definition phase?
Confidentiality rules are laid down in the PCA and CFA. There is no need for any additional agreement between project participants. However during the project definition phase it is recommended to sign a mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

5.7 How to settle a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA-Plus)?
Celtic projects are strongly advised to use the agreed project cooperation agreement (PCA-Plus). The PCA-Plus should be considered as a model to simplify the legal agreement process for all consortium partners. It is, therefore, strongly advised to use the PCA-Plus in the available form. However, modifications of the PCA-Plus rules are possible provided all project consortium partners agree to these changes. Those changes should then be clearly marked in the agreed PCA-Plus document. Celtic does not need to approve the agreed PCA-Plus and does, generally, not request to receive a copy of the signed PCA-Plus. However the Celtic Office should be informed about the fact that the PCA-Plus has been signed.