Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core Objective: Evolve the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) by developing new, innovative processing methods for future Sentinel and other satellite data to enhance Earth-system reanalysis datasets.
Target Recipient: Organizations involved in research and innovation, including those with expertise in Earth observation, climate data, and reanalysis.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC
Geographic Scope: Europe and worldwide. International cooperation is strongly encouraged.
Key Filtering Criteria: Focus on C3S evolution, satellite data (Sentinel, others), Earth-system reanalysis, climate monitoring, and the use of advanced methods (including AI/ML).
Grant Frequency and Program Context: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, implying it's part of a recurring program, but this particular call is for 2025.

Financial Structure

Funding Mechanism: Lump sum contribution. Payments are based on the proper implementation of corresponding work packages, not on actual costs incurred.
Budget Range for this Topic: The expected grant contribution is between EUR 10,000,000 and EUR 10,000,000 for one project.
Total Call Budget for this Topic: EUR 10,000,000.
Eligible Costs (covered by lump sum calculation):
- Personnel costs (e.g., employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries).
- Subcontracting costs.
- Purchase costs (e.g., travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services).
- Other cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement costs).
Indirect Costs: Calculated by applying a flat rate of 25% to the qualifying direct cost categories. This is included in the lump sum calculation.
Co-financing: The total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contributions, demonstrating compliance with the co-financing principle.
Payment Schedule: Lump sum contributions per work package are paid to the coordinator upon successful completion of the work package's conditions. Unmet conditions can lead to deferred payment or grant reduction.
Financial Reporting: Beneficiaries are not required to document actual costs incurred for the action for the granting authority. Financial checks focus on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.
Financial Guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Revenue Generating Actions: Any revenues generated by the action will be included as part of the estimated budget and considered when calculating the maximum grant amount.

Eligibility Requirements

General Conditions

Admissibility Conditions: Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries: Organizations established in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Financial and Operational Capacity: Requirements are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and Financial Set-up: Grants will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Specific Conditions

Satellite Data Use: Projects utilizing satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data/services must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data. Other data and services may be used additionally.
Joint Research Centre (JRC) Participation: The JRC may participate as a member of the selected consortium.
Software Licensing: Software developed within the project should be open licensed.

Consortium Requirements

Collaboration: Projects are expected to bring together European expertise.
International Cooperation: Strongly encouraged.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Planned Opening Date: 2025-05-22
Submission Deadline: 2025-09-25T00:00:00.000+0000
Submission Model: Single-stage.
Evaluation and Grant Agreement Timeline: Indicative timelines are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Procedure

Submission System: Proposals must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service.
Application Forms: Specific templates (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions) are available in the Submission System.
Budget Proposal: Applicants must propose the lump sum amount based on their estimated direct and indirect costs, providing a detailed breakdown per work package and per beneficiary/affiliated entity.
Accounting Practices: Applicants must declare that they have followed their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Required Documentation

Proposal: Must adhere to the page limits and layout specified in Annex A and E (General Annexes) and Part B of the Application Form.
Detailed Budget Table: Must be prepared using the relevant templates provided by the granting authority.

Support and Resources

Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: Available for general questions about European research and EU Research Framework Programmes.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Offer guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe, including in non-EU/non-associated countries.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Provides advice to businesses, with a special focus on SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical support related to the Funding & Tenders Portal (e.g., forgotten passwords, access rights, submission issues).
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advise on standardisation in project proposals.

Post-Award Requirements

Grant Agreement: The final lump sum contribution will be incorporated into the grant agreement as the maximum grant amount.
Payments: Dependent on the successful fulfillment of work package conditions.
Progress Tracking: Technical checks, reviews, or audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfillment of work package conditions, rather than detailed financial expenditure.

Evaluation Criteria

Excellence

Scientific/Technical Performance: Demonstrated ability to generate significant output for C3S evolution.
Innovative Methods: Inclusion and exploration of innovative methods, such as AI/ML, for data rescue, accelerating reanalysis production, efficiently capturing reanalysis uncertainties, and reducing computing energy/carbon footprint.
Research on Early Satellite Data: Ability to research the information content of early satellite data and unlock its exploitation in reanalyses.

Expected Impact

Contribution to Outcomes: Proposals must contribute to all expected outcomes, including enhanced observational input for Earth-system reanalysis, improved data assimilation/initialization for climate sub-components, better climate record information, and expanded reanalysis products (e.g., centennial reanalyses, climate counterfactuals).
Strategic Alignment: Demonstrated strong collaboration with space agencies, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
Downstream Applications: Inclusion of demonstrations of downstream applications that will benefit from the project's improvements.
Transfer to Operations: Active attention to strengthening readiness for operational deployment and transfer of research results.
Synergies: Encouragement of synergies with Destination Earth.
IPR and Reuse: Addressing conditions for making results (including Intellectual Property Rights) available for re-use and exploitation by relevant Entrusted Entities of the Copernicus services.

Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation

Project Planning: Comprehensive and detailed plan of activities and related resources.
Team Composition: Expertise across a wide variety of observations, climate data records, and global/regional reanalyses.
Budget Estimation: Detailed and sound estimation of costs, broken down by work package and beneficiary, ensuring it approximates eligible costs.
Financial Management: Adherence to sound financial management principles and prevention of double financing.
Open Science: Commitment to open licensing for developed software.

Cross-cutting Themes

Gender Dimension: Integration of sex and gender analysis in research and innovation content, only if relevant to the research objectives.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS: Projects using satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data/services must use data from Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

Technical Standards

Software Licensing: All software developed within the project should be open licensed.

Risk Management

Financial Risk: The lump sum funding approach aims to simplify financial management and minimize error rates by shifting the focus from detailed cost reporting to technical performance and output. Audits will concentrate on technical implementation and work package completion.

Intellectual Property

IPR Policies: Conditions for making available, re-using, and exploiting results (including Intellectual Property Rights) by the relevant Entrusted Entities of the Copernicus services should be addressed during project implementation.

Special Considerations

International Collaboration: Strongly encouraged to bring together European expertise with global partners.
Strategic Collaboration: Required collaboration with space agencies, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
Synergies: Encouraged with Destination Earth projects.
Gender Dimension: The integration of gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should only be addressed if it is relevant to the objectives of the research effort.
JRC Participation: The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a consortium member.
Advanced Methods: Strong emphasis on exploring and utilizing innovative methods, particularly AI/ML, for data rescue, reanalysis acceleration, uncertainty capture, and carbon footprint reduction.
Operational Readiness: Projects should actively focus on strengthening the readiness for operational deployment and transfer of research results to operations.

Grant Details