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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The InnoNext initiative aims to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration between top European academic talents (researchers) and innovative start-ups/SMEs by offering fully funded innovation internships. - Core objective: Facilitate talent mobility and skill development by connecting researchers with companies for practical innovation projects. - Target recipient: Individual researchers (talents) from specific European research programs and European qualified start-ups/SMEs acting as hosting companies. - SECTOR-AGNOSTIC - Geographic scope: European countries, specifically involving researchers and companies within the European research ecosystem. - Key filtering criteria: Applicant's affiliation with specific EU research programs (ERC, EIC Pathfinder, EIT, MSCA, RI) for talents, and EIC/EIT affiliation for hosting companies. - Grant frequency: Open call, ongoing until July 2026, implying recurring opportunities within this period.

Financial Structure

Funding Amounts:
EIC Pathfinder Talents (PhD): Up to EUR 2,300 gross per month for a maximum of 3 months (EUR 6,900 total) as a mobility allowance (if relocating >150 km).
ERC Talents (PostDoc): Up to EUR 5,300 gross per month for a maximum of 3 months (EUR 15,900 total) as a flat monthly reimbursement.
ERC Talents (PhD): Up to EUR 4,300 gross per month for a maximum of 3 months (EUR 12,900 total) as a flat monthly reimbursement.
EIT Talents: Up to EUR 2,000 gross per month for a maximum of 6 months (EUR 12,000 total) as a flat monthly reimbursement, plus an additional one-time mobility allowance of EUR 750 if relocating >150 km.
MSCA and HE Research Infrastructure talents: Internship costs are covered by their existing MSCA/RI grant; no direct financial support from InnoNext.
Hosting Companies: Do not receive direct financial payments for hosting talents. They benefit from fully-funded internships, valued up to EUR 30,000 (representing the value of the talent's contribution).
Co-financing: Not required for InnoNext financial support; for MSCA/RI talents, their existing grants cover the internship costs.
Eligible Costs: Flat monthly rates for mobility allowance or internship reimbursement for eligible talents. These are fixed allowances, not based on itemized costs.
Ineligible Costs: Not explicitly detailed, but social security contributions are the responsibility of the Visiting Talent.
Payment Schedule: Payments are processed by the 15th of the month following the submission of the required monthly report.
Financial Reporting: Monthly reports (timesheets) are required from talents receiving financial support.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Rate: The financial support is provided as flat-rate allowances covering the specified period, effectively meaning the granted amount is 100% of the allocated financial support.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Eligibility (for Hosting Companies)

Must be a European qualified start-up or SME.
Must be affiliated with specific EU programs or initiatives, including:
Companies supported by the EIC Accelerator (including H2020 SME instrument).
EIC awarded Seal of Excellence companies.
Companies supported by EIC Pathfinder or EIC Transition.
Start-ups/SMEs supported by EIT Community innovation and business creation services (from any KIC).
Businesses founded with support from Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).
Companies that have partnered with KICs for innovation activities.
Start-ups or scale-ups with at least one co-founder who is an EIT Alumni member.
SMEs/startups supported by MSCA.
No restrictions on the field of research; companies from different domains are welcome.

Individual Eligibility (for Visiting Talents)

Must be a European qualified researcher or innovator.
Must be currently involved in or have graduated from specific EU research/innovation programs:
EIC Pathfinder: PhD candidates or Postdoctoral researchers.
EIC Transition: Researchers.
EIT: Students or graduates from EIT Label Master's or Doctoral programs, EIT Alumni members, or researchers from other postdoctoral training programs funded by the EIT Community (including other KICs education programmes).
ERC: PhD and/or postdoctoral researchers participating in projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC).
MSCA: Fellows participating in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships, Doctoral Networks, or COFUND.
RI: PhD and/or postdoctoral researcher participating as a consortium member in a project funded by the Research Infrastructures part of Horizon Europe.
The talent's primary funding project must cover the entire duration of the InnoNext internship.
Must provide an ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID).
For EIC, ERC, MSCA, or RI talents: Authorization from your Principal Investigator (PI)/Project Coordinator/employer is required.
For MSCA talents: The Hosting Company must become an associated partner of your MSCA project (requires a grant agreement amendment).
No restrictions on the field of research; talents from different domains are welcome.

Application Process

Application Process for Talents

Registration: Complete the online registration form. Provide details of your EU funding programme, project name/ID (Grant agreement number), ORCID, CV, and agree to the privacy policy.
EIT Specific Requirement: If affiliated with EIT, upload a Certificate or Engagement Letter demonstrating your affiliation.
Matchmaking Platform Access: Upon successful registration, you will receive an email with credentials to access the matchmaking platform.
Internship Application: Browse and apply for internship opportunities listed on the platform's 'Opportunities' page, or view personalized suggestions.
Declaration of Honour (DoH): You must upload a signed DoH for each specific vacancy you apply for. This document confirms your eligibility.
Authorization: For talents from EIC, ERC, MSCA, or RI programs, authorization from your PI/Project Coordinator/employer is mandatory. It is recommended to obtain this early in the process.

Application Process for Hosting Companies

Application Submission: Fill out the InnoNext Call for Application web form, providing minimal company information (including PIC and EU Programme reference).
Letter of Commitment (LoC): You will receive the LoC via email. This document confirms your company's eligibility and regulates participation; it must be signed and returned to complete your application.
EIT Specific Requirement: If affiliated with EIT, you may be asked to send a Certificate or Engagement Letter.
Matchmaking Platform Access: Upon successful application, you will receive credentials to access the matchmaking platform to create and manage internship opportunities.
Vacancy Creation: Publish detailed internship opportunities ('vacancies') including tasks, required qualifications, company description, and desired working modality (remote, hybrid, on-site).

General Application Details

Application Deadline: The call is open until 2026-07-31 23:59:00+00:00. Both companies and talents can register and apply at any time within this period.
Internship Duration: Internships can range from 3 to 6 months.
Financial Support Duration: InnoNext direct financial support is limited to a maximum of 3 months for ERC and EIC Pathfinder talents, and a maximum of 6 months for EIT talents, even if the internship itself lasts longer.
Support Availability: Beneficiaries receive assistance via accessible resources, support from the InnoNext team, detailed guides on the website, and an FAQ section. Mentorship sessions are also provided.

Post-Selection and Implementation

Selection Notification: Hosting Companies must update the application status to 'Selected' on the platform once a talent is chosen.
Agreement Signing: The Hosting Company and the selected Visiting Talent must sign an Internship Agreement (Annex 2 of the Letter of Commitment). Talents eligible for direct financial support from InnoNext (EIC Pathfinder, EIT, ERC) will also sign a specific Financial Agreement with InnoNext.
Reporting Obligations: Talents receiving financial support are required to submit monthly reports (timesheets). Both talents and hosting companies must complete self-assessment forms on entrepreneurial skills and experience evaluation questionnaires before and after the internship.
Post-Award Compliance: Talents receiving financial support must comply with specific obligations outlined in the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (e.g., Conflict of Interest, Confidentiality, Ethics, Visibility, Information Obligations, Record-Keeping).

Evaluation Criteria

The InnoNext program utilizes a matchmaking approach rather than a traditional competitive evaluation with scoring. The primary 'evaluation' is conducted by the Hosting Companies based on their needs and the matchmaking algorithm's suggestions. Matchmaking System Criteria

An AI-based matchmaking system analyzes the talent's application, CV, and ORCID in relation to the Hosting Company's internship description.
The system provides the company with a sorted list of candidates based on identified affinity.
The algorithm does not make decisions or hide candidates; it merely facilitates the initial screening process for companies.

Hosting Company Selection Factors

The Hosting Company has full autonomy in selecting talents.
Selection is based on the company's review of profiles and direct interviews with candidates.
Key factors for selection include:
Relevance of the talent's expertise and skills to the specific internship position.
Alignment of the talent's profile with the company's needs and project goals.
Performance during the interview process.

General Expectations for Internship Success

The internship must be perceived as beneficial to the talent's primary project's scientific output and/or the development of their entrepreneurial and business skills.
Both talent and company must commit to the agreed internship duration and activities.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Talents receiving financial support must adhere to relevant articles of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (e.g., Article 12: Conflict of Interest, Article 13: Confidentiality and Security, Article 14: Ethics, Article 17.2: Visibility, Article 18: Specific Rules for Carrying Out Actions, Article 19: Information Obligations, Article 20: Record-Keeping).
Hosting Companies must ensure compliance with applicable legal requirements on working conditions and extend their existing insurance policy to cover the Visiting Talent.

Data Protection and Privacy

Applicants (talents) are required to agree to a privacy policy during the registration process.

Ethical Standards

Talents must comply with Article 14 (Ethics) of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement.

Intellectual Property

Any background knowledge (pre-existing IP) shared during the internship remains the property of its original owner.
New outputs created during the internship will belong to the Hosting Company.
For MSCA-funded talents, if the Hosting Company becomes an Associated Partner, specific Horizon Europe Grant Agreement IP rules apply (beneficiaries retain background ownership, granting authority has royalty-free license for communication, new results remain creator's property with shared access for the project).

Risk Management and Security

Talents must comply with Article 13 (Confidentiality and Security) of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement.

Unique Aspects & Potential Challenges

Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP): This grant operates as an FSTP mechanism, providing direct financial aid to individual talents rather than to the hosting companies for project execution.
Dual Roles: It addresses two distinct applicant types: individual researchers (talents) and organizations (hosting companies), with a matchmaking process between them.
Mobility Allowance: Specific financial support for EIC Pathfinder and EIT talents is contingent on the internship location being at least 150 km from their usual workplace.
Social Security: Social security contributions for the Visiting Talent are the talent's personal responsibility, not the Hosting Company's.
Visa/Work Permits: InnoNext provides no support for visa or work permit procedures; securing these is the sole responsibility of the Visiting Talent.
MSCA Host Requirements: Hosting MSCA talents requires the company to become an Associated Partner to the MSCA project, necessitating a grant agreement amendment.
Limited Funding Duration: InnoNext financial support is capped at 3 or 6 months, even if the internship itself extends for a longer period.

Strategic Opportunities

Offers a unique pathway for European researchers to gain hands-on industrial experience and commercialize their research.
Provides start-ups and SMEs with access to specialized academic expertise and fresh insights without direct financial burden for the talent's remuneration.
Fosters deep-tech innovation and strengthens the European research and innovation ecosystem through cross-sectoral collaboration.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

Encourages the development of entrepreneurial skills among researchers, with self-assessment based on the European Entrecomp framework.
Promotes knowledge transfer and the translation of research into market-ready solutions.

Grant Details