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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to deliver innovative technologies and solutions that significantly reduce the environmental and climate footprint of research infrastructures throughout their full life cycle. - Target recipient type: Research infrastructures (ESFRI Landmarks, ERICs, international European research organisations) and other technological partners. - Target recipient size: Not explicitly defined, but consortium requirements imply organizations with significant operational capacity. - Designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC (research infrastructure, environmental technology, energy efficiency). - Geographic scope: Organizations from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe are eligible. - Key filtering criteria: Focus on environmental impact reduction, resource/energy optimization, and long-term sustainability of research infrastructures through technological innovation. - Grant frequency: This is part of the recurring Horizon Europe Work Programme, specifically the 'Research Infrastructures 2025' call. - Program context: A 'Research and Innovation Action' (RIA) within the Horizon Europe framework, aiming to advance the technological capabilities and sustainability of European research infrastructures.

Financial Structure

Funding mechanism: Grants will take the form of a lump sum contribution.
Budget per grant: Each grant is expected to be EUR 5,000,000.
Total budget for this topic: The total budget allocated for the HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-01 topic is EUR 25,000,000.
Eligible costs: Lump sum contributions are an approximation of beneficiaries' underlying actual costs. Proposals must detail estimated direct and indirect costs, which should only include costs eligible under Horizon Europe rules.
Indirect cost policy: A 25% flat rate for indirect costs is applied to direct cost categories that qualify for indirect costs calculation.
Payment schedule: Payments do not depend on actual costs incurred. Lump sum contributions per work package are paid upon proper implementation of those work packages and compliance with other grant agreement obligations.
Financial guarantees: 5% to 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Reimbursement rate: For Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), the typical reimbursement rate is 100% of eligible costs, which is factored into the lump sum calculation.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Legal Structure

Must include at least two different research infrastructures as beneficiaries.
Crucial Definition: Each of these research infrastructures must be one of the following:
- An ESFRI Landmark: As listed in the 2021 ESFRI Roadmap.
- A European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC): An international legal entity for European research infrastructures.
- Another international European research organisation: Defined as an international organisation, where the majority of its members are EU Member States or associated countries, and whose primary objective is to promote scientific and technological cooperation in Europe.
The beneficiaries that own or operate these research infrastructures must be explicitly identified in the proposal.
The consortium can include a wider set of research infrastructures and other technological partners.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium.

Geographic Location

Eligible countries are those described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes (typically 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.

Application Process

Application Deadlines & Submission

Application deadline: 2025-09-18 00:00:00+0000.
Submission session available from: 2025-05-06.
Application procedure: Single-stage submission.
Submission platform: Electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation & Materials

Application form templates: Specific forms for 'HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions' (HE RIA, IA) must be used.
Detailed budget table: Applicants must prepare their detailed budget using the 'Detailed budget table (HE LS)' template, breaking down estimated costs per work package and per beneficiary.
Consortium agreement: Not explicitly stated, but typical for multi-beneficiary Horizon Europe projects.
Declaration: Beneficiaries must declare that they have followed their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Project Implementation & Reporting

Grant duration: Not specified in provided documents.
Implementation timeline: Projects should outline their implementation phases and milestones.
Reporting obligations: Progress tracking and payment depend on the proper implementation of defined work packages and overall compliance with the grant agreement.
Audits: While no financial ex-post audits are typically required for lump sum grants, checks and reviews will focus on the technical implementation, fulfillment of work package conditions, and other aspects like ethics and intellectual property management.

Application Assistance & Support

Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
HE Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on Horizon Europe structure, budget, and priorities.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to common questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Guidance and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe.
Enterprise Europe Network: Advice for businesses, especially SMEs, including on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical issues with the Funding & Tenders Portal.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assistance with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advice on standardisation in project proposals.
Partner Search: Service to help find partner organizations for proposals.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the standard Horizon Europe criteria: excellence, expected impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation. Specific scoring factors related to the topic include: Excellence

Scientific and technological quality of the proposed solutions.
Soundness of the research methodology.
Novelty and innovative potential of the technologies proposed for environmental footprint reduction.

Impact

Contribution to the reduction of environmental (including climate-related) impacts of research infrastructures.
Optimization of resource and energy consumption throughout the full life cycle of research infrastructures.
Increased long-term sustainability of the European research infrastructures ecosystem.
Expected societal, economic, and environmental benefits.
Effectiveness of proposed action plans to deploy new developments at a wider scale.
Potential for societal engagement to incorporate solutions from other ecosystems and foster acceptance.
Contribution to reinforced EU resilience regarding critical technical research infrastructure components.
Contribution to more robust research infrastructure innovation ecosystems.
Alignment with objectives such as accelerating digitalisation and greening of research infrastructures.

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation

Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives.
Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriate allocation of tasks and resources.
Appropriateness of the management structure and procedures.
Complementarity of the participating research infrastructures and technological partners within the consortium.
Explanation of synergies and complementarities with any related previous or current EU grants.
Demonstration of complementarity with actions funded under the 2023 call topic HORIZON-INFRA-2023-TECH-01-01, if applicable, clearly justifying different technologies and solutions targeted.
Adequacy of the financial resources and the budget breakdown for lump sum contributions.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

General conditions: Proposals must adhere to the admissibility conditions (page limits, layout) described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity: Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Exclusion criteria: Applicants must not fall under the exclusion criteria outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up: Grants operate under the legal and financial setup described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the 'Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions'.
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Environmental & Ethical Standards

Core focus: The grant mandates strong focus on reducing the environmental (including climate-related) footprint of research infrastructures.
Ethical standards: Implied by general Horizon Europe principles, and checks during implementation may cover ethics and research integrity.

Technical & Project Specific Requirements

Methodologies: Proposals should identify common methodologies among concerned research infrastructures to assess environmental impact and strategies to reduce it.
Deliverables: Expected to deliver on multiple points, including new technologies for transformative resource efficiency, validation/prototyping, training of research infrastructure staff, action plans for wider deployment, and societal engagement.
Complementarity: Proposals should explain synergies with other EU grants and ensure clear complementarity with the HORIZON-INFRA-2023-TECH-01-01 topic by targeting different technologies.
Joint Research Centre (JRC): Proposals may consider including the JRC Support Services Directorate for their expertise in research infrastructure management and sustainability.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property policies: Management of intellectual property is an aspect of the grant agreement that will be subject to checks during implementation.

Grant Details