Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To accelerate and enhance the early-phase implementation of specific ESFRI Research Infrastructure Projects that joined the ESFRI Roadmap in 2021, strengthening the European Research Area by addressing identified bottlenecks.
Target recipient: Entities responsible for the targeted ESFRI Projects from the 2021 Roadmap.
Size: Not explicitly defined by employee count, but ESFRI projects are large-scale multi-stakeholder endeavors.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Research Infrastructures.
Geographic scope: European Union Member States and Associated Countries. Legal entities from non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate.
Key filtering criteria: Applicant project must be one of the ESFRI Projects from the 2021 Roadmap.
Frequency: Recurring as part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025.

Financial Structure

Minimum grant amount per project: €1,000,000.
Maximum grant amount per project: €1,500,000.
Total estimated budget for this topic (HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-02): €16,500,000, for an expected 11 grants.
Currency: EUR.
Funding type: Lump Sum Grant (HORIZON-AG-LS).
Eligible costs: Calculated as a lump sum based on estimated direct and indirect project costs, including personnel, subcontracting, purchase costs (travel, equipment, goods, and services), and other specific cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, access to research infrastructures, specific program-related staff mobility or funding).
Ineligible costs: Any costs that would be ineligible under the general Horizon Europe rules are excluded from the lump sum calculation.
Matching fund requirements: The 'co-financing principle' applies, meaning the total estimated costs of the action must exceed the estimated Union contribution. Specific co-financing percentages are not explicitly defined.
Indirect costs: A flat rate of 25% of eligible direct costs is applied and included in the lump sum calculation.
Payment mechanism: Payments are made per work package upon verification of its proper implementation in accordance with the grant agreement, rather than based on actual incurred costs.
Financial guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Legal Status

Legal entities established in eligible countries (EU Member States and Associated Countries) are eligible.
Legal entities established in non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate as beneficiaries or affiliated entities for this Coordination and Support Action (CSA).

Project & Scope Specificity

Proposals must explicitly target one of the ESFRI Projects that entered the ESFRI Roadmap in 2021.
Eligible ESFRI Projects include: EBRAINS, SLICES, SoBigData++, MARINERG‑I, EIRENE RI, ET, EuPRAXIA, GGP, GUIDE, OPERAS, RESILIENCE.

Financial & Operational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (standard EU grant requirements apply).

Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

Proposals should involve all stakeholders necessary to move the project forward and secure financial commitments (e.g., national/regional ministries, governments, research councils, or funding agencies). This strongly implies a consortium is expected for effective implementation.

Application Process

Application Submission

Application deadline: 2025-09-18 00:00:00+00:00.
Planned opening date for submissions: 2025-05-06.
Submission procedure: Single-stage application process.
Submission platform: Proposals must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation & Format

Applicants must use the standard application form for Coordination and Support Actions (HE CSA).
A detailed budget table (HE LS) is required for lump sum proposals.
Proposal page limits and layout are specified in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

Evaluation & Grant Agreement Timeline

An indicative timeline for the evaluation process and grant agreement preparation is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (specific dates not provided here).

Post-Award & Reporting Obligations

Payments are linked to the completion and proper implementation of defined work packages. If conditions for a work package are not met during a reporting period, payment for that work package is withheld and may be reduced from the grant if not completed later.
Monitoring and checks post-award will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action and verification that the conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package have been met, rather than on detailed financial audits of actual costs.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Criteria

Excellence: Assesses the quality of the project's objectives, methodology, and proposed activities.
Impact: Evaluates the potential contribution to expected outcomes, societal benefits, and the strengthening of the European Research Area.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: Reviews the soundness of the work plan, the appropriateness of resources, and the effectiveness of management structures.

Specific Award Criteria

To ensure balanced coverage of the targeted ESFRI Projects, grants will be awarded not only in order of ranking but also at least to the highest-ranked proposal for each specific targeted ESFRI Project, provided all evaluation thresholds are met.

Financial Assessment

Experts with financial expertise will check the budget estimate based on relevant benchmarks (e.g., market prices, statistical data, historical data on comparable actions) to ensure that the proposed resources and lump sum shares are appropriate for achieving the activities and expected outputs.
Proposals must include a declaration that beneficiaries have followed their own accounting practices for the preparation of the estimated budget.

Cross-Cutting Priorities

Projects are expected to align with and contribute to cross-cutting priorities such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Digital Agenda.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory & Ethical Compliance

Compliance with general admissibility conditions, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria as described in Annexes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Adherence to ethical standards and principles of research integrity as per general Horizon Europe guidelines.
Data management must adhere to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
Open access to data is expected where applicable.

Project Specifics & Strategic Alignment

Proposals are required to identify and address the most critical issues that could prevent or delay the implementation phase of the targeted ESFRI Project.
Supported activities include, but are not limited to: enlargement of membership; establishment of governance structures and legal entities; securing funding; finalisation of distributed architectures; development of ICT and data management solutions; development of access policies and user strategies; consolidation of international dimensions; consolidation of service offers; assessing expansion to new user communities/needs; and addressing staff and procurement-related issues.
Proposals should clearly explain any synergies and complementarities with previous or current EU grants.

Intellectual Property & Data

Standard Horizon Europe Intellectual Property policies apply (specific details not provided here).
Emphasis on open access for data generated by the project.

Risk Management

The grant implicitly addresses risk management by focusing on identifying and resolving bottlenecks that could impede the full implementation and operation of ESFRI Projects.

Funding Model

The grant utilizes a lump sum funding model, which is intended to simplify financial management and shift the focus to the scientific and technical performance and outputs of the project.

Grant Details