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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to reinforce the EU's strategic autonomy by reducing its dependence on non-EU sources for critical space Electronic, Electrical, and Electromechanical (EEE) components.
It aims to ensure unrestricted access to these technologies for EU space missions and develop resilient, trustable, and preferably EU-based supply chains, especially focusing on RISC-V microprocessors on 7nm technology.
Target recipients are legal entities involved in the space and electronics sectors within EU Member States and specific associated countries.
This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, highly focused on space technology, electronics manufacturing, and semiconductor development.
Geographic scope is limited to EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland.
Key filtering criteria for initial screening include proposals focused on RISC-V microprocessors on 7nm, achieving TRL 5, and explicitly addressing non-EU dependency and supply chain resilience.
This grant is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme, indicating a recurring program, but this specific topic has a defined single-stage deadline for the 2025 call.

Financial Structure

The total budget allocated for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-71) is 5,000,000.0 EUR.
The expected individual grant amount for a single project under this topic is between 4,500,000.0 EUR and 5,000,000.0 EUR.
The currency for all financial transactions is EUR.
Eligible and ineligible costs, as well as financial and operational capacity requirements, are detailed in Annexes C and G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, which are not provided in this document.
Standard Horizon Europe funding rates for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) typically apply (e.g., up to 100% of eligible costs for non-profit entities and often 70% for for-profit entities, or 100% for all if it's considered a public good and eligible costs are covered fully). The precise funding rate for this specific topic is not explicitly stated.
Financial guarantees may be required, particularly for entities with non-eligible country control, as part of the conditions to protect the Union's strategic interests.
The use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme is authorized, implying flexibility in funding mechanisms may be possible.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Location

Eligible organizations must be legal entities established in EU Member States or the following associated countries: Norway and Iceland.
EU Member States include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Proposals including entities from countries outside this defined scope are ineligible.
Entities established in eligible countries but directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may participate only if they provide guarantees that their participation will not negatively impact the Union's strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security.
Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment (or those fully/partially owned/controlled by them) cannot submit such guarantees.
Beneficiaries must ensure that any affiliated entities, associated partners, or subcontractors are not established in non-eligible countries, unless explicitly agreed otherwise with the granting authority.

Project Focus & Technical Qualifications

Proposals must focus on the development and maturation of critical space EEE components, specifically RISC-V microprocessors on 7nm technology node.
Projects are expected to achieve a final Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 or higher.
Activities should demonstrate complementarity with relevant national or other European activities, with clear identification and description of how this complementarity is ensured.
If projects utilize satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data may be used additionally).

Compliance & Control

A compulsory questionnaire on the declaration of ownership and control must be completed by all project participants as part of the application. All declarations must be assembled by the coordinator and uploaded as a single file.
Guarantees provided (if applicable) must substantiate that: a) control over the applicant entity does not restrict its ability to carry out the action or deliver results, nor impose restrictions on infrastructure, IP, or know-how; b) access by non-eligible countries/entities to sensitive information related to the action is prevented, and employees involved have national security clearance where appropriate; c) ownership of IP arising from the action remains within the recipient, is not subject to non-eligible country control, and is not exported/accessed from outside eligible countries without approval.

Application Process

Application Submission

The application deadline is 2025-09-25 00:00:00+0000.
The submission session for this topic became available on 2025-05-22.
Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System.
The application uses the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA).
The maximum page limit for the application is 80 pages.
Required documentation includes the completed proposal (Part B of the Application Form) and a compulsory declaration of ownership and control questionnaire for all project participants, assembled and uploaded as a single file by the coordinator.
The submission process is single-stage.

Evaluation & Award Process

Evaluation criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is provided in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Post-Award & Reporting Obligations

For projects aiming at formal space qualification, a full data pack planned for submission to the qualification authority must be delivered. This deliverable must be marked sensitive and shared with DG-DEFIS and HaDEA.
Products successfully completing space evaluation/qualification should inform DG-DEFIS and engrave the EU flag on their package.
Within 6 months from the project start, specific confidential deliverables must be provided to DG-DEFIS and HaDEA:
A detailed analysis and description of the full supply chain, including each entity, its role, criticality, and any non-EU dependencies.
An industrial technical roadmap and a business plan for commercialization, covering understanding of application needs, space mission insertion, and time to market.
A list of relevant non-EU export controls with extra-territorial applicability for the developed technology/product, independent of the established supply chain for the EU-COM project.
A comprehensive literature review of the relevant technology/product, outlining the state-of-the-art and highlighting gaps between current EU solutions and competition.
For a period of up to 4 years after the project's end, the consortium (or individual beneficiaries) must ensure the supply and availability of the developed/qualified products and/or processes to any entity in the EU, at fair and reasonable market prices, conditions, and without legal restrictions (e.g., stemming from ITAR).
If beneficiaries intend to transfer ownership or grant an exclusive license of project results, they must formally notify the granting authority (DG-DEFIS and HaDEA) before the transfer/licensing occurs. The granting authority may object to such actions for up to 4 years after the project's end.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe RIA Criteria (Implied)

Excellence: Assesses the scientific and technical quality, methodological soundness, and innovation potential of the proposal. This includes the clarity of objectives, appropriateness of the chosen TRL, and relevance to the topic.
Impact: Evaluates the potential contribution to expected outcomes, including reinforcing EU strategic autonomy, reducing non-EU dependencies, enhancing competitiveness, and establishing sustainable supply chains. Also considers the effectiveness of dissemination, exploitation, and communication plans.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: Considers the coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, the appropriateness of resources (personnel, equipment, infrastructure), and the quality of the consortium (expertise, complementarity of partners, and management structure).

Specific Scoring Factors for this Grant

Strategic Autonomy & Non-dependence: Proposals are highly evaluated based on their explicit contribution to reducing the EU's dependence on non-EU sources for critical space EEE components and their ability to provide unrestricted access to these technologies.
Supply Chain Resilience: Demonstrated commitment and clear plans for establishing a long-term, sustainable, and trustable supply chain, with a strong preference for EU-based solutions.
Performance Competitiveness: The potential for developed products and capabilities to achieve equivalent or superior performance levels compared to existing non-EU alternatives.
Risk Assessment & Mitigation: Detailed analysis of vulnerabilities in the supply chain and effective strategies to avoid non-EU export restrictions (e.g., ITAR, EAR).
Commercialization & Market Integration: A clear industrial technical roadmap and a robust business plan for commercialization, including accurate understanding of application needs, space mission insertion, and time-to-market indication.
Standardization & Qualification: For projects targeting TRL 5 or higher, the inclusion of proposed applicable standards (e.g., EN, ECSS, ESCC, MIL, JEDEC) considered relevant for formal space evaluation and/or qualification.
Complementarity: How well the proposed activities complement and build upon relevant national or other European level initiatives, clearly identified and described.

Excluded Scoring Factors

The integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is explicitly stated as not relevant for this specific topic and will therefore not be a scoring factor.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory & Ethical Compliance

Applicants must adhere to general conditions described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes regarding regulatory compliance, permits, authorizations, data protection, privacy regulations, environmental compliance, and ethical standards.
The legal and financial setup of grants is governed by Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment apply.
The EU Grants Annotated Model Grant Agreement (AGA) serves as a guide for compliance.

Strategic Autonomy & Security Considerations

The grant's primary objective is to safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security, specifically by avoiding technological dependency on non-EU sources.
Participation is strictly limited to legal entities established in designated eligible countries to achieve this goal.
Strict measures are required to prevent non-eligible countries/entities from exercising control over applicant entities, accessing sensitive information related to the action, or gaining control/exporting intellectual property developed within the project.
Employees involved in the action may require national security clearance issued by an eligible country, where appropriate.

Technology & Intellectual Property Policies

All proposed activities must utilize technology development processes designed to avoid non-EU export restrictions and must include an assessment of supply chain vulnerabilities.
The proposed supply chain and final product must be free of any legal export restrictions or limitations, such as those established in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or equivalent instruments applicable in other non-EU jurisdictions.
Applicants must report if and which parts of the supply chain are affected by non-EU export controls (e.g., EAR99).
Ownership of intellectual property (IP) arising from, and results of, the action must remain within the recipient during and after completion, free from control or restrictions by non-eligible countries/entities, and not exported/accessed from outside eligible countries without approval from the country of establishment.

Additional Considerations

The topic encourages technological spin-in and/or bilateral collaborations between European non-space and space industries to foster dynamic industrial landscape changes.
Projects that aim at a formal space qualification shall deliver the full data pack planned to be submitted to the qualification authority. This deliverable must be marked sensitive and shared with DG-DEFIS and HaDEA.
The integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in the research and innovation content is not relevant for this specific topic.

Grant Details