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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to develop and integrate higher-speed optical access networks and future end-to-end packet optical network architectures into the overall 6G ecosystem. The core objective is to enable highly energy-efficient data transport for very high throughput rates in 6G systems.

Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: The grant targets legal entities of various sizes, including SMEs, enterprises, universities, and research organizations, primarily within EU Member States, Associated Countries, OECD, and Mercosur countries.
MUST state if grant is SECTOR-SPECIFIC or SECTOR-AGNOSTIC: SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Telecommunications, Digital, Photonics, AI, Energy).
Geographic scope and any location requirements: Global, but with specific eligibility for countries listed under EU Member States, Associated Countries, OECD, and Mercosur. Excludes entities established in Russia, Belarus, or non-government controlled territories of Ukraine.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on 6G optical networking, AI/photonics integration, energy efficiency, and adherence to specific geographic eligibility/exclusion criteria.
Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the annual HORIZON-JU-SNS-2025-01 call, part of the broader Horizon Europe Smart Networks and Services (SNS) Joint Undertaking program, indicating a recurring focus on 6G research and innovation.

Financial Structure

Budget range and limitations: The total funding available for this specific topic (HORIZON-JU-SNS-2025-01-STREAM-B-03-02) is EUR 8,000,000 for one expected grant.
Minimum grant amount: EUR 8,000,000.
Maximum grant amount: EUR 8,000,000.
Currency: All amounts are in EUR.
Eligible costs: General Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025 applies, which outlines standard eligible costs for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions. Specific details are not provided in this document.
Indirect cost policies: Defined by General Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025.
Financial reporting requirements: Defined by General Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025.
Audit requirements: Defined by General Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2025.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Legal Status

Legal entities established in EU Member States, Associated Countries, OECD countries, and Mercosur countries are eligible.
Eligible organization types include public bodies, research organizations, higher education establishments, and private entities like SMEs and enterprises.
Participation is restricted for entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment or those fully/partially owned/controlled by such suppliers.
Entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or non-eligible country entity may participate only if they provide guarantees positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, ensuring no negative impact on the Union's strategic interests.

Geographic Requirements

Applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries. (See 'country' list in main JSON for specific ISO codes).
Excluded are legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or non-government controlled territories of Ukraine.
Legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by legal persons established in Russia are also not eligible.

Technical and Capacity Requirements

Proposals should cover Research & Innovation (R&I) issues for low TRL (Technology Readiness Level) topics and plan for demonstration of an end-to-end architecture towards the end of the SNS implementation period.
Participants of selected projects must cooperate within the SNS Programme by signing a 'collaboration agreement'. This implies a consortium or collaborative project approach.

Other Conditions

Public bodies, research organizations, or higher education establishments (including private ones) must have a Gender Equality Plan in place.
Proposals must address the gender dimension in research and innovation content where appropriate, especially if research results are expected to differ when applied to different gender populations of users.

Application Process

Application Procedure

Submission format and platform: Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Submission Service via a call-specific application form.
Pre-application requirements: Applicants need to sign in to the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

A call-specific application form will be used.
The limit for a full proposal is 70 pages for Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) submitted under Stream B (which this topic falls under) and Stream C.

Timeline and Evaluation

Application deadline: The submission deadline is 2025-09-18.
Submission session availability: The submission session became available on 2025-05-22.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: Further details are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Assistance and Support

Guidance: Applicants can refer to the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), and the SNS R&I Work Programme 2025.
Support services:
SNS Brokerage Platform: For presenting profiles/interests or project ideas to find potential partners.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe.
Enterprise Europe Network: Offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs, on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical questions related to the Funding & Tenders Portal, including submission.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advise on standardization in project proposals.
Partner Search: An online tool to help find partner organizations.
Online Manual and FAQs: Comprehensive guides on proposal submission, evaluation, and grant management.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

Proposals are evaluated based on award criteria, scoring, and thresholds described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Impact Section Complements

An additional sub-criterion will assess the proposal's contribution to the overall SME objective, as appropriate.
An additional sub-criterion will assess the proposal's contribution to the IKOP (Innovation Key Performance Objectives) objectives.

Tie-Breaking Rules

When two Research and Innovation Action (RIA) proposals are equally ranked, the following criteria will be used to break ties, in order:
1. Coverage criterion.
1. Excellence criterion.
1. Generic Impact criterion.
1. Level of SME participation.
1. Level of IKOP.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Participation restrictions: Subject to Article 22(5) of the Horizon Europe Regulation, which aims to safeguard the Union's strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security.
Restrictions for European communication networks: Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment are not eligible to participate.

Ethical Standards

Gender equality: Public bodies, research organizations, and higher education establishments must have a Gender Equality Plan. The gender dimension in research and innovation content should be addressed if relevant.

Intellectual Property and Data Sharing

Intellectual Property: Ownership of Intellectual Property (IP) arising from the action and its results must remain with the recipient during and after completion of the action. It should not be subject to control or restrictions by non-eligible countries/entities, nor exported/accessed from outside eligible countries without approval.
Data sharing: AI/ML training datasets created and used within the selected projects must be made available through a common repository that is openly accessible and usable by other SNS projects throughout the program lifecycle.

Risk Management

Compliance with General Annex C regarding financial and operational capacity and exclusion applies.

Special Considerations

Synergies: Projects are expected to exploit synergies by utilizing necessary photonics components provided by other initiatives, such as Photonics 21 and/or Chips JU.
Focus Areas: Applicants should clearly identify which specific areas/priorities they address if they only cover a subset of the broad scope outlined.
Trustworthiness: Enhanced trustworthiness with security enhancement and increased resilience are expected outcomes.

Grant Details