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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to improve the ecodesign of products and develop robust testing methods to support the implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) within the EU. The primary objective is to contribute to Green Deal targets by fostering lower resource consumption and reduced environmental impact. It targets organizations involved in research and innovation, including material and product manufacturers, market surveillance authorities, and SMEs, with a focus on product sub-categories on the EU market. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically Cluster 6, Call 01, indicating it's part of an annual series of calls.

Financial Structure

Funding Type: This grant operates under a Lump Sum Grant model.
Grant Amount: Each successful project is expected to receive a lump sum of 4,000,000 EUR.
Total Call Budget: The call anticipates funding 2 projects under this specific topic, making the total budget for this topic 8,000,000 EUR.
Eligible Costs: The lump sum covers costs that would typically be eligible in a standard actual costs grant, including:
- Personnel costs (for employees, direct contractors, seconded staff, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries).
- Subcontracting costs.
- Purchase costs (e.g., travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services).
- Other cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services).
Indirect Costs: Calculated at a 25% flat rate, applied to direct costs that qualify for indirect cost calculation under Horizon Europe rules.
Co-financing: While not explicitly a matching fund requirement, the principle of co-financing means the total estimated costs of your project should exceed the Union's contribution.
Payment Mechanism: Payments are tied to the proper implementation and completion of defined work packages. Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
Financial Reporting: The lump sum model simplifies financial reporting, reducing the obligation to report actual costs. Audits primarily focus on the technical execution and completion of work packages.
Financial Guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Organization Types

Any legal entity (public or private) established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country is eligible.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium.
While not strictly mandatory, the grant's nature (Research and Innovation Action) and its typical funding of multiple projects strongly imply that proposals should come from consortia, potentially involving diverse beneficiaries including SMEs.

Geographic Scope

Applicants must be established in one of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The EU Member States include:
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Projects must focus on product sub-categories relevant to the EU market.

Project Focus

Proposals must choose and analyze at least one of the following product groups: detergents, paints, chemicals, non-ferrous metals, home/interior textiles, footwear, or toys.
The core activity must involve improving ecodesign principles and developing testing methods for these products.

Financial Capacity

Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity criteria as detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Submission Opening Date: 2025-05-06
Submission Deadline: 2025-09-17 at 00:00:00 UTC

Application Procedure

Submission Method: Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
Submission Type: This is a single-stage submission process.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application Form: Use the standard application form specific to 'HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions' (RIA).
Proposal Content (Part B): Your detailed proposal content must adhere to the format and page limits described in Part B of the application form.
Detailed Budget Table: A specific template for 'Lump Sum' grants is required. This table must detail your estimated direct and indirect costs, broken down by work package and by each beneficiary.
Declaration: All beneficiaries must declare that they have used their own accounting practices for preparing the estimated budget.

Post-Award Requirements (Lump Sum Specific)

Technical Implementation: Your project's progress will be continuously monitored to ensure work packages are implemented correctly.
Progress Tracking: The granting authority will conduct technical checks and reviews.
Grant Agreement: The final lump sum amount awarded will be formalized in the grant agreement as the maximum grant amount.
Dissemination and Exploitation: A strong focus is placed on the quality of your project's results and how effectively they are disseminated and exploited.
Intellectual Property: The management of intellectual property generated by the project is an area subject to checks.

Application Assistance and Guidance

Online Manual: Provides comprehensive procedural guidance from proposal submission through grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Offers detailed insights into the program's structure, budget, and political priorities.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: A resource for answers to frequently asked questions about submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For general inquiries about European research.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide country-specific guidance, practical information, and assistance for participation.
Enterprise Europe Network: Offers advice to businesses, particularly SMEs, on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical support related to the Funding & Tenders Portal (e.g., login issues, submission problems).
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property concerns.
Standardisation Helpdesks (CEN-CENELEC and ETSI): Advise on incorporating standardisation aspects into your proposal.
Partner Search: A tool available on the portal to help find suitable partner organizations for your consortium.

Evaluation Criteria

Core Evaluation Pillars

Excellence: Assesses the quality of the research, innovation, and proposed methodologies.
Expected Impact: Evaluates the potential contribution to the grant's objectives, the Green Deal, and the implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: Examines the soundness of the work plan, the appropriateness of proposed resources, and the effectiveness of management strategies.

Specific Scoring Factors

Scientific/Technical Robustness: Emphasis on sound scientific methods for developing and validating product-specific testing methods.
Product Group Analysis: Requirement for clear identification and in-depth analysis of representative sub-categories within the chosen product groups (detergents, paints, chemicals, non-ferrous metals, home/interior textiles, footwear, toys).
Circular Economy Integration: Assessment of how product parameters relate to circularity, covering aspects like durability, reliability, reusability, upgradability, reparability, presence of substances of concern, resource use, recycled content, remanufacturing, recycling, waste generation, and premature obsolescence.
Testing Method Development: Specific focus on the rigor of developing, testing, and validating product-specific testing methods to ensure suitability, repeatability, and reproducibility.
Digital/AI Tools: Proposals demonstrating advancements in developing or applying digital/AI computational tools for ecodesign assessment are preferred.
Policy Alignment: Expected alignment with the ESPR, MEErP methodology, EN455XX standards, 'Safe and Sustainable by Design' (SSbD) principles, and other relevant EU policies (e.g., EU Ecolabel, Industrial Emissions Directive).
Knowledge Transfer: The project's plan to develop learning and training materials, especially to address capacity and skills gaps for SMEs regarding ecodesign requirements, will be considered.
Consortium Composition: Active involvement of relevant Member States' Authorities responsible for enforcement is beneficial. International cooperation is encouraged.
Budgetary Soundness: The detailed budget estimation per work package and beneficiary will be checked by experts to ensure it reflects eligible costs and supports the proposed activities and outputs.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR): The project's activities and outcomes must align with and support the implementation of the ESPR.
'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) Principle: All project activities are expected to adhere to fundamental environmental principles, ensuring no significant harm is caused.
Existing EU Legislation: Compliance is required with relevant directives and regulations, including the EU Ecolabel (Regulation (EC) No 66/2010), the Industrial Emissions Directive (Directive 2010/75/EU), and the Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852).
Technical Standards: Projects should consider and, where appropriate, align with European, international, and national classification systems and standards, such as the EN455XX series on material efficiency.

Ethical Standards

Ethics and Research Integrity: Adherence to high ethical standards and principles of research integrity is mandatory and subject to project checks.

Intellectual Property Policies

Grantees are responsible for the proper management of intellectual property rights generated or utilized within the project.

Risk Management and Security

While no specific risk management plan format is detailed, project checks will focus on the quality of technical implementation and adherence to security aspects if applicable.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

Digitalisation and AI: Proposals should demonstrate advancements in the development or application of digital/AI computational tools relevant to ecodesign assessment.
SME Capacity Building: Projects are encouraged to address the knowledge and skills gap within SMEs by developing learning and training materials related to upcoming ecodesign requirements.
Social Sustainability and Inclusion: When projects involve or impact civil society, consideration should be given to the participation of disadvantaged groups, including those based on gender and other social categories.
International Cooperation: Collaborations with international partners are encouraged to maximize the project's impact and reach.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

Collaboration with JRC: Strong encouragement for successful proposals to cooperate with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to foster coordination with ongoing science-for-policy activities related to ESPR.
Contribution to EU Policy: The grant offers a direct opportunity to contribute significantly to the strategic goals of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan.
'Safe and Sustainable by Design' (SSbD): Proposals are expected to integrate SSbD principles when addressing chemicals and materials within their research and development activities.

Grant Details