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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

• Clear objective: To advance digital enablers and building blocks for Earth Observation (EO) and Satellite telecommunication (SatCom) to strengthen European space industry competitiveness and enable new commercial space-based services. • Target recipients: SECTOR-SPECIFIC; organizations involved in industry, research, and SMEs working in the space sector. • Geographic scope: European Union Member States and potentially associated countries and specific non-EU countries with provisions. • Key filtering criteria: Focus on R&I in SatCom and EO digitalization, TRL (Low to Mid), cooperation requirements. • Grant frequency: Part of the ongoing Horizon Europe Work Programme (2021-2027), recurring topics within this framework.

Financial Structure

Funding amount per project: Minimum 1,000,000 EUR and maximum 5,000,000 EUR.
Total budget for this topic: 6,000,000 EUR (expected to fund 3 projects).
Funding type: Lump sum contributions as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.
Eligible costs (for lump sum calculation): Personnel costs (employees, seconded, SME owners), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, equipment, goods, services), and other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, access to research infrastructure, procurement costs, staff mobility).
Ineligible costs: Costs explicitly excluded under Horizon Europe rules.
Indirect costs: Calculated at a 25% flat rate on direct costs.
Funding rate: 100% of eligible costs, as standard for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions.
Payment mechanism: Payments are based on the proper implementation of work packages as described in the grant agreement, not on actual incurred costs.
Financial guarantee: 5-8% of the total lump sum is retained as contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Types

Eligible entities include industry, SMEs, and research institutions.
Proposals are expected to be submitted by consortia of different actors.

Geographic Location

Applicants must adhere to the eligible countries specified in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. (Generally EU Member States and Associated Countries).
Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Operational & Capacity

Must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data and services if projects utilize satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data.
Must demonstrate financial and operational capacity as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Submission window opens: 2025-05-22.
Application deadline: 2025-09-25 00:00:00+0000.
Evaluation and grant agreement timeline: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Submission Process

Application procedure: Single-stage submission.
Submission platform: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required documentation: Application form (Part B) and other materials as per Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Application forms: Specific to this call, available in the Submission System. Standard application form (HE RIA).
Model Grant Agreement: Lump Sum MGA.

Reporting and Monitoring

Projects are expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Globally Competitive Space Systems’ (GCSS).
Monitoring includes reporting on KPIs.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposal Quality

Proposals will be evaluated based on excellence, expected impact, and quality and efficiency of the implementation. These are standard Horizon Europe criteria defined in Annex D.
Evaluation will assess the quality of the proposed research and innovation activities.

Financial Assessment

Experts will check the budget estimate for each work package against relevant benchmarks on costs and resources (e.g., market prices, statistical data, historical data).
Assessment of whether proposed resources and lump sum shares are sufficient to achieve described activities and expected outputs.
Verification that proposals include a declaration from beneficiaries stating they used their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Strategic Alignment & Impact

Projects are expected to contribute to maintaining a significant share of the global connectivity market.
Enabling new commercial services and applications through increased digitalization of space solutions.
Developing advanced Earth observation payloads, technologies, and processing means (on-ground and/or in space).
Contribution to the EU's space sector competitiveness.
Proposals should explore synergies and be complementary to already funded actions in technology development.
Projects must report results to the European Partnership ‘Globally Competitive Space Systems’ (GCSS), supporting KPI monitoring.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Compliance with Annex A and Annex E (page limits, layout), Annex B (eligible countries), Annex C (financial/operational capacity), Annex D (award criteria), Annex F (submission/evaluation processes), and Annex G (legal/financial set-up) of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Adherence to the Decision of 7 July 2021 regarding lump sum contributions.

Technical & Operational Compliance

Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
Mandatory use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS for projects involving satellite-based Earth Observation, Positioning, Navigation, and/or Timing data and services.

Ethical and Cross-Cutting Considerations

Integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is required only if relevant to the objectives of the research effort.
Projects should use existing European technologies and/or building blocks to contribute to European non-dependence and strengthen competitiveness.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property policies are detailed in the General Annexes of the Work Programme.

Risk Management

Checks, reviews, and audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action, specifically the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
No obligation for beneficiaries to document costs incurred, but subject to national accounting rules.

Grant Details