Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, titled 'Integration of human driving behaviour in the validation of CCAM systems (CCAM Partnership)', aims to develop and validate human behavioural models for Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) systems. The core objective is to integrate these models into virtual safety validation processes for mixed traffic simulations, leading to the design of safer, more human-like CCAM system behavior that is easily anticipatable by all road users. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant primarily targeting the transport, automotive, and technology sectors, with a strong focus on advanced mobility, automation, and artificial intelligence. The grant is designed for research-performing organizations, including universities, research institutes, and enterprises (both SMEs and larger companies) with expertise in human behavior modeling, CCAM systems, and virtual validation. Geographically, organizations from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe are eligible for funding. International cooperation is explicitly encouraged with research stakeholders in Japan, the United States, and other relevant third countries, particularly for data capture and validation, though direct funding eligibility for these third countries should be confirmed via Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Key filtering criteria for initial screening include a strong background in Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), a focus on advancing technology readiness to TRL 5, and the capacity to engage in international collaboration on complex R&D projects related to automated driving. This grant is part of the recurring Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2021-2027), specifically under Cluster 5, and represents a specific call within that broader program.

Financial Structure

This grant operates under a lump sum funding model, a key simplification feature of Horizon Europe. This means that the total grant amount is fixed upfront and payment is linked to the successful completion of agreed work packages, rather than detailed reporting of actual incurred costs.
  • Budget and Funding Amount: The total budget allocated for the overall call (HORIZON-CL5-2026-01) is 208,000,000 EUR. For this specific topic (HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-04), only one grant is expected to be awarded, with a minimum and maximum contribution of 5,000,000 EUR per grant.
  • Currency: All financial amounts are in EUR (Euro).
  • Eligible Costs: The lump sum is an approximation of underlying actual costs and may cover:
    • Personnel costs: Employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries.
    • Subcontracting costs.
    • Purchase costs: Travel and subsistence, equipment (depreciation or full capitalised costs), other goods, works, and services.
    • Other cost categories: Financial support to third parties (if applicable), internally invoiced goods and services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement, etc.
    • Only costs that would be eligible under standard Horizon Europe rules are to be included in the lump sum calculation.
  • Indirect Costs: The lump sum calculation includes the Horizon Europe 25% flat rate for indirect costs applied to relevant direct cost categories.
  • Co-financing Requirements: While the grant itself is a lump sum, the co-financing principle applies. This means that the total estimated costs of your proposed action must be greater than the estimated Union contribution (i.e., the 5,000,000 EUR lump sum), implying that your organization or consortium will contribute additional resources to the project. The lump sum covers the agreed upon portion of the project's costs, but not necessarily 100% of the entire project's overall estimated budget.
  • Payment Schedule: Payments are made based on the successful implementation and completion of specific work packages as defined in your grant agreement. Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
  • Financial Reporting: A significant advantage of lump sum grants is the reduced administrative burden. Beneficiaries have no obligation to document costs incurred for the action for the granting authority. The focus of monitoring and payment is on the proper technical implementation and delivery of outputs per work package.
  • Audit Requirements: Audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action, including the fulfillment of work package conditions, ethics, research integrity, dissemination, exploitation of results, intellectual property management, and gender equality. Financial ex-post audits are generally not conducted, minimizing financial error rates.
  • Financial Guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is typically retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this grant, applicants must adhere to the following conditions:
  • Eligible Organization Types: While not strictly defined in the provided text, Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) under Horizon Europe typically welcome applications from a broad range of legal entities, including universities, research organizations, public bodies, and enterprises (including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and large companies). The grant focuses on 'Research and Innovation Actions', indicating a preference for entities with strong R&D capabilities.
  • Geographic Location: Eligible countries for funding are those described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This typically includes all EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible if specific funding provisions are made, which applicants should verify in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. While international cooperation is encouraged with Japan, the United States, and other third countries, this does not automatically confer funding eligibility.
  • Project Type: The grant is specifically for HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).
  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Proposed actions are expected to raise the technology readiness of models to TRL 5.
  • Financial and Operational Capacity: Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
  • Specific Restrictions: Applications are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
  • Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated as a mandatory requirement for eligibility, the nature of a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) in Horizon Europe, coupled with the emphasis on building on previous projects (i4Driving, BERTHA, HEADSTART, SUNRISE, SYNERGIES), integrating diverse expertise (SSH), and fostering international cooperation, strongly implies that applications from a consortium of entities will be highly competitive and effectively necessary for a successful project of this scope and scale. Individual applications are unlikely to be competitive given the breadth of the expected outcomes.
  • Exclusion Criteria: Standard exclusion criteria outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes apply.

Application Process

The application process for this grant is designed to be streamlined, primarily focusing on the proposed work and expected outcomes under the lump sum model.
  • Application Procedure: This is a single-stage submission process.
  • Application Opening Date: The submission system is planned to open on September 16, 2025.
  • Application Deadline: The definitive deadline for proposal submission is January 20, 2026, at 00:00:00 UTC+00.
  • Required Documentation: Applicants must submit a proposal using the standard Horizon Europe application form, which includes specific sections (Part B) for describing your project. Crucially, you must provide a detailed budget table using the relevant templates. This budget table is used to justify the proposed lump sum amount, showing a breakdown per work package and per beneficiary, even though actual costs won't be reported later.
  • Submission Format and Platform: Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System.
  • Evaluation and Selection: Proposals will be evaluated by independent experts based on the criteria of Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. Financial experts will also assess the proposed lump sum budget's soundness.
  • Support Available: Extensive support resources are provided to assist applicants:
    • Online Manual: A guide on procedures from submission to grant management.
    • Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the program's structure, budget, and political priorities.
    • Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to common questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
    • Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research and Framework Programmes.
    • National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe.
    • Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Offers advice to businesses, particularly SMEs, on EU research funding.
    • IT Helpdesk: For technical issues with the Funding & Tenders Portal.
    • European IPR Helpdesk: For intellectual property issues.
    • CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks: Advice on standardisation in project proposals.
    • Partner Search Tool: To help find partner organizations for your proposal, strongly recommended given the collaborative nature of this call.
  • Project Implementation Timeline: Specific grant duration is not provided, but projects are expected to apply the European Common Evaluation Methodology (EU-CEM) for CCAM and report on results to the CCAM Partnership.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications for this grant will be evaluated based on the standard Horizon Europe criteria, which include Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. Specific elements that will influence scoring include:
  • Excellence: This will assess the scientific and technological quality of the proposed research, particularly:
    • The quality and novelty of the proposed human behavioural models.
    • The methodology for validating these models, including data capture from driving simulators and/or real traffic.
    • The approach to extending the models to a multitude of safety-critical scenarios, considering statistical distribution and influencing factors (e.g., road infrastructure, vehicle types, regional influences, driver demographics).
    • The integration of relevant expertise from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH).
    • The ability to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to TRL 5.
  • Impact: Proposals will be assessed on their potential to contribute to the following expected outcomes:
    • Development of validated human behavioural models that are widely shareable through a common repository.
    • The utility of these models for defining pass/assessment criteria for CCAM systems in type approval, consumer testing, and industrial development.
    • The capacity to design safe, human-like CCAM system behavior that is easily anticipated and acceptable to all road users.
    • The realistic representation of human-driven vehicles in closed-loop simulations of mixed traffic for virtual safety validation of CCAM systems.
    • Contribution to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the European Partnership on 'Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility' (CCAM).
    • Potential for integration with existing virtual validation and verification approaches (e.g., HEADSTART, SUNRISE, SYNERGIES) and the federated CCAM data exchange platform.
  • Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: This criterion evaluates the quality of the project plan and consortium. Key aspects include:
    • The coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including the allocation of tasks and resources.
    • The capacity and roles of the individual participants, ensuring the consortium has the necessary expertise and complementary skills (e.g., in human behavior, CCAM, simulation, SSH).
    • The appropriateness of the management structures and procedures.
    • The detailed cost estimation for each work package, which will be checked by experts with financial know-how against relevant benchmarks to ensure proportionality and soundness.
    • The approach to risk management and mitigation.
    • Adherence to the European Common Evaluation Methodology (EU-CEM) for CCAM.
    • The approach to international cooperation, particularly with Japan and the United States, for capturing data and exploiting synergies.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Compliance and special considerations are paramount for successful application and project implementation.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Applicants must adhere to general conditions outlined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. This includes compliance with EU legal frameworks and specific regulations. Furthermore, actions are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
  • Ethical Standards: The grant places importance on ethical standards and research integrity, which will be subject to checks and audits during and after the project.
  • Intellectual Property (IP): Management and dissemination of Intellectual Property (IP) will be a focus of project monitoring and compliance.
  • Data Protection and Privacy: While not explicitly detailed, compliance with relevant data protection and privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR in the EU) is implicitly required for any project handling data.
  • Risk Management: While not a dedicated section, the effective management of project risks is implied through the 'Quality and Efficiency of Implementation' evaluation criterion.
  • Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities: This grant offers several unique aspects:
    • Lump Sum Model: Simplifies financial management, shifting the focus from cost reporting to the achievement of technical objectives and work package completion.
    • Co-programmed European Partnership on CCAM: The project will be an integral part of this broader partnership, contributing to its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This provides a framework for collaboration and impact.
    • Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Proposals are expected to incorporate SSH expertise, reflecting a holistic approach to understanding human driving behavior and CCAM system acceptance.
    • International Cooperation: Strong encouragement for collaboration with research stakeholders in Japan, the United States, and other third countries. This offers significant opportunities for global knowledge exchange and data collection, though funding eligibility for these countries should be verified.
    • Synergies with Existing Projects: The grant explicitly encourages building upon and integrating results from existing projects like i4Driving, BERTHA, HEADSTART, SUNRISE, and SYNERGIES. This provides a clear roadmap for project design and leveraging prior work.
    • Collaboration with JRC: Projects are encouraged to explore complementarities and potentially establish formal collaboration with the European Commission's Joint Research Centre's Sustainable, Smart, and Safe Mobility Unit.
    • Application of EU-CEM: Adherence to the European Common Evaluation Methodology (EU-CEM) for CCAM is required, ensuring a standardized approach to assessing CCAM systems.
  • Cross-cutting Themes: The grant addresses several cross-cutting themes, including digitalization, artificial intelligence, international cooperation, and the integration of SSH perspectives.

Grant Details

automated mobility ccam connected vehicles cooperative mobility human driving behavior validation simulation road safety transportation automotive artificial intelligence ai digital agenda ssh social sciences and humanities research and innovation trl 5 lump sum funding european partnership horizon europe smart mobility ethical ai urban mobility mixed traffic modelling testing japan collaboration usa collaboration international cooperation
Integration of human driving behaviour in the validation of CCAM systems (CCAM Partnership)
48346900TOPICSen
Horizon Europe
UNIVERSITY ENTERPRISE SME RESEARCH_INSTITUTE OTHER
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
TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY AUTOMOTIVE
DEVELOPMENT
OTHER
SDG9 SDG11 SDG3 SDG17
FUNDING RESEARCH_DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY_BUILDING NETWORKING
True
208000000.00
5000000.00
5000000.00
EUR
100.00
Jan. 20, 2026, midnight
None