Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to advance the AI-readiness and machine-actionability of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) ecosystem.
It targets organizations involved in research and innovation, focusing on developing and integrating AI/ML solutions within scientific research infrastructures and digital platforms.
This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focused on scientific research, digital infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.
The geographic scope includes EU Member States and countries associated with the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.
The grant is part of the Horizon Europe Research Infrastructures 2025 call, indicating it is part of a recurring program within the broader Horizon Europe framework.

Financial Structure

The funding is provided in the form of lump sum contributions, meaning payments are linked to the successful completion of specific work packages, not based on actual incurred costs.
The total indicative budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-03) is 15,000,000.0 EUR.
The expected grant amount per project ranges from 7,500,000.0 EUR to 15,000,000.0 EUR.
An estimated 2 grants are expected to be awarded under this topic.
Eligible costs that are factored into the lump sum calculation include personnel costs, subcontracting, purchase costs (e.g., travel, equipment, other goods/services), and other specific cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, access to research infrastructure).
Indirect costs are calculated at a flat rate of 25% of the direct cost categories (as per Horizon Europe rules) and are included in the overall lump sum calculation.
The lump sum contributions inherently include the reimbursement rates as defined by Horizon Europe rules, meaning co-financing principles are embedded in the grant calculation.
5-8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
Beneficiaries are not required to report actual costs incurred, but financial controls will focus on the proper implementation of work packages.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Status

Organizations typically eligible for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), including universities, research organizations, public bodies (e.g., Joint Research Centre - JRC), enterprises, and SMEs, are expected to be eligible.
Must demonstrate financial and operational capacity as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Requirements

Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or a country associated with the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.

Consortium Requirements

Participation in a consortium is implied and expected for this Research and Innovation Action.
Proposals must incorporate necessary coordination efforts and resources with other relevant projects and the EOSC governance structure.

Technical and Capacity Requirements

Projects require significant technical expertise in AI/ML, data FAIRification, federated infrastructure, and open science practices.
Capability to develop and prototype tools, provide federated infrastructure services, and establish competency centers.

Exclusion Criteria

Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Application Process

The application process is a single-stage submission.
Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and Part B of the Application Form.

Key Dates

The planned opening date for submissions was 2025-05-06.
The submission deadline is 2025-09-18T00:00:00.000+0000.

Required Documentation and Submission

Applicants must use the standard application form for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (HE RIA, IA), available in the Submission System.
Detailed budget tables are required for lump sum proposals.
Submission is via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission Service.

Support and Guidance

Extensive support is available through various channels, including the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, frequently asked questions (FAQ), National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, and the European IPR Helpdesk.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation Principles

Proposals are assessed based on standard Horizon Europe criteria: 'Excellence', 'Impact', and 'Quality and Efficiency of Implementation'.

Impact Assessment

The 'Impact' criterion will specifically consider the extent to which the proposed work incorporates necessary coordination efforts and resources with other relevant projects and the EOSC governance structure within the context of the EOSC Partnership.

Financial Aspects (Lump Sum)

Evaluators, including those with financial expertise, will check the proposed budget estimate against relevant benchmarks (e.g., market prices, statistical data, historical data).
The assessment will ensure that proposed resources and the breakdown of lump sum shares are sufficient to achieve the described activities and expected outputs.
Applicants must declare that their estimated budget was prepared following their own accounting practices.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Data and IP Compliance

Beneficiaries must deposit digital research data generated in the action in a trusted repository federated in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) in compliance with EOSC requirements.
Beneficiaries must grant royalty-free access to their results to the EOSC Association for monitoring and policy development.
Beneficiaries must grant royalty-free access to their intellectual property rights (IPR) that are part of the results and are needed for further developing the EOSC, to legal entities identified by the granting authority and established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries. These access rights are limited to non-commercial use.

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must comply with general conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Regulatory compliance includes adherence to data protection and privacy regulations, ethical standards, and restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Collaboration and Strategic Alignment

Grants awarded under this topic will be explicitly linked through collaboration agreements to grants from the action 'HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-05: Using Generative AI (GenAI4EU) for Scientific Research via EOSC'.
The topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership for the European Open Science Cloud, requiring alignment with its objectives and governance.
Projects should leverage results from relevant existing initiatives and projects, such as EOSC Data Commons, especially in machine-actionability and data FAIRification.

Risk Management and Monitoring

Controls, reviews, and audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package, rather than detailed financial audits of incurred costs.

Grant Details