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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Grant's core objective: To integrate next-generation zero/low emission aircraft into the European Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, ensuring safe, efficient, and non-disruptive operations.
Target recipient types: Organizations involved in research and innovation in the aviation/ATM sector, including universities, research organizations, public bodies, private companies (e.g., SMEs, enterprises), and NGOs.
Designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Aviation/ATM sector).
Geographic scope: European airspace.
Key filtering criteria: Focus on ATM integration challenges posed by new aircraft types (hydrogen, battery-electric, hybrid-electric).
Grant frequency and context: This is part of the HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-ER-03 call, itself under the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Bi-Annual Work Programme (BAWP) 2024-2025, which falls under the broader Horizon Europe framework. It is an 'Exploratory Research 03' topic, suggesting it is part of an ongoing series of calls.

Financial Structure

Funding type: The grant provides a lump sum contribution.
Minimum grant amount per project: 1,000,000.0 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project: 2,000,000.0 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Funding rate: 100.0% of eligible costs, up to the agreed lump sum amount.
Eligible costs: All costs necessary to perform the activities and achieve the deliverables covered by the lump sum. Specific categories of eligible/ineligible costs are determined by the lump sum agreement.
Matching fund requirements: Not explicitly required, as the grant operates on a lump sum basis, covering a fixed contribution to the project's overall cost.
Payment schedule: Not detailed, but typically linked to the achievement of pre-defined milestones and deliverables.
Financial reporting: Beneficiaries are subject to the financial reporting requirements for Horizon Europe lump sum grants.
Audit requirements: Standard Horizon Europe audit requirements apply.
Indirect cost policies: Indirect costs are integrated within the lump sum amount.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type and Legal Status

Eligible organizations are those typically participating in 'HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions'. This broadly includes:
- Universities and research organizations
- Public bodies
- Private companies (e.g., SMEs, Enterprises)
- Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Applicants must meet financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Location

Organizations must be established in:
- EU Member States: 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.
- Horizon Europe Associated Countries (as listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, which typically includes): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

Project Duration

Maximum project duration: 30 months, which must include a 6-month period dedicated to communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities following the research phase.

Exclusion Criteria

The call is subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
Organizations that do not meet the general admissibility conditions outlined in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes are ineligible.

Application Process

Application Timeline and Deadlines

Submission session opens: 2025-04-01.
Application deadline: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+0000.
Evaluation and grant agreement timeline: An indicative timeline is outlined in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Required Documentation and Submission Materials

Part A of the standard application form (HE RIA, IA).
SESAR 3 application form (RIA, IA) - Part B: This specific form for the call is available in the Submission System.
Detailed budget table (HE LS) for lump sum proposals.
Proposals must explicitly acknowledge and incorporate efforts to meet specific dissemination and exploitation obligations.

Submission Process

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
The process is a single-stage submission.

Application Support

Applicants can seek assistance from various sources, including:
- SESAR 3 JU Call Helpdesk ([email protected]).
- Online Manual for submission procedures.
- Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
- Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
- Research Enquiry Service.
- National Contact Points (NCPs) for national-level guidance.
- Enterprise Europe Network, particularly for SMEs.
- IT Helpdesk for technical issues with the portal.
- European IPR Helpdesk for intellectual property matters.
- CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk for standardisation advice.
- A Partner Search functionality is available on the portal.

Post-Award Requirements (Project Implementation)

The maximum project duration is 30 months, including a mandatory 6-month period at the end for communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities.
Beneficiaries must proactively share all relevant project results with other grants awarded under the same call, on a royalty-free basis.
Results must be made available for reuse under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions (FRAND) through a well-defined mechanism using a trusted repository.
If the project's results are related to standardisation, beneficiaries must grant a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to these results.
For projects linked to other actions, mutual access to background intellectual property and results of ongoing/closed linked actions must be ensured, if necessary for implementation or exploitation.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

Excellence: Assesses the quality, soundness, and innovativeness of the proposed research, including the clarity of objectives, appropriateness of methodology, and interdisciplinarity.
Impact: Evaluates the potential effects of the project, including:
- Contribution to the integration of next-generation zero/low emission aircraft into the ATM system.
- Potential for significant reduction of CO2 emissions and assessment of the environmental impact (e.g., from hydrogen and water contrails) at fleet scale.
- Contribution to other Key Performance Areas (KPAs) such as ATM capacity, access, and equity.
- Identification of necessary adaptations to the regulatory framework for air navigation and aerodromes, including safety standards.
- Alignment and coordination with relevant initiatives such as the AZEA initiative, Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, and EASA.
- Contribution to the objectives of the EU Green Deal and the European ATM Master Plan.
Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: Focuses on the work plan's coherence and effectiveness, the allocation of resources, the quality of the team, and the project's management structure.

Selection Priorities

Grants will be awarded based on ranking, but also with a consideration for ensuring a balanced portfolio of projects. This means awards may go to highly ranked applications within specific topics or work areas, even if they are not the absolute top-ranked overall, provided they meet the minimum quality threshold.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
Research must explicitly identify needs for adaptation of the regulatory framework for air navigation and aerodromes, including new requirements and means of compliance, and address related safety standards.
Compliance with Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085, which establishes Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe.
Adherence to the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Intellectual Property (IP) Policies

Beyond standard Horizon Europe IP rules, beneficiaries have additional obligations:
- Dissemination: Proactive, royalty-free sharing of all relevant results with other grants awarded under the same call.
- Exploitation: Making results available for reuse under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions (FRAND) via a trusted repository.
- Standardization: Granting a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to results if their purpose is related to standardisation.
- Linked Actions: Ensuring mutual access to background and results of ongoing/closed linked actions if necessary for implementation or exploitation.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

A significant focus on environmental impact, specifically the reduction of CO2 emissions and the assessment of the environmental impact (e.g., contrails) of hydrogen and water from hydrogen-powered fuel cell systems at a fleet scale.
Expected impact on other Key Performance Areas (KPAs) beyond environmental, such as capacity, access, and equity in ATM.
Research must consider work performed under the AZEA initiative and Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking and coordinate as necessary with EASA.

Risk Management and Security

While specific risk management expectations are not detailed, projects are subject to the general Horizon Europe framework and must comply with restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Strategic Opportunities

This grant offers a critical opportunity to contribute directly to the decarbonization goals of European aviation and the modernization of its Air Traffic Management system, aligning with key EU strategic objectives like the Green Deal.

Grant Details