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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to generate accurate, reliable, and actionable climate information to optimally support IPCC Assessments and international climate policy.

Primary objective: Develop and utilize scientifically robust climate projections, including future global climate projections and an operational framework for societal decision-making.
Focus: Exploring impacts of global warming overshoot, feasibility of carbon dioxide removal, and implications for policy.
Target recipient type and size: Primarily research institutions, universities, and other public or private entities with significant capacity in Earth System Model (ESM) development, climate science, and data infrastructure. Given the budget, large consortia are implied.
Designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Climate Science, Environmental Modeling, Research & Innovation).
Geographic scope: Global, with a strong emphasis on coordinated European contributions and international cooperation, particularly with researchers from Global South countries.
Key filtering criteria for initial screening: Expertise in climate modeling, Earth System Models, Integrated Assessment Models, data management, and a focus on climate policy relevance and international collaboration.
Grant frequency and program context: This topic is part of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2021-2027), indicating it's a recurring program within a broader multi-annual strategic framework.

Financial Structure

Funding type: Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with a lump sum contribution model.
Total budget for this topic: EUR 30,000,000.
Minimum and maximum grant amount per project: EUR 30,000,000 (one project is expected).
Currency: EUR.
Lump sum funding: The grant amount is fixed and paid based on the proper implementation of defined work packages and deliverables, rather than on actual incurred costs.
Eligible costs (for lump sum calculation): Based on estimated direct and indirect project costs, including:
- Personnel costs (employees, direct contractors, seconded persons, SME owners).
- Subcontracting costs.
- Purchase costs (travel, equipment, other goods/works/services).
- Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, access to research infrastructure, procurement costs).
Indirect costs: Calculated at a 25% flat rate of eligible direct costs, included in the lump sum.
Infrastructure improvement: A part of the budget, not more than 30% of the total eligible costs, may be allocated to improving infrastructure (software, tools, data, HPC adaptation).
Financial support to third parties: Permitted, specifically for grants to researchers from Global South countries.
Maximum amount per individual third party: EUR 60,000.
Total maximum amount for financial support to third parties: EUR 1,000,000.
Co-financing: Applicants' estimated total costs should be greater than the estimated Union contribution, reflecting the co-financing principle. Reimbursement rates are integrated into the lump sum calculation.
Financial reporting: No obligation to report actual costs; financial checks focus on technical implementation and fulfilment of work package conditions. Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
Mutual Insurance Mechanism: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Types

Eligible organization types are not explicitly restricted beyond 'Beneficiaries'. Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) typically involve various legal entities, including universities, research organizations, public bodies, and private companies (e.g., SMEs, large enterprises) capable of contributing to the research objectives.

Geographic Location

Eligible Countries: As per Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This generally includes:
- 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 (EU Member States).
- Associated Countries to Horizon Europe (list not provided in the source, but typically includes countries like Norway, Iceland, UK, etc.).
International cooperation is encouraged, especially with the Global South. Researchers from Global South countries (low- to middle-income countries as per Horizon Europe list) are eligible for financial support to third parties.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Technical Expertise and Infrastructure

Demonstrated expertise in developing and utilizing state-of-the-art Earth System Models (ESM) and Integrated Assessment Models (IAM).
Capability to generate future global climate projections and analyze complex climate scenarios.
Ability to improve and manage related infrastructure, including software, tools, data management, and High-Performance Computing (HPC) adaptation.

Consortium Requirements

While not explicitly stated as a 'requirement' in a checklist format, the extensive scope, large budget (EUR 30,000,000), and expected coordination with international programmes and other Horizon Europe projects strongly imply that this grant will require a multi-beneficiary consortium. Proposals should plan for clustering activities and strong interaction with related initiatives.

Application Process

Application Deadline

Submission deadline: 2025-09-23 at 22:00:00 UTC+00:00.
Submission session opened: 2025-05-06.

Application Procedure

Submission Model: Single-stage.
Submission Format: Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
Application Form: Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) must be used, adhering to page limits and layout requirements detailed in Annex A and E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

Required Documentation and Materials

Completed application form.
Detailed budget table (following the HE LS format), which should provide a breakdown of the lump sum contribution by work package and per beneficiary/affiliated entity.
Information on financial support to third parties, if applicable.

Evaluation Process and Timeline

Evaluation is conducted by external independent experts.
Experts assess proposals based on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation.
Experts with financial expertise will review the budget estimate for each work package, checking resources against benchmarks (e.g., market prices, statistical data).
Applicants must declare that they have used their own accounting practices for budget preparation.
The final lump sum amount is established after evaluation, potentially adjusted based on expert recommendations.

Post-Award Requirements and Compliance

Implementation: Payments are contingent on the proper implementation and completion of work packages as defined in the grant agreement.
Open Science: Beneficiaries must ensure open access to any new modules, models, or tools developed or substantially improved with EU funding. This includes documentation, model code, and input data.
Data Management: Data developed under the action must be managed in compliance with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.
Monitoring & Reporting: Checks, reviews, and audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action, including the fulfilment of work package conditions, ethics, research integrity, dissemination, exploitation of results, intellectual property management, and gender equality.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be assessed by independent experts based on the standard Horizon Europe criteria, which include:
- Excellence: Quality of research and innovation activities.
- Expected Impact: Contribution to the grant's objectives and broader societal, economic, and environmental benefits.
- Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: Soundness of the work plan, management, and resource allocation.

Specific Excellence Criteria (derived from 'Scope')

Generation of future global climate projections using state-of-the-art Earth System Models (ESM) that incorporate the latest advancements in modelling technologies and process understanding, including climate–carbon cycle feedback.
Design of climate simulations considering socio-economic scenarios from up-to-date Integrated Assessment Models (IAM), providing greenhouse gas emission pathways based on various societal choices.
Delivery of scenarios and simulations exploring different levels and durations of warming overshoot, assessing risks and the feasibility/limits of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methodologies.
Updating and coordination of assumptions, observational, and simulated climate datasets across international programmes (e.g., IAMC, CMIP, CORDEX, ISIMIP), optimizing inter-programme interaction.
Design of a coherent framework to coordinate and incorporate global and regional climate projections, enhancing collaboration between European modelling and service provision (e.g., Copernicus, Destination Earth).

Specific Impact Criteria (derived from 'Expected Outcome')

Enabling institutions and decision-makers to timely access and utilize scientifically robust climate projections, including scenarios aligned with Paris Agreement targets.
Improving societal understanding of the impacts, risks, and implications of temperature overshoot pathways.
Contributing a coordinated European input to IPCC assessments and other major scientific initiatives (e.g., IPBES, WCRP, WASP, Global Carbon Budget).
Enhancing coordination among international programmes (IAMC, CMIP, CORDEX, ISIMIP) to ensure outcomes are more consistent and policy-responsive.
Strengthening the overarching infrastructure that supports European contributions to these international programmes.

Specific Implementation Criteria

Operationalisation framework and scenarios must be developed through co-creation with policy makers (e.g., via advisory boards).
High standards of transparency and openness for models, extending to assumptions, protocols, code, and data (FAIR principles).
Resources must be earmarked for clustering activities and cooperation with other relevant projects within and outside Horizon Europe.
Strong interaction and coordination are expected with projects funded under previous calls and related specific topics (e.g., HORIZON-CL5-2025-03-D1-02, HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-02).
The estimated budget will be checked by experts with financial expertise for soundness and alignment with proposed activities and resources, ensuring consistency with lump sum methodology.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Adherence to general Horizon Europe conditions regarding admissibility, eligible countries, and other specific eligible conditions.
Compliance with financial and operational capacity requirements.
Adherence to exclusion criteria defined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants must comply with Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial management must conform to Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046 (Financial Regulation) and the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorizing the use of lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe.

Data Protection and Openness

Strict adherence to open science practices, specifically ensuring open access to all newly developed or substantially improved modules, models, or tools, including documentation, code, and input data.
Data generated must comply with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
Transparency and openness are expected for models, extending beyond documentation to cover assumptions, protocols, code, and data.

Ethical Standards

Expected to adhere to high ethical standards and research integrity principles, consistent with general Horizon Europe requirements.

Intellectual Property Policies

Management of Intellectual Property (IP) is a focus area for checks, reviews, and audits, implying beneficiaries must have clear IP policies in place.

Risk Management

The lump sum funding approach shifts the focus of financial controls from detailed cost reporting to verification of technical implementation and fulfilment of work package conditions.
The granting authority is entitled to recover undue payments if work package conditions were not met.

International Collaboration Regulations

International cooperation is encouraged, especially with the Global South. Specific provisions allow financial support to third parties (up to EUR 60,000 per individual third party, total EUR 1,000,000 for the project) for researchers from Global South countries to promote capacity building.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

This is a high-value (EUR 30M) Research and Innovation Action (RIA) focusing on highly relevant climate science for policy support.
The lump sum funding model simplifies financial administration, allowing beneficiaries to focus more on scientific and technical performance.
Projects are expected to engage in 'co-creation' with policy makers for developing operational frameworks and scenarios, ensuring policy relevance.
Strong interaction and coordination with other ongoing and past Horizon Europe projects (e.g., those under HORIZON-CL5-2025-03-D1-02 and HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-02) and international scientific initiatives are a key expectation, fostering a collaborative ecosystem.
Up to 30% of the total eligible costs can be dedicated to improving existing infrastructure, which is a significant opportunity for enhancing computational and data capabilities.

Grant Details