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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

- - Single, clear statement of grant's core objective: This grant aims to deepen the understanding of the European design sector and its professionals, and to develop effective methods to strengthen the sector, ultimately boosting Europe as a global powerhouse of design for sustainable competitiveness. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: The grant targets organizations involved in research and innovation. While not explicitly limiting size, it supports a wide range of actors in the cultural, creative, and design sectors. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC or SECTOR-AGNOSTIC: SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Open to legal entities established in EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. Legal entities established in China are NOT eligible to participate in Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) in any capacity. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on design (process of devising/adapting products, services, business models to human needs/desires), sustainable competitiveness, and the cultural and creative industries. - Grant frequency and program context: This is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically within the 'Culture, creativity and inclusive society' cluster, implying recurring calls within this overarching program.

Financial Structure

Funding Mechanism: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum contribution.
Budget per project: Between 3,500,000 EUR and 4,500,000 EUR.
Total Topic Budget: The total indicative budget for this topic (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-06) for 2025 is 13,500,000 EUR, with an expectation of funding 3 grants.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Rate: Typically 100.0% of the agreed lump sum for Research and Innovation Actions.
Eligible Costs (for lump sum calculation): Personnel costs (employees, direct contractors, seconded persons, SME owners/natural person beneficiaries), 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, PCP/PPI procurement, Euratom Cofund staff mobility, ERC additional funding).
Indirect Costs: Calculated at a 25% flat rate on qualifying direct costs.
Payment Schedule: Lump sum contributions are paid per work package upon proper implementation of activities, regardless of actual costs incurred.
Financial Guarantees/Retentions: 5% to 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Audit Requirements: No reporting of actual costs is required, and normally no financial checks, reviews, or audits are conducted, unless inconsistencies or non-compliance are identified during technical implementation checks.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Geographic Location

Eligible to legal entities established in EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. This 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)
AL, BA, GE, IS, IL, LI, MD, ME, MK, NO, RS, CH, TR, UA, UK (Commonly Associated Countries for Horizon Europe, within the allowed list)
Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in this Research and Innovation Action (RIA).

Technical & Software Requirements

All software developed must be open source.
Acceptable open source licenses are CC0 public domain dedication or licenses recommended by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and the Open Source Initiative (OSI).
If fully open source is disproportionately effortful or diminishes quality/performance, suitable non-open source function libraries may be used, provided a full user license (free of charge, unlimited period) is granted to the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH) consortium and all ECCCH users.
All software and related deliverables must comply with the data model and software development guidelines established by the project funded under topic 'HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-01'.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Submission Deadline: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+0000.
Submission System: Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Submission Format: Single-stage submission procedure.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application Form (Part B): Limited to 50 pages for Research and Innovation (RIA) applications using lump sum funding.
Detailed Budget Table: Mandatory submission using the template available in the Submission System.
Declaration: Applicants must declare that they have followed their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Evaluation Process

Evaluation and Award: Follows procedures outlined in Annexes D and F of the Work Programme General Annexes, and the Online Manual.
Indicative Timeline: As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation of Budget: External independent experts with financial expertise will check the budget estimate based on benchmarks (market prices, statistical data, historical data) and assess if proposed resources align with activities and expected outputs. They will verify accounting practice declarations.

Post-Award Requirements & Compliance

Grant Agreement: The final lump sum contribution will be included in the grant agreement as the maximum grant amount.
Work Package Implementation: Payments are contingent on the proper implementation of corresponding work packages in accordance with the grant agreement. Unmet work package conditions will result in non-payment for that period, but can be paid in subsequent periods if conditions are met. If not met in any period, the grant amount is reduced.
Checks and Audits: Focus will be on technical implementation, fulfillment of work package conditions, ethics, research integrity, dissemination, exploitation of results, intellectual property management, and gender equality. Undue payments due to unfulfilled conditions may be recovered.

Application Assistance and Support

Guidance Documents: Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, FAQ, Lump Sum Decision, HE Main Work Programme 2025, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, Annotated Model Grant Agreement.
Support Services: Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct, Partner Search facility.

Evaluation Criteria

Expected Outcomes & Impact

Enhanced Understanding: Proposals should contribute to an improved and updated understanding of the European design sector and design professionals, including their cross-sectoral relevance for innovation, key strengths, opportunities, and challenges. This knowledge should be made available to scientists, policymakers, designers, private companies, and other stakeholders.
Method and Application Development: Projects are expected to develop and implement methods, techniques, and applications based on research and knowledge that enable the European design sector and its professionals to remain at the forefront of design for sustainable competitiveness.
Global Powerhouse Contribution: Proposals must significantly contribute to establishing Europe as a global leader in design for sustainable competitiveness.

Scope & Focus

Innovation & Creativity: Solutions should encompass new or adapted technological solutions, conceptual frameworks, innovative business models (e.g., based on circular economy principles and design for circularity) and policies.
Feasibility & Acceptability: Proposed solutions should be effective, economically and politically feasible, and culturally acceptable across diverse EU member states and associated countries, as well as different economic sectors.
Stakeholder Involvement: A wide range of stakeholders should be involved, aligned with the chosen project focus.
Focused Approach: Proposals are not required to address all aspects or sub-sectors of design but must choose a focus expected to deliver a significant impact.
Leveraging Existing Resources: Projects should build on existing knowledge, activities, and networks (e.g., from previous Horizon Europe Cluster 2 calls, EKIP platform).

Cross-Cutting Themes & Alignment

Societal & Planetary Wellbeing: Projects should contribute to environmental sustainability, cultural affirmation, and overall societal and planetary wellbeing.
Commission Priorities: Actions should help promote the European way of life, contribute to the digital age, achieve European Green Deal goals, support an economy that works for people, and align with the New European Bauhaus initiative and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Resilience: Contribute to building a stronger, more participatory, and crisis-resilient society and economy.
Cultural Heritage & Arts Potential: Support the realization of the full potential of cultural heritage, arts, and cultural and creative industries as drivers of sustainable innovation and a European sense of belonging.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory & Legal Compliance

General Conditions: Admissibility, eligible countries, other eligible conditions, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annexes A, B, C).
Financial Regulation: Complies with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046 on financial rules.

Data & Intellectual Property

Data Principles: Actions generating data should leverage data and services from European Research Infrastructures (e.g., European Open Science Cloud, ESFRI) and relevant Data Spaces. Data produced should be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Intellectual Property (IPR): IPR rights of digital objects stored in the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH) and resulting from ECCCH-based collaboration will be fully recorded and traceable. Guidelines like those from RightsStatements.org should be used where appropriate, to enable new business models.

Technical & Software Standards

Open Source Software: All software developed must be open source, licensed under a CC0 public domain dedication or an open source license recommended by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and the Open Source Initiative (OSI). If full open source is impractical, a user-license free of charge for unlimited period must be granted to the ECCCH consortium and all ECCCH users.
Software Compliance: All software and related deliverables must comply with the data model and software development guidelines elaborated by the project funded under topic 'HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-01'.
Open API: The ECCCH architecture will feature an open Application Programming Interface to allow new functionality development and interoperability.

Collaboration & Project Management

Concertation Activities: All projects funded under this topic must participate in concertation activities with the project funded under topic 'HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-01'.
Innovation Ecosystems: Applicants may consider contributions from Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), particularly the KIC “EIT Culture and Creativity”.
Strategic Alignment: Actions will contribute to EU Commission priorities including promoting the European way of life, achieving the digital age, supporting European Green Deal goals, and the New European Bauhaus initiative.

Grant Details