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Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to enhance the expertise, knowledge, mobility, and career opportunities of technical staff working in European research infrastructures by structuring comprehensive training activities. It targets organizations operating or hosting research infrastructures, specifically those linked to ESFRI Landmarks or European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs). - SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope: European, covering EU Member States and Associated Countries. - Key filtering criteria: Must be involved with research infrastructures, focus on technical staff training, collaboration with ESFRI/ERIC is mandatory, and the action type is Coordination and Support Action (CSA). - Grant frequency: This is a recurring call within the Horizon Europe program (2021-2027), specifically the 2025 iteration.

Financial Structure

  • Funding type: Lump sum contribution.
  • Minimum grant amount per project: 1,000,000 EUR.
  • Maximum grant amount per project: 1,500,000 EUR.
  • Total budget for this topic (HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-01) for 2025: 10,000,000 EUR.
  • Currency: EUR.
  • Funding rate: The reimbursement rate is included in the calculation of the lump sum contribution. For lump sum grants, payments do not depend on actual costs incurred, as the grant covers the agreed lump sum value based on an approximation of eligible costs, including a 25% flat rate for indirect costs.
  • Eligible costs (categories for lump sum calculation): Personnel costs (employees, direct contractors, seconded persons by third parties, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries), Subcontracting costs, Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services), and Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, transnational access to research infrastructure, virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement, Euratom Cofund staff mobility, ERC additional funding).
  • Ineligible costs: Any costs explicitly ineligible under Horizon Europe rules must not be included in the lump sum proposal.
  • Co-financing principle: The total estimated costs of the action are expected to be greater than the estimated Union contribution, as the EU contribution may partially cover the total costs.
  • Payment mechanism: Lump sum contributions per work package are paid upon proper implementation of the work package's conditions as outlined in Annex 1 of the grant agreement. Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
  • Financial reporting: There is no obligation for detailed cost reporting or financial ex-post audits.
  • Financial guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type
  • Must be a legal entity.
  • Consortium is required.
  • Must include at least one ESFRI Landmark or European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) as a beneficiary.
  • Alternatively, a legal entity that is hosting ERIC facilities, resources or related services may participate as a beneficiary, provided there is a signed declaration from the legal representative of the ERIC confirming support and relevance.
  • The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium.
Geographic Location
  • Eligible countries are those described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (typically EU Member States and Associated Countries).
Legal Structure
  • Participants must comply with the general conditions for the legal and financial setup of grants, as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and Operational Capacity
  • Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Applicants must not be subject to any exclusion criteria outlined in the grant regulations.
Project Scope Alignment
  • Proposals must focus on one specific ESFRI domain (Data, Computing and Digital Research Infrastructures; Energy; Environment; Health & Food; Physical Sciences and Engineering; Social Sciences & Humanities).

Application Process

Application Submission
  • Submission system: Proposals must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
  • Submission model: Single-stage.
  • Application deadline: 2025-09-18 00:00:00+0000 (using UTC as no specific timezone is given).
  • Call opening date: 2025-05-06.
Required Documentation
  • Proposal page limit and layout must adhere to descriptions in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
  • Part B of the Application Form, which is available in the Submission System, must be completed.
  • The standard application form for HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HE CSA) must be used.
  • A detailed budget table (HE LS - for Lump Sum) must be provided.
  • A declaration from beneficiaries affirming that they have followed their own accounting practices for budget preparation is required.
  • For distributed ERICs, a signed declaration from the legal representative of the ERIC confirming support and outlining relevance and further cooperation with the ERIC is necessary.
Evaluation Process
  • Evaluation and award processes are detailed in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
  • Proposals will be evaluated by external independent experts, who will also assess the budget with financial expertise.
  • An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement finalization is described in Annex F.
Support Available
  • Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on proposal submission and grant management.
  • Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed information on the program's structure, budget, and political priorities.
  • Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions regarding submission, evaluation, and grant management.
  • Research Enquiry Service: For general inquiries about European research and EU Research Framework Programmes.
  • National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe.
  • Enterprise Europe Network: Offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding.
  • IT Helpdesk: For technical support related to the Funding & Tenders Portal, such as login issues or submission technicalities.
  • European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
  • CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advise on standardisation aspects in project proposals.
  • The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment: Provides general principles and requirements for researchers, employers, and funders.
  • Partner Search tool: Available on the portal to help find partner organizations for proposals.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria
  • Excellence: Quality of the proposed training programs and their relevance to the needs of research infrastructures.
  • Expected Impact: Contribution to enhanced expertise, mobility, and the creation of 'one-stop-shop' training services.
  • Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: Soundness of the methodology, work plan, and resources allocated.
Scoring and Thresholds
  • Grants will be awarded primarily based on the ranking of proposals.
  • To ensure a balanced portfolio across a wide range of domains, grants will also be awarded to the highest-ranked proposals within each ESFRI domain, provided they meet all established thresholds.
Budget Assessment
  • Expert evaluators with financial expertise will check the proposed budget estimate.
  • The budget will be assessed against relevant benchmarks such as market prices, statistical data, and historical data from comparable actions.
  • Verification that the proposed resources and the breakdown of lump sum shares are appropriate for achieving the outlined activities and expected outputs.
  • The detailed budget table must accurately reflect eligible costs, including the 25% flat rate for indirect costs.
Cross-cutting Themes
  • Projects should include activities for collaboration with other projects under this topic, and establish common entry portals or cross-references among portals where appropriate.
  • Training programs may enhance horizontal key professionals across research infrastructure domains, covering common needs related to digital aspects, research data management, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or enhanced remote access.
  • Compliance with ethical standards and research integrity will be part of the evaluation.
  • Consideration of gender equality in the project's implementation and impact will be assessed.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance
  • Projects must comply with the general conditions outlined in Annexes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
  • Adherence to the Decision of 7 July 2021, which authorizes the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, is mandatory.
  • Compliance with the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is required.
Ethical and Quality Standards
  • All activities must adhere to ethical standards and principles of research integrity.
  • Projects should consider and align with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment.
Data and Intellectual Property
  • Effective management of intellectual property (IP) generated by the project is expected.
Project Structure and Focus
  • Projects are expected to support the structuring of training activities into 'one-stop-shop(s)' dedicated to enhancing skills and career profiles of technical staff in research infrastructures.
  • Activities should promote mobility and career opportunities for technical staff across Europe, potentially through staff exchange.
  • Projects must allocate efforts to contribute to gathering programmes under an overarching training service or entry point across domains, requiring dedicated collaboration with other projects funded under this topic.
  • Proposals should explicitly identify the ESFRI domain (and sub-domain, if applicable) they are addressing.
  • Applicants are encouraged to build on past activities and experience gained from relevant projects (e.g., RItrainPlus) and explore collaboration with other training projects (e.g., Marie SkÅ‚odowska-Curie Actions).
  • Considering the inclusion of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) Support Services Directorate in the research infrastructure portfolio is encouraged.
Risk Management
  • The use of lump sum funding significantly simplifies financial management, reduces administrative burden for beneficiaries, and minimizes financial error rates due to the absence of detailed cost reporting and ex-post financial audits.
  • 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, as well as adherence to ethics, IP management, and gender equality.

Grant Details

research infrastructure technical staff training upskilling staff mobility european research infrastructure con eric esfri landmark horizon europe coordination and support action csa lump sum funding digital skills ai training data management european commission science education human resources development capacity building innovation support eu funding public research scientific research
Training and up-skilling of research infrastructures technical staff
HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-01
Horizon Europe
UNIVERSITY PUBLIC OTHER
AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE
TECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE EDUCATION ENERGY ENVIRONMENT OTHER
DEVELOPMENT GROWTH OTHER
OTHER
SDG4 SDG9 SDG17
TRAINING_EDUCATION CAPACITY_BUILDING NETWORKING OPERATIONAL_SUPPORT RESEARCH_DEVELOPMENT
10000000.00
1000000.00
1500000.00
EUR
100.00
Sept. 18, 2025, midnight
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.