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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to deepen understanding and prepare the EU and its Member States for future enlargement, with a specific focus on challenges and opportunities related to democracy, rule of law, and governance. It aims to increase societal awareness of the enlargement process, both within the Union and in candidate/potential candidate countries. - Target Recipient Type: Research organizations, universities, public bodies, civil society organizations, and potentially other legal entities involved in research. - Target Recipient Size: Not specified, but typically involves consortia of various sizes given the nature of Research and Innovation Actions. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focuses on political science, social sciences and humanities, public administration, education, and history, specifically in the context of EU enlargement and democratic governance. - Geographic Scope: Projects must involve EU Member States and at least one entity from Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine, or Türkiye. - Key Filtering Criteria: Proposals must address the political, social, and economic aspects of EU enlargement, lessons learned from past enlargements, and strategies for strengthening democracy and governance in this context. - Grant Frequency: This is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, indicating a recurring program context.

Financial Structure

Funding Type: Grants will take the form of a lump sum contribution.
Budget Range per Grant: The minimum contribution expected per project is 3,000,000 EUR, and the maximum is 3,500,000 EUR.
Total Topic Budget: The total indicative budget for this topic is 10,500,000 EUR, aiming to fund 3 projects.
Eligible Costs (for lump sum calculation): The lump sum is calculated based on estimated direct and indirect costs, which include: personnel costs (employees, direct contractors, seconded persons, SME owners/natural persons), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel/subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services), and other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, research infrastructure access, specific program costs).
Ineligible Costs: Costs that are ineligible under general Horizon Europe rules are excluded from the lump sum calculation.
Indirect Cost Policy: A 25% flat rate for indirect costs is included in the calculation of the lump sum contribution.
Payment Mechanism: Payments do not depend on actual costs incurred but are made if corresponding work packages are properly implemented and all grant agreement obligations are met. Lump sum contributions per work package are paid to the coordinator.
Financial Reporting: There is no obligation to report actual costs; financial checks focus on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.
Co-financing: The total estimated costs of the action in the proposal must be greater than the Union contribution, ensuring compliance with co-financing principles.
Mutual Insurance Mechanism: 5% to 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Eligible organization types: Not explicitly restricted to specific legal forms, but 'Research and Innovation Actions' (RIA) typically involves universities, research organizations, public administrations, NGOs, and enterprises (SMEs or large companies) that conduct research.
Consortium requirements: A consortium is mandatory. It must include at least one entity, as a beneficiary, established in one of the following countries: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo (this designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine, or Türkiye.

Geographic Requirements

Eligible Countries: Organizations established in EU Member States and Associated Countries are generally eligible for funding. Additionally, the mandatory consortium member must be from one of the specifically listed non-EU countries above.

Application Format and Content

Application Form: Proposals must use the standard application form for HE RIA/IA, available in the Submission System.
Page Limit: The Part B of the application form has a page limit of 50 pages for Research and Innovation Actions using a lump sum.
Detailed Budget Table: Submission of a detailed budget table using the provided template is mandatory.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Planned Opening Date: 2025-05-15
Application Deadline: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+00 (This is a single-stage submission).
Evaluation and Grant Agreement Timeline: Indicative timeline is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (details not provided here).

Submission Requirements

Application Procedure: Single-stage submission process.
Required Documentation: A complete proposal including Part B (project description, maximum 50 pages for lump sum RIA actions) and a mandatory detailed budget table (using the provided template) must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal's Submission System.
Submission Format: Electronic submission via the portal.

Support and Guidance

Available Assistance: Applicants can access guidance from the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their recruitment.
Partner Search: The Funding & Tenders Portal offers a partner search function to help identify suitable collaborators.

Post-Award and Implementation Expectations

Project Planning: Proposals should ensure that data produced is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) and leverage data/services from European Research Infrastructures.
Cooperation and Clustering: Strong encouragement to network with and build on previously funded projects (e.g., from Horizon Europe calls, Horizon 2020, Global Europe, Instrument for Pre-accession) and to engage in clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this topic.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Evaluation Criteria

Excellence: Quality of the proposed research, methodology, and innovation.
Impact: Credibility of pathways to achieve expected impacts, scale and significance of contributions to expected outcomes.
Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: Soundness of the work plan, appropriate allocation of resources, and management structure.

Specific Scoring Factors for this Topic

Project Scope and Expected Outcomes: Proposals should contribute to providing policymakers and public administrations with insights on lessons learned from previous enlargement processes, increasing societal awareness of enlargement, and improving the use of interactive tools to inform citizens.
Research Quality: The research should improve understanding of the history, political, and economic situation of candidate countries, combining socio-historical, legal, and economic approaches. Comparative analysis of accession treaties is encouraged.
Citizen Engagement and Communication: Emphasis on involving citizens early in enlargement discussions, ensuring transparency, and addressing concerns. Research should identify effective tools (including digital technologies like AI and social media) for public administration and policymakers to improve citizens' understanding and engagement.
Pilot Implementation: Proposals should include pilots carried out in at least four EU Member States to assess the effectiveness of proposed tools.
Policy Recommendations: Research should lead to policy recommendations promoting inclusive strategic communication and citizen engagement, and explore support for reform processes in candidate countries regarding specific Acquis Chapters (e.g., Chapter 10 'Information Society and Media', Chapter 23 'Judiciary and Fundamental Rights', Chapter 24 'Justice Freedom and Security', and Chapter 34 'Institutions').
Cross-cutting Themes: Proposals should consider and integrate aspects related to Societal Engagement, EOSC (European Open Science Cloud) and FAIR Data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable), Digital Agenda, Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) integration, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Networking and Collaboration: Encouragement to network with and build on previously funded projects (Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, Global Europe, Instrument for Pre-accession) and to engage in clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this topic.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Financial and Legal Compliance

Lump Sum Conditions: The grant operates under a lump sum model. Beneficiaries have no obligation to document costs incurred for the action but must remain compliant with national accounting rules. Checks and audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action, specifically on the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to general Horizon Europe regulations, as detailed in Annex A, E, and F of the Work Programme General Annexes, is required.

Data and Technical Standards

Data Management: Particular efforts must be made to ensure that data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable). Where applicable, proposals should leverage data and services available through European Research Infrastructures and relevant Data Spaces.

Ethical and Societal Considerations

Ethical Standards: The grant implies adherence to ethical considerations in research, particularly concerning 'ethical foreign policy' and protection of fundamental rights. General Horizon Europe ethical guidelines will apply.
Cross-cutting Themes: Projects are expected to incorporate and address themes such as Societal Engagement, EOSC and FAIR Data, Digital Agenda, Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) integration, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Unique Project Aspects

Mandatory Consortium Member: A unique requirement is the mandatory inclusion of at least one beneficiary from a specific list of non-EU countries (Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine, or Türkiye), which fosters international collaboration and focuses the enlargement perspective.
Innovation Focus: Projects should propose innovative solutions and approaches for public administration and citizen engagement, potentially utilizing emerging digital technologies.
Policy Relevance: Strong emphasis on developing policy recommendations based on research findings, particularly concerning EU integration and the Acquis Communautaire.
Pilot Requirement: The inclusion of pilots in at least four EU Member States is a specific implementation requirement to assess tool effectiveness.

Grant Details