A primary objective of the State Aid Modernisation initiative is to improve the “assessment of genuine market failures, the incentive effect and the negative effects of public interventions”. In addition, the Commission intends to request ex-post “evaluation” of implemented State aid schemes.The purpose of this seminar is to explain how ex-ante assessment and ex-post evaluation of State aid measures can be effectively achieved with the use of well-established methodologies.Date: 11-12 May 2015 Location:Club of the University Foundation, Rue d´Egmont 11, 1000 BrusselsEarly bird discount Register by 27 March 2015 and save 10% of the applicable fee.State Aid Uncovered Training participants will receive a free copy of Phedon Nicolaides' brand new book, a compilation of all State Aid Uncovered articles from 2014.Topics coveredIn this 2-day intensive training, our experts will examine the concept of assessment and evaluation of State aid measures, introducing you to the well-established evaluation methodologies and presenting various examples on how to apply them to your projects. The core topics are:State Aid Modernisation Initiative: The Need for State Aid and its ImpactAn Introduction to the Evaluation MethodologiesAssessment of Market FailureFinancial Viability, Financial Indicators and Cost of CapitalRisk and Sensitivity AnalysisAssessment/Evaluation Principles in PracticeMethodologyThe seminar draws on real-life examples to illustrate the theoretical concepts and methodologies.The participants will be actively involved in the training. The sessions will combine presentations, case studies and discussion on practical problems. You will have ample opportunities to present your own problematic issues and discuss them with the speakers and participants from other Member States. The training will end with an interactive session during which the chair of the training will summarise the most important findings and develop best practices for the participants.Focus group1) Experts from State Aid Monitoring Offices2) State aid specialists from Granting Authorities such as:Ministries and other national authoritiesRegional governmentsCommunal and City councils   involved in granting State aid in sectors such as:Transport and infrastructureFinanceEnvironment and EnergyTelecommunication and BroadbandSocial services and healthAgriculture3) Experts from national, regional and local development agencies, such as:Agencies for EntrepreneurshipInvestment AgenciesAgencies for Economic and Regional DevelopmentResearch and Innovation AgenciesCities Development Agencies4) Experts from public and private banks5) Lawyers and consultants specialized in public affairs