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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To support fundamental, curiosity-driven research at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 0 within the Air Traffic Management (ATM) and U-space domains.
Mission: To generate new knowledge, innovative ideas, concepts, and emerging technologies that push the boundaries of current understanding for the future ATM/U-space system.
Target recipient: Organizations capable of conducting fundamental research in ATM/U-space.
Size: No specific size defined, but entities should have the capacity to manage projects within the €500,000 to €1,000,000 range.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focused on Air Traffic Management and U-space.
Geographic scope: Eligible countries are those defined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, which typically includes EU Member States and Associated Countries.
Key filtering criteria: Proposals must demonstrate innovation and breakthrough potential, align with the ATM Master Plan vision, and contribute to one or more of its five key transformation levers.
Grant frequency: Part of the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Bi-Annual Work Programme (2024-2025), indicating a recurring opportunity within this program period.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided in the form of a lump sum.
The minimum grant amount per project is €500,000.
The maximum grant amount per project is €1,000,000.
The total budget allocated for the WA1 category (which includes this topic) for 2025 is €10,000,000.
Eligible costs are defined by the lump sum agreement.
No specific co-financing percentages are required as funding is a fixed lump sum.
Financial reporting will be in accordance with lump sum grant agreement rules.
Indirect costs are covered within the lump sum.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type

Eligible organization types are detailed in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. These typically include universities, research organizations, public bodies, private companies (SMEs and large enterprises), and other legal entities.
While not explicitly stated for this specific grant, Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) generally require a consortium of at least three independent legal entities established in different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Geographic Location

Organizations from countries listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes are eligible for funding.
Provisions may be made for participants from non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Exclusion Criteria

Organizations falling under the exclusion criteria outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes are not eligible.

Other Conditions

This call is subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

The submission session opened on 2025-04-01.
The application deadline is 2025-09-16 00:00:00 UTC.
Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
The submission process is single-stage.

Required Documentation

Standard application form (Part A only).
SESAR 3 application form (Part B), which is specific to this call.
A detailed budget table (HE LS - Horizon Europe Lump Sum).

Evaluation Process and Timeline

The submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement procedures is available in Annex F.
The evaluation committee may include representatives from EU institutions and agencies.

Project Implementation Timeline

The maximum project duration is 30 months, which includes a dedicated 6-month period for communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities related to the research results.

Support and Resources

Applicants can access support through the SESAR 3 JU Call Helpdesk, Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, and ETSI Research Helpdesk.
Guidance on the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment is available.
A partner search tool is available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria and Scoring

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Further specific award criteria are detailed in subsection 1.4 of the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Bi-Annual Work Programme (BAWP) 2024-2025.

Innovation and Breakthrough Potential

Proposals will be evaluated on their demonstrated innovation and breakthrough potential within ATM/U-space research.

Strategic Alignment and Contribution

The scope of the proposed research must clearly align with the ATM Master Plan vision.
Proposals should contribute to one or more of the five key transformation levers of the ATM Master Plan:
- Trajectory optimisation: Systematic, continuous, and precise optimization of aircraft trajectories.
- Data volumes: Collection and processing of large data volumes, including increased real-time sharing of secure and trusted data.
- Automation: Effective human-operator and system teaming, introduction of higher levels of automation, and advanced AI-powered digital support tools.
- Dynamic airspace: Near real-time airspace configuration, efficient capacity management, and automated handling of nominal/non-nominal situations.
- Role and function of human operators: Gradual evolution of human operator roles/skills, civil-military collaboration, and implications for U-Space/Higher Altitude Operations (HAO).

Research Quality and Approach

The exploration of potential benefits from applying interdisciplinary methods is viewed positively.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Legal and Financial Compliance

The legal and financial setup of grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Beneficiaries must comply with the objectives set in Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085, the SRIA, and the European ATM Master Plan.

Dissemination Obligations

Beneficiaries are required to make proactive efforts to share all relevant results, royalty-free and in a timely manner, with other grants awarded under the same call.
These obligations must be acknowledged and outlined in the proposal and Annex I to the grant agreement.

Exploitation Obligations

Beneficiaries must make relevant results available for reuse under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions using a trusted repository.
If the exploitation purpose is related to standardization, beneficiaries must grant a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to the results.
For linked actions, beneficiaries must ensure mutual access to background and results of ongoing and closed linked actions if necessary for task implementation or result exploitation.
These obligations must also be incorporated into the proposal and Annex I to the grant agreement.

Regulatory Compliance

The call is subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Intellectual Property

Specific policies regarding intellectual property are outlined in the exploitation obligations, particularly concerning royalty-free licensing for standardization and mutual access for linked actions.

Risk Management

While not explicitly detailed, adherence to project management best practices and compliance with Horizon Europe's general risk management expectations is implied.

Unique Aspects

The grant focuses on fundamental research (TRL0), indicating a high tolerance for early-stage, exploratory work.
Strong emphasis on aligning with the long-term vision and strategic levers of the European ATM Master Plan.

Grant Details