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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: Accelerate digital innovation in freight transport and logistics by extending functionalities of existing electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI) platforms.
Target recipients: Businesses (transport and logistics operators, technology developers), public administrations, research organizations.
Size: Solutions are expected to facilitate and encourage adoption by SMEs.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focuses on the freight transport and logistics sector.
Geographic scope: Primarily European Union territory and countries associated with Horizon Europe.
Key filtering criteria: Projects must involve digital innovation, specifically leveraging and extending eFTI platforms for multimodal transport, aiming for TRL7 (operational prototype demonstration).
Grant frequency: Part of the recurring Horizon Europe Work Programmes, specifically Cluster 5.

Financial Structure

Total budget allocated for this topic (HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-08): 15000000.0 EUR.
Expected number of grants awarded under this topic: 2.
Minimum grant amount per project: 7000000.0 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project: 8000000.0 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Eligible costs: Expected to cover costs related to development, demonstration, and deployment activities typical for Innovation Actions within Horizon Europe. Specific eligible and ineligible cost categories are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Co-financing requirements: Not explicitly stated for this specific topic, but Horizon Europe Innovation Actions typically involve co-financing. For profit organizations usually receive up to 70% funding, while non-profit and public bodies can receive up to 100%.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Types

Eligible: Any legal entity, including transport and logistics operators, technology developers, public administrations, research organizations, universities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Businesses, particularly SMEs, are a key focus.

Geographic Location

Member States of the European Union: ['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'].
Countries associated with Horizon Europe: The specific list is defined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, which typically includes countries like Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Applicants from non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible if specific funding provisions are made.

Technical Requirements

Projects must leverage and/or extend functionalities of eFTI platforms that are already operational.
Proposed technical solutions must reach at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 (operational prototype demonstration).
Ability to integrate Artificial Intelligence to facilitate data and information interoperability for B2B solutions.

Consortium Requirements

Required: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium.
Projects must define and test B2A and B2B solutions and use cases in at least 2 demonstration environments/ecosystems.
B2B use cases should be led by industry stakeholders (e.g., shippers, logistics service providers like freight forwarders, transportation companies).
B2A use cases should be developed in cooperation with industry stakeholders, researchers, and public administrations (including statistical offices).

Application Process

Application Timeline

Submission system planned to open: 2025-09-16.
Application deadline: 2026-01-20T00:00:00+0000.
Submission procedure: Single-stage.

Required Documentation and Materials

Proposal page limits and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
The specific application form for this call will be available in the Submission System (Part B).

Submission Format and Platform

Applications must be submitted electronically via the European Commission's Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System.

Support and Resources for Applicants

Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research and EU Research Framework Programmes.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe (available in EU, associated, and some third countries).
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Offers advice to businesses, particularly SMEs, on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical issues related to the Funding & Tenders Portal (e.g., forgotten passwords, access rights, submission technicalities).
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Provide advice on standardisation in project proposals.
Partner Search: Available to help find partner organizations for proposals.

Project Implementation and Reporting

Grant duration parameters will be specified in the grant agreement, typical for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions.
Projects are expected to leverage eFTI platforms that are operational at the time of project implementation.
Reporting schedule and frequency will follow the standard Horizon Europe requirements, including monitoring and evaluation based on key milestones and deliverables.
Compliance with monitoring requirements of Regulation (EU) 2020/1056, including reporting on access and processing of regulatory information via operation logs.

Evaluation Criteria

Impact

Contribution to all of the following specific outcomes:
- Extended functionalities of eFTI platforms (e.g., for new use cases, B2B/B2A information sharing, GHG reporting, sustainability claims).
- Establishment of best practices to boost and accelerate the adoption of eFTI framework and data sharing innovations, particularly by SMEs.
- Demonstrated and quantified improvement in operational efficiency and freight transport through advanced digital connectivity and interoperability.
- Demonstrated and quantified reduction in administrative burden and costs associated with B2B data sharing and B2A regulatory/non-regulatory reporting.
Alignment and synergies with relevant EU frameworks and policies related to transport emissions data (e.g., CountEmissions EU, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive).
Assessment of interdependencies and needs with horizontal Union strategies and legislation (e.g., GDPR, Digital Identities, Data Spaces, AI Act, Data Governance Act, Cybersecurity Act).

Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation

Soundness and ambition of the proposed approach and methodology.
Quality of the proposed technical solutions and tools, demonstrating they are at least at TRL7.
Effectiveness and feasibility of solutions and tools designed to facilitate SME engagement.
Clarity and relevance of the defined multiple use cases, services, and applications for B2B and B2A processes.
Adequacy of identified data to be added to the eFTI common dataset, ensuring data sovereignty, privacy, and cybersecurity.
Robustness of recommendations for B2B framework arrangements (e.g., standard data exchange contracts, identification/authentication, authorization).
Suitability and quality of the demonstration environments/ecosystems (at least two required) and the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

Excellence (General Horizon Europe Innovation Action criterion)

Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives.
Soundness of the concept and proposed methodology.
High level of innovation in proposed solutions.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Policy Compliance

Core legislative framework: Proposals must refer to and build upon Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 on electronic freight transport information (eFTI) and its implementing/delegated acts.
Data Protection and Privacy: Compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR) is mandatory.
Digital Identity: Adherence to Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 (European Digital Identity Framework).
Data Governance: Compliance with Regulation (EU) 2022/868 (Data Governance Act).
Artificial Intelligence: Adherence to Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act).
Cybersecurity: Compliance with Regulation (EU) 2019/881 (Cybersecurity Act).
Sustainability Reporting: Alignment with Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and the proposal for a Regulation on CountEmissions EU (on accounting GHG emissions of transport services).
Communication Networks Protection: Proposals are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Technical and Operational Specifics

Solutions must demonstrate operational prototype demonstration (TRL7) or higher.
Proposals need to identify and define relevant data to be added to the existing eFTI common dataset, specifically addressing data sovereignty, data privacy, and cybersecurity aspects.
Projects are expected to assess and provide recommendations for B2B framework arrangements, including standard data exchange contracts, identification/authentication, and authorization for trusted data sharing.
Solutions should facilitate SME engagement in the digital freight transport and logistics ecosystem, including minimal integration effort for industrial stakeholders.
Prohibited activities: Proposals should not develop functionalities already required by the current eFTI Regulation or new architectures/federations of platforms already delivered by eFTI and DTLF (Digital Transport and Logistics Forum).

Special Considerations

Strategic Alignment: Projects should contribute to the objectives of the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.
Innovation Preference: Preference for solutions that unlock eFTI platform potential for new B2B services and additional B2A uses, leveraging Artificial Intelligence for interoperability.
Knowledge Sharing: Expected to identify and develop best practices, and provide recommendations on incentives, capability building, training, technology adoption support schemes, and trust-building mechanisms.
Contextual Understanding: Proposals should duly reflect the latest technological state of the art for electronic information exchange and build upon concepts from other EU initiatives like the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) and the European mobility data space (EMDS).

Grant Details