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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to support research and innovation activities that explore the impact of pollution on the development and progression of brain diseases and disorders. The core objective is to generate scientific evidence, tools, and methodologies that can inform global and EU policies, protect citizens, and provide open access to data on this critical link. It is specifically targeted at research institutions, universities, public bodies, and private companies (including SMEs and larger enterprises) capable of conducting in-depth scientific research. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant focusing on the Health and Environment sectors, particularly in areas related to neurobiology, public health, and occupational medicine. Geographically, the grant is open to organizations established in EU Member States, Associated Countries to Horizon Europe, and the United States of America. Key filtering criteria for initial screening include a strong focus on brain diseases and their link to environmental pollution, the capacity for high-quality scientific research, and the willingness to participate in a consortium and contribute to common networking activities. This grant is part of the recurring Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, indicating it is a regular funding opportunity within the 2021-2027 framework.

Financial Structure

This grant utilizes a lump sum contribution model, which simplifies financial reporting by providing fixed payments upon the completion of agreed-upon work packages.

Budget Range: The total budget allocated for this specific topic in 2025 is 40,000,000 EUR.
Grant Amount per Project: Individual projects are expected to receive between 6,000,000 EUR and 7,000,000 EUR.
Currency: All financial figures are in EUR.
Eligible Costs: When preparing your lump sum proposal, you must estimate your direct and indirect costs. These estimated costs should be those that would typically be eligible in an 'actual costs' grant. Categories include:
- Personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries)
- Subcontracting costs
- Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services)
- Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, access to research infrastructure).
Ineligible Costs: Costs that are normally ineligible under Horizon Europe rules must be excluded from your lump sum calculation.
Indirect Cost Policy: Indirect costs are calculated by applying a 25% flat rate to the direct cost categories that qualify for indirect cost calculation under Horizon Europe rules. This rate is factored into the overall lump sum.
Payment Mechanism: Payments are released based on the successful implementation and completion of defined work packages, as outlined in your grant agreement. Payments are not dependent on actual costs incurred during the project. If a work package condition is not met, that portion of the lump sum is not paid, but could be in a subsequent reporting period if conditions are met.
Co-financing: While a lump sum, the grant adheres to co-financing principles. The total estimated costs of your action should be greater than the estimated Union contribution, or relevant reimbursement rates will be applied during the lump sum calculation.
Financial Guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Financial Reporting: Beneficiaries have no obligation to document costs incurred for the action to the granting authority, simplifying reporting. Financial checks will focus on the technical implementation and completion of work packages.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this grant, your organization must meet the following hard criteria:

Organization Type: The grant is open to any legal entity established in eligible countries. This includes, but is not limited to, universities, research organizations, public bodies, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and larger enterprises. Specific EU decentralized agencies like the Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and European Environment Agency (EEA) may also participate as consortium members.
Geographic Location: Your organization must be established in one of the EU Member States, countries associated with Horizon Europe, or the United States of America.
Consortium Requirement: This grant requires collaboration in a consortium. Your proposal must be submitted by a group of legal entities working together. Specific details on the minimum number of participants are typically found in the general annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme, but the need for a consortium is explicit.
Financial and Operational Capacity: Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed project. This is assessed according to the general conditions outlined in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Blind Evaluation Pilot: For the first stage of the application, proposals will undergo a 'blind evaluation'. This means you must not disclose your organization names, acronyms, logos, nor the names of personnel in the proposal abstract or Part B of your first-stage application.

Application Process

This grant operates under a two-stage application process. Application Deadlines

Stage 1 (First Cut-off): The deadline for submitting your initial proposal is September 16, 2025, at 00:00:00 UTC+00.
Stage 2 (Second Cut-off): If invited, the deadline for submitting your full proposal is April 16, 2026, at 00:00:00 UTC+00.

Application Procedure

Online Submission: Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Blind Evaluation (Stage 1): For the first stage, you must adhere to the blind evaluation pilot requirements. This means your proposal abstract and Part B of your application should not disclose your organization's name, acronym, logo, or personnel names.
Required Documentation:
- Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1 for the first stage, HE RIA IA for the second stage).
- A detailed budget table (HE LS), which outlines your estimated costs for the lump sum calculation.
- If your project includes clinical studies, you must provide details in a dedicated annex using the template provided in the submission system during the second stage.

Support Available Various resources are available to assist applicants: * Online Manual: Provides comprehensive guidance on the entire process, from proposal submission to grant management. * Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Offers detailed information on the program's structure, budget, and political priorities. * Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers frequently asked questions about submission, evaluation, and grant management. * National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance, practical information, and assistance specific to your country. * Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Offers advice to businesses, particularly SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding. * IT Helpdesk: For technical issues with the submission portal. * European IPR Helpdesk: For intellectual property questions. * Partner Search: Tools and services are available to help you find suitable partners for your consortium. Post-Award Requirements

Clustering and Joint Activities: All proposals selected for funding under this topic will automatically form a cluster. Successful applicants are required to participate in common networking and joint activities. This includes attending regular joint meetings, participating in common dissemination and communication activities, and developing common data and policy strategies.
Budget Allocation: You must allocate a sufficient budget (around 2% of the total requested budget) within a dedicated work package to cover the costs associated with these mandatory clustering and joint activities.
Reporting Obligations: While financial reporting is simplified due to the lump sum model, you will have periodic progress reporting obligations tied to the completion of your work packages.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation process for this two-stage grant is rigorous, with proposals assessed based on a scoring system: Stage 1 Evaluation

Criteria: Proposals are evaluated on Excellence and Impact.
Thresholds: A minimum score of 4 is required for both the Excellence and Impact criteria.
Overall Threshold: An overall threshold applies to the sum of the two individual scores. This threshold is set to ensure the total requested budget of proposals admitted to Stage 2 is between 3.5 and 4 times the available budget.
Blind Evaluation: The first stage of proposals will be evaluated 'blindly', meaning evaluators will not know the identity of the applying organizations.

Stage 2 Evaluation

Criteria: Proposals are evaluated on Excellence, Impact, and Implementation.
Thresholds: A minimum score of 4 is required for each criterion (Excellence, Impact, Implementation).
Cumulative Threshold: A cumulative threshold of 12 applies to the total score from these three criteria.

General Scoring Factors & Priorities

Scientific and Technical Quality: Experts will assess the scientific quality and innovation of the research, including the chosen methodologies (e.g., in-vivo, in-silico, in-vitro models, imaging, multi-omics), and the potential for generating new insights into pollution's impact on brain health.
Impact Expectations: Proposals must clearly outline how their results will contribute to policy-making, public protection, and improved understanding of environmental health issues. This includes strengthening resilience to climate/environmental changes and reducing health threats.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: This covers the feasibility of the project plan, the effectiveness of the proposed consortium, and the suitability of allocated resources. Experts with financial knowledge will also check the budget estimates.
Cross-cutting Themes: The grant strongly emphasizes the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and expertise to enhance societal impact. Proposals should also demonstrate consideration of intersectional approaches (e.g., sex, gender, age, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic factors) when developing health indicators and studying exposures.
Data Principles: Adherence to FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and sound data sharing practices is a key expectation.
Innovation and Technological Advancement: While not explicitly scored as a separate criterion, the nature of 'Research and Innovation Actions' implies a strong focus on generating new knowledge and solutions.
Competitive Advantages: Proposals that demonstrate strong alignment with EU environmental and health policies (e.g., European Green Deal, Zero Pollution Action Plan), effective international collaboration, and innovative, non-animal experimental methods (where applicable) are likely to be more competitive.

Compliance & Special Requirements

This grant has several specific compliance and special requirements that applicants must address:

Regulatory Compliance: Proposals must adhere to general Horizon Europe conditions, including admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria outlined in the Work Programme General Annexes. If your project uses satellite-based Earth observation or positioning data, you must utilize Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services.
Data Protection and Sharing: Projects must strictly adhere to FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and adopt appropriate data standards and sharing practices. For chemical monitoring, including human biomonitoring data, explicit requirements include sharing this data with the Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring (IPCHEM) through collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and/or the future Common Data Platform for Chemicals via the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) or other relevant decentralized EU agencies (like the European Environment Agency - EEA).
Ethical Standards: While not explicitly detailed, research must comply with ethical guidelines. Applicants are specifically encouraged to use experimental methods not involving live animals where comparable validity can be achieved.
Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Integration: This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines. You must involve SSH experts, institutions, and ensure relevant SSH expertise is integrated into your research activities to enhance societal impact.
Cross-cutting Themes: Beyond SSH, proposals should adopt an intersectional approach when developing health indicators, considering diverse individual characteristics such as sex, gender, age, ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic factors. Specific attention should be paid to gender and sex-related differences when studying long-term exposure to pollutants.
Innovation and Research Focus: The grant targets 'Research and Innovation Actions' (RIA), meaning projects should aim for significant advancements in understanding the causal links between pollution and brain diseases, including molecular mechanisms, development of new models, and biomarkers.
Exclusions: Research where the effect of nutrition on mental health is the main focus is explicitly excluded from this topic, as it is covered by a separate grant.
Clustering: A unique and mandatory aspect is that all funded projects will form a cluster. This means participating in joint networking, communication, data management, and policy activities, with approximately 2% of your project's budget dedicated to these collaborative efforts.
Blind Evaluation Pilot: For the first stage of evaluation, strict rules apply to anonymize your proposal. You must not include any identifying information about your organization (names, acronyms, logos) or personnel in the abstract or Part B of your first-stage application.

Grant Details