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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to support research and develop innovative approaches to understand and strengthen the role of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in fostering societal resilience and addressing contemporary challenges, including climate change. It seeks to provide policymakers with multi-dimensional insights and practical tools, develop new methodologies using digital technologies, and broaden community engagement with ICH. - Target recipient type: Entities involved in research and innovation, including public authorities, universities, research organizations, NGOs, SMEs, and cultural and creative industries. - Target size: The grant is designed for consortia, with positive feedback noted for small to mid-sized consortia. - Designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Cultural Heritage, Cultural and Creative Industries, Social Sciences, Research & Innovation). - Geographic scope: European focus, specifically EU Member States and countries associated with the Horizon Europe Programme (excluding China). - Key filtering criteria: Proposals must focus on the intersection of intangible cultural heritage with societal resilience, climate change adaptation/mitigation, digital technologies (especially AI), and community engagement. - Grant frequency: This is a recurring opportunity within the Horizon Europe 2021-2027 Work Programme.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided in the form of lump sum contributions.
The total budget available for this specific topic is 12,000,000.0 EUR.
The minimum grant amount expected for a single project is 3,000,000.0 EUR.
The maximum grant amount expected for a single project is 4,000,000.0 EUR.
Eligible costs are based on estimated direct and indirect project costs, in line with Horizon Europe rules.
Indirect costs are calculated using a 25% flat rate applied to qualifying direct costs.
Co-financing is a principle of this grant: the total estimated costs of the action must exceed the estimated Union contributions.
Payments are disbursed as lump sum contributions per work package, contingent on the proper implementation and completion of the respective work packages.
Payments are not dependent on actual costs incurred by the beneficiaries.
Beneficiaries are not required to report actual costs to the granting authority.
Financial ex-post audits are not conducted; instead, technical checks, reviews, or audits focus on the technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type

Any legal entity established in EU Member States or countries associated with the Horizon Europe Programme is eligible.
Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Implicitly, this includes: Universities, research organizations, NGOs, public bodies, SMEs, and other enterprises involved in cultural heritage, research, or related fields.

Geographic Requirements

Applicants must be from eligible countries as specified in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Consortium Requirements

Participation as part of a consortium is generally expected and preferred for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).
The funder notes that previous lump sum pilot experiences showed positive feedback for 'small to mid-sized consortia'.

Legal and Financial Capacity

Applicants must meet financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Eligible for funding through lump sum contributions.

Exclusion Criteria

Organizations established in China are explicitly excluded from participating in this call.

Application Process

Application Deadlines

Stage 1 application deadline: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+0000
Stage 2 application deadline: 2026-03-17 00:00:00+0000

Application Procedure

This grant utilizes a two-stage submission process.
All proposals must be submitted electronically through the dedicated Electronic Submission Service accessible via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

Stage 1: Applicants must submit Part B of the application form, which has a strict page limit of 10 pages.
Stage 2: Successful Stage 1 applicants will proceed to a separate submission session requiring specific templates, including a standard application form (HE RIA, IA) and a detailed budget table (HE LS).

Evaluation Process

Proposals will undergo a rigorous evaluation by external independent experts who assess the project's excellence, expected impact, and the quality and efficiency of its implementation.
Experts possessing financial expertise will also review and verify the budget estimates provided.

Application Assistance and Support

Comprehensive guidance and support are available through various channels, including the Horizon Europe Online Manual, Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ section, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and specific research helpdesks from CEN-CENELEC and ETSI.

Post-Award Requirements

Funded projects are expected to regularly coordinate and liaise with other relevant Cluster 2 projects, particularly those under the European Partnership on Resilient Cultural Heritage, to ensure the complementarity of deliverables and outcomes.

Evaluation Criteria

Overall Assessment

Proposals will be evaluated based on three primary criteria: excellence, expected impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation.

Excellence

Scientific quality and methodological soundness of the proposed research concerning intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and its role in societal resilience and climate change challenges.
Novelty and innovativeness of proposed methodological approaches and digital tools (including Artificial Intelligence) for documenting, communicating, and transmitting ICH.

Expected Impact

Potential to contribute a multi-dimensional overview and assessment to policymakers regarding ICH's role in contemporary societal and economic dynamics.
Development and provision of innovative practices, strategies, and tools for incorporating ICH into community resilience planning and safeguarding efforts.
Capacity to broaden community engagement with ICH, particularly among youth, and to strengthen the alliance between communities and researchers.
Ability to enhance the involvement of education and heritage preservation institutions in ICH initiatives.
Promotion of the sustainable use of ICH as a source of inspiration for creative designs and practices, spurring sustainable development and providing valuable resources to communities.
Contribution to realizing the full potential of cultural heritage, arts, and creative industries as drivers of sustainable innovation and a European sense of belonging.
Alignment with significant European priorities such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Green Deal, and the New European Bauhaus initiative.

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation

Clarity, coherence, and quality of the proposed work plan, including the appropriateness of resources allocated per work package.
Soundness of the estimated budget, which will be checked by expert evaluators against relevant benchmarks and historical data.
Adherence to the requirement for all developed software to be open source (licensed under CC0 public domain or Free Software Foundation/Open Source Initiative recommended open source licenses).
Compliance of all software and deliverables with the data model and software development guidelines established by the project funded under topic ‘HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-01’.
Commitment to ensuring that any data produced in the context of the project is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must adhere to all general conditions and regulations outlined in Annexes A, B, C, D, F, and G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Compliance with the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is mandatory.

Software and Intellectual Property (IP) Policies

All software developed as part of the project must be open source, released either under a CC0 public domain dedication or an open source license recommended by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) or the Open Source Initiative (OSI).
If the use of fully open source software is deemed disproportionate or impacts quality/performance, suitable non-open source function libraries may be used, provided a free-of-charge, unlimited user license is granted to the ECCCH consortium and all ECCCH users.
All software and related deliverables must be compliant with the data model and software development guidelines established by the project funded under topic ‘HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-01’.
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for digital objects stored in the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH) and generated through ECCCH collaborations must be fully recorded and traceable, with guidelines like RightsStatements.org applied where appropriate.

Data Management

Any data generated within the project must be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Projects are encouraged to leverage existing data and services available through European Research Infrastructures (e.g., ESFRI, EOSC) and relevant Data Spaces.

Monitoring and Audit

While there are no financial ex-post audits, checks, reviews, and audits will focus exclusively on the technical implementation of the action and the verification of completed work packages to release lump sum contributions.

Strategic Alignment

The project should strategically align with and contribute to broader European initiatives, including the New European Bauhaus, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, and fostering a stronger, more participatory, and crisis-resilient society and economy.

Coordination Requirements

Funded projects are required to actively participate in concertation activities with the project funded under topic ‘HORIZON-CL2-2023-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01-01’ to ensure synergy and avoid duplication.

Grant Details