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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core Objective: Support the EU Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative by conducting a 'scoping action' to analyze existing efforts, assess benefits and risks, and develop a consolidated EU vision and strategic research and innovation agenda for future trends in the bio-based sector.
Target Recipient Type and Size: Organisations involved in research, innovation, and policy development. Specifically targets SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and start-ups for improved uptake of solutions.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focused on industrial, environmental, marine, and agri-food biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and the broader bioeconomy.
Geographic Scope: EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe are eligible for funding. International cooperation with entities from the United States, Japan, South Korea, and India is encouraged, but their funding eligibility depends on specific provisions.
Key Filtering Criteria: Expertise in biotechnology/biomanufacturing, a focus on strategic analysis and policy recommendations, and the ability to engage diverse stakeholders including civil society.
Grant Frequency and Program Context: This is a specific topic within the recurring Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically under Cluster 6 'Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment', Destination 'Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors'.

Financial Structure

Funding Mechanism: The grant takes the form of a lump sum contribution, meaning payments are linked to the completion of predefined work packages rather than actual incurred costs.
Budget: The total budget for this topic is 2,000,000.0 EUR.
Minimum and Maximum Grant Amount: The grant provides a single contribution of 2,000,000.0 EUR for one expected grant.
Currency: EUR (Euro).
Eligible Costs: The lump sum covers costs that would typically be eligible under Horizon Europe rules, including personnel costs (employees, seconded persons, SME owners), subcontracting, purchase costs (travel, equipment, goods, services), and other specific cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, research infrastructure access).
Ineligible Costs: Costs explicitly deemed ineligible under standard Horizon Europe rules are excluded from the lump sum calculation.
Indirect Costs: A flat rate of 25% for indirect costs is applied to eligible direct costs and is included in the lump sum calculation.
Payment Schedule: Payments are made when the corresponding work packages, as defined in the grant agreement's Annex 1, are properly implemented and completed. Payments do not depend on the actual costs incurred by beneficiaries.
Financial Reporting: Beneficiaries are not required to report actual incurred costs to the granting authority. However, they must adhere to their national accounting practices.
Audit Requirements: Financial ex-post audits are minimised. Checks primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action and verification that work package conditions for payment have been met.
Co-financing: The principle of co-financing applies, meaning the total estimated costs of the action must exceed the estimated Union contribution.
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 established in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe is eligible to apply.
Organisations from non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible for funding if specific provisions are made, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
The grant encourages participation from various entities involved in research, innovation, and policy development, including SMEs and start-ups.

Organizational Size and Capacity Requirements

SMEs and start-ups are explicitly identified as target stakeholders whose uptake of solutions should be improved.
Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity as outlined in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Location Requirements

Primary eligibility for funding is for entities established in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
While international cooperation is encouraged with countries like the United States, Japan, South Korea, and India, their direct funding eligibility is conditional and not automatic.

Technical Expertise and Project Scope

Expertise is required in industrial, environmental, marine, and agri-food biotechnology. Note: Health biotechnology is explicitly excluded from the scope.
Projects should demonstrate knowledge in advanced biotechnologies such as CRISPR-Cas gene editing, synthetic biology, and digital technologies.
Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines is required.
Proposals must clearly address the development of an EU vision and strategic research and innovation agenda for the biotechnology and biomanufacturing sectors.

Partnership Requirements

This is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), which typically requires a consortium of multiple beneficiaries, although not explicitly stated as mandatory, it is the standard approach for such actions.

Exclusion Criteria

Costs that are ineligible under Horizon Europe rules must be excluded from the lump sum contribution proposal.
Proposals focusing on health biotechnology are not within the scope of this topic.

Application Process

Application Submission

Submission Deadline: 2025-09-17 00:00:00+0000.
Application Procedure: Single-stage submission process.
Submission Platform: Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application Form: Use the standard application form (HE CSA) specific to this call, available in the Submission System.
Proposal Layout: Adhere to page limits and layout guidelines described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and Part B of the Application Form.
Budget Details: A detailed budget table (HE LS) must be prepared by applicants, showing estimated direct and indirect costs, broken down by work package and beneficiary.
Declaration: Proposals must include a declaration from beneficiaries confirming that they have followed their own accounting practices for preparing the estimated budget.

Evaluation Process

Review Process: Proposals undergo evaluation by external independent experts.
Scoring System: Evaluation is based on award criteria covering 'Excellence', 'Impact', and 'Quality and Efficiency of Implementation'.
Financial Evaluation: Experts with financial expertise will review the budget estimate, checking against benchmarks and assessing if proposed resources align with planned activities and outputs.

Grant Agreement and Post-Award Requirements

Model Grant Agreement: The grant will use the 'HORIZON Lump Sum Grant' (HORIZON-AG-LS) Model Grant Agreement.
Project Planning: Proposals should detail activities covered by each work package and associated resources.
Progress Tracking: Payments are contingent on the proper implementation and completion of work packages.
Compliance: Beneficiaries must comply with all obligations under the grant agreement, even though detailed cost reporting is not required.

Application Assistance Availability

Guidance: Comprehensive guidance is available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
Support Services: Applicants can contact the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and European Standards Organisations (CEN-CENELEC, ETSI) for advice.
Partner Search: A partner search functionality is available on the portal to help find consortium members.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria Proposals are evaluated based on three main criteria, as detailed in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes: - Excellence: Evaluates the quality of research and innovation, methodology, scientific soundness, and the level of ambition. - Impact: Assesses the project's potential to contribute to expected outcomes, policy objectives, and broader environmental, social, and economic impacts. This includes the quality of the dissemination and exploitation plan. - Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: Examines the soundness of the proposed methodology, the work plan, the management structures, and the appropriate allocation of resources. This also covers the financial viability and justification of the lump sum budget. Specific Scoring Factors

Contribution to the improved uptake of solutions from the EU biotechnology and biomanufacturing initiative, particularly by SMEs and start-ups, ensuring consumer rights and needs (e.g., transparency, co-creation).
Enhanced environmental sustainability (e.g., sustainable biomass use, replacement of fossil-based alternatives) and overall innovation capacity.
Demonstrated ability to increase awareness among EU, national, and regional policymakers, based on scientific excellence and inclusive co-creation processes.
Development of a clear EU vision and strategic Research and Innovation (R&I) agenda that addresses economic security risks and global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity protection.
Scientifically robust assessment of the social, economic, and environmental benefits and risks associated with biotechnologies and biomanufacturing.
Thorough exploration of biotechnology's role regarding positive impacts and potential risks on biodiversity, ecosystems, resource efficiency, sustainable biomass management, and air, water, soil quality, and carbon management.
Potential to inform and influence national bioeconomy strategies and roadmaps.
Effective integration and contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.
Consideration and integration of findings from the Global Resources Outlook 2024.
Demonstrated synergies with relevant past projects, ongoing partnerships (e.g., Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking - CBE JU), and EU missions.
Promotion of civil society participation, including disadvantaged groups, where projects aim to impact or involve civil society.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

General Compliance: Proposals and project implementation must comply with Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe, and the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
Ethical Standards: Adherence to ethical standards and research integrity principles is mandatory.

Financial Compliance

Lump Sum Basis: The use of lump sum contributions is authorized by the Decision of 7 July 2021. This means financial checks will primarily focus on the completion of work packages rather than detailed cost documentation.
National Accounting: While direct cost reporting to the granting authority is not required, beneficiaries must still adhere to their national accounting rules.
Mutual Insurance Mechanism: A percentage (5% to 8%) of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to this mechanism.

Project Specifics and Scope

Coordination and Support Action (CSA): This grant type implies activities primarily focused on coordinating and supporting research and innovation, typically involving networking, strategic agenda development, and policy recommendations.
Exclusion of Health Biotechnology: The project scope explicitly excludes health biotechnology; the focus is on industrial, environmental, marine, and agri-food biotechnology.
Strategic Technologies: The action should address biotechnology's role as a critical technology for economic security and its relevance to initiatives like the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Regulation.
Global Outlook: Proposals should take into account findings from the Global Resources Outlook 2024.
Consumer Trust: Projects should build consumer trust, irrespective of regulatory status of products, potentially by mapping use cases from past projects.

Cross-Cutting Themes and Collaboration

SSH Integration: Effective contribution from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines is a requirement.
Synergies: Proposals are expected to ensure synergies with other EU policies, initiatives, and partnerships, including Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space), Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility), Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), EU missions ('Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030', 'Soil Mission'), Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), and the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility.
International Cooperation: International collaboration is encouraged with specific countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, and India for mutual benefits.
Pilot Infrastructure: Synergies with projects involving biotechnology/biomanufacturing pilot infrastructure (e.g., Pilots4U, Copilot) are encouraged to enhance market accessibility.

Risk Management

The lump sum approach aims to minimise financial error rates by focusing on technical deliverables. However, if work package conditions are not met, the grant may be reduced or payments recovered.

Grant Details