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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: Raise excellence in science and knowledge valorisation of Europe's higher education institutions through deeper, geographically inclusive strategic cooperation and accelerated institutional reforms, especially in 'Widening countries'.
Target recipients: Alliances of higher education institutions (universities) with a focus on 'Widening countries'.
SECTOR-AGNOSTIC but focused on research and innovation within higher education, contributing to strategic EU areas like the Clean Industrial Deal, Energy Union, digital tech, AI, European Life Science strategy, and Union of Skills.
Geographic scope: European Union Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries, with a required 'center of gravity' (coordinator and at least 51% of budget) in 'Widening countries'.
Key filtering criteria: Applicant must be a higher education institution, part of a consortium, and have a strong focus on 'Widening countries'.
Grant frequency: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, implying a recurring program framework, but this call has a defined 2025 timeline.

Financial Structure

Budget range per grant: Between EUR 2,000,000 and EUR 5,000,000.
Total budget available for this specific topic: EUR 80,000,000 (expected to fund 27 grants).
Expenditures for research and innovation (R&I) activities: Cannot exceed a maximum of 20% of the total budget.
R&I expenditures must be presented in a dedicated and distinct work package within the proposal.
Financial and operational capacity requirements: Described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Currency: EUR.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type

Legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries are eligible.
The coordinator of the proposal must be a legal entity established in a 'Widening country'. (The specific list of 'Widening countries' is described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, but not provided in this document).
Applications must be submitted by a consortium.
A consortium must include as beneficiaries at least three independent legal entities.
These three independent legal entities must be established in three different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Eligible organizations include higher education institutions, such as (but not limited to) European Universities alliances selected under Erasmus+.
Consortia may include entities outside the core alliance for specific themes, especially for industrial cooperation and/or outreach to regional innovation ecosystems.

Geographic Focus

The 'center of gravity' of the action must be in 'Widening countries'.
Applicants must convincingly demonstrate this geographical focus conceptually.
At least 51% of the total budget must be allocated to participants from 'Widening countries'.

Project Scope

Activities must focus on research and innovation (R&I) conducted exclusively within the higher education sector.
Educational activities, such as Master's or doctoral programmes, are out of scope for this call.
Proposals must address at least four of the five specified modules: Institutional modernisation and reforms, Upskilling of research, technical and management staff, Development of research excellence, Digital transformation, and Outreach.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Requirements are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Admissibility Conditions

Proposals must adhere to the page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Timeline

Application deadline: 2025-11-20T00:00:00+0000.
Submission session opened: 2025-05-08.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (specific dates not provided).

Required Documentation and Materials

Application forms specific to this call are available in the Submission System.
Standard application form (HE CSA) is used.
Proposals must adhere to the page limits and layout described in Part B of the Application Form.

Application Procedure

Submission is a single-stage process.
Access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button next to the type of action.
Upon confirmation of choice, applicants will be linked to the correct entry point.
Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Support and Guidance Available

Online Manual: Guides through procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Provides detailed guidance on structure, budget, and political priorities.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers common questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Offer guidance, practical information, and assistance on Horizon Europe participation.
Enterprise Europe Network: Provides advice to businesses, with a focus on SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical support related to the Funding & Tenders Portal (e.g., passwords, access rights, submission issues).
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advise on standardisation in project proposals.
European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their recruitment: Provides general principles and requirements for researchers, employers, and funders.
Partner Search: A service to help find partner organizations for proposals.

Project Implementation Timeline

Project duration: Appropriate to the ambition and complexity of the alliance, but must not exceed 5 years.
Reporting schedule and frequency: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (specific details not provided).

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria, Scoring, and Thresholds

These are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes (details not explicitly provided in the current document).

Priority Order for Equally Ranked Applications (Ex-aequo)

In the first place, ex-aequo proposals will be prioritised based on geographical diversity criteria, specifically favouring proposals with coordinators established in a 'Widening country' that is not yet represented higher up the ranking list.
If still tied, the method described in Points 1), 2), 3), and 5) of General Annexes Part F (Procedure/Evaluation procedure and ranking) will be applied.

Alignment with European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda

Proposals are expected to contribute to the implementation of relevant ERA Policy Agenda 2022-24 actions within higher education institutions.
This includes strengthening research careers in academia and reforming the assessment system for research and related careers.
Projects should facilitate the introduction of modern research assessment practices, in line with the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) agreement.

Expected Outcomes and Impact

Modernisation and upgrade of higher education institutions in the R&I dimension through integrated collaboration.
Mainstreamed culture of excellence in science and knowledge valorisation, particularly in less research-intensive institutions and 'Widening countries'.
Accelerated institutional reforms and strengthened R&I capacities, especially in 'Widening countries', leading to better research careers (including in non-academic sectors).
Strengthened digital skills and capacities, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), within the R&I dimension of the higher education sector.
Increased global competitiveness and critical mass of research in the European higher education system.
Contribution to creating critical mass in key strategic areas such as the Clean Industrial Deal, Energy Union, digital tech diffusion, AI, the European Life Science strategy, and Union of Skills.
Promotion of a balanced circulation of talents, fair and modern research assessment practices (in line with CoARA), diversity, gender equality, inclusiveness, use of open science practices, and acquisition of transferable skills.

Project Quality and Coherence

Applicants must convincingly demonstrate the geographical focus on 'Widening countries' conceptually and through the allocation of the major share of the budget (at least 51%) to participants from 'Widening countries'.
The action should propose a coherent package of activities structured into the specified modules (Institutional modernisation and reforms, Upskilling of research, technical and management staff, Development of research excellence, Digital transformation, Outreach), addressing at least four of them.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Consortium Requirements

A consortium is mandatory, including at least three independent legal entities from three different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
The coordinating entity must be established in a 'Widening country'.
At least 51% of the total budget must be allocated to participants from 'Widening countries'.

Research Assessment Reform Alignment

Projects are expected to contribute to the implementation of the ERA Policy Agenda, specifically strengthening research careers and reforming the research assessment system.
Proposals should integrate modern research assessment practices aligned with the 'Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment' (CoARA).
Key principles from the CoARA agreement include:
- Basing assessment primarily on qualitative judgement, supported by responsible use of quantitative indicators.
- Recognizing diverse outputs, practices, and activities that maximize research quality and impact.
- Abandoning inappropriate uses of journal- and publication-based metrics (e.g., Journal Impact Factor, h-index) as proxies for quality.
- Avoiding the use of rankings of research organizations in research assessment.
- Committing resources to reform assessment practices.
- Reviewing and developing assessment criteria, tools, and processes for units, institutions, projects, and researchers.
- Raising awareness and providing transparent communication, guidance, and training on assessment criteria and processes.
- Exchanging practices and experiences for mutual learning within and beyond the Coalition.
- Communicating progress on adherence to the principles and implementation of commitments.
- Evaluating practices, criteria, and tools based on solid evidence and making data openly available for research.

Ethical Standards and Integrity

Compliance with ethics and integrity rules and practices is paramount, as detailed in the CoARA agreement (e.g., ensuring ethics and integrity are the highest priority).

Data Protection and Privacy

Any data sharing, especially for 'research on research' purposes, must respect personal data protection regulations.
The Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement applies to the application process.

Intellectual Property

The European IPR Helpdesk is available for assistance, indicating that Horizon Europe's standard IP policies will apply, generally granting ownership to beneficiaries.

Innovation and Digital Transformation

A strong focus on strengthening digital skills and capacities, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques in science and management, is expected.

Scope Limitations

Activities must focus exclusively on research and innovation within the higher education sector.
Educational activities, such as Master's or doctoral programmes, are explicitly out of scope.
Expenditures for research and innovation (R&I) activities, such as seed funding for collaborative research projects, cannot exceed 20% of the total budget and must be presented in a dedicated and distinct work package.

Grant Details