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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to significantly advance the development of high-performance air-ground connectivity, focusing on successors to VHF datalink mode 2 (VDL2), hyper-connected Air Traffic Management (ATM), and 'aircraft as a sensor' capabilities.
It targets organizations capable of conducting large-scale research and innovation in aeronautical communications and sensor technologies.
This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, primarily for the aviation and air traffic management sectors.
The geographic scope includes Europe for live flight trials, with potential for extension across continents to address global interoperability aspects.
Key filtering criteria for initial screening include a focus on specific R&I needs in air-ground communications and sensor technology, the capability to achieve Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6), and the capacity for conducting live flight trials.
This is part of the HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02 call series under the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, indicating a recurring program context.

Financial Structure

Funding type: Lump sum grant.
Total budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA2-1): 14,000,000 EUR.
Minimum expected grant contribution per project: 2,000,000 EUR.
Maximum expected grant contribution per project: 7,000,000 EUR.
Funding rate: 70% of eligible costs will be covered by the grant for all beneficiaries, regardless of their legal status.
Co-financing: An implied 30% co-financing is required from beneficiaries.
Eligible costs: These will take the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, authorizing the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Currency: EUR (Euro).

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Legal entities, such as companies, research organizations, universities, and public bodies, are eligible 'beneficiaries'.

Geographic Location

Applicants must be from countries described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This generally includes EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.
Live flight trials can be performed in Europe and may be extended across continents for addressing global interoperability aspects.

Project Requirements

Collaboration: A collaboration agreement is required for all grants awarded under this topic, particularly if working on linked actions such as HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-IR-01 and HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-ER-01.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Proposals addressing Hyper Connected ATM and digital voice capability must aim for TRL6. No deviation from this requirement will be accepted.

Exclusions

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

Application Process

Application Timeline

The call opened for submissions on 2025-04-01.
The application deadline for submitting proposals is 2025-09-16.
The maximum project duration is 36 months.

Submission Materials

Applicants must use the standard application form (HE RIA, IA) for Part A of their proposal.
A specific SESAR 3 application form (RIA, IA) for Part B of the proposal is required and available in the Submission System.
A detailed budget table (HE LS) is also required.

Submission Process

The application process follows a single-stage submission procedure.
Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Post-Award Requirements

Dissemination Obligations: Beneficiaries must proactively share all relevant results on a royalty-free basis, in a timely manner, with other grants awarded under the same call. These obligations must be outlined in the proposal and incorporated into Annex I to the grant agreement.
Exploitation Obligations: Beneficiaries must make results available for reuse under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions through a well-defined mechanism using a trusted repository. If the purpose of exploitation relates to standardisation, a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to the results must be granted.
Linked Actions: If working on linked actions (HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-IR-01, HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-ER-01), beneficiaries must ensure mutual access to the background and results of ongoing and closed linked actions, as necessary to implement tasks or exploit results under those actions.

Evaluation Criteria

Scoring Factors

Excellence: 40% weighting. This criterion assesses the clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives, the soundness of the proposed methodology, and the extent to which it advances the state of the art.
Impact: 40% weighting. This evaluates the project's potential to contribute to the European ATM Master Plan and SRIA, its expected societal, economic, and environmental benefits, and its dissemination and exploitation strategy.
Implementation: 20% weighting. This focuses on the quality and efficiency of the work plan, the appropriateness of resources, and the management structure, including the capacity of the consortium.

Innovation and Technology Advancement

Proposals should demonstrate progress in developing successors to VDL2, including L-band digital aeronautical communications system (LDACS), hyper-connected ATM, and satellite communication for civil-military dual use.
Solutions are expected to leverage existing commercial public air-ground communication links (e.g., 5G mobile networks, commercial Ku/Ka-band satellite communication) while meeting required safety, security, and performance standards.
Research should include innovative solutions for intelligent data pre-processing, smart filtering, integration, and fusion of data from aircraft sensors.
Development of LIDAR-based ATM applications and sensors is encouraged, specifically for obstacle detection, runway incursions, and assessing icing conditions.

Impact Expectations

Social: Projects are expected to improve flight safety and efficiency through enhanced communication and sensor capabilities.
Environmental: Expected outcomes include environmental benefits, such as reducing CO2 and non-CO2 emissions (e.g., via precision in contrail prediction models using high-precision humidity sensors).

Quality Thresholds

Proposed solutions must meet stringent safety, security, and performance standards.
It is a specific minimum requirement for this topic that proposals addressing Hyper Connected ATM and digital voice capability must achieve TRL6 (Technology Readiness Level 6).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Applicants must comply with the admissibility and eligibility conditions described in Annex A and Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity, as well as exclusion criteria, are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
The legal and financial set-up of grants is detailed in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Compliance with Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 is required.
Civil-Military systems spectrum compatibility must be addressed in proposals.
Projects are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Intellectual Property

Beneficiaries will be subject to specific additional dissemination and exploitation obligations, including sharing results royalty-free with other related grants and making results available for reuse. For standardisation purposes, a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to the results must be granted.

Risk Management

Research should consider safety and security aspects, particularly addressing potential single points of failure for communication providers or simultaneous failures due to atmospheric phenomena or cyber-attacks when using public networks.
Advanced techniques and approaches to enhance cybersecurity are required to address new attack models/vectors stemming from the use of public networks.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

The integration of a gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) into Research & Innovation (R&I) content is not a mandatory requirement for this specific topic.

Strategic Opportunities

Proposals should demonstrate alignment with the development priorities defined in the European ATM Master Plan and the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).
Research should address alignment with European Space Agency (ESA) Iris programme research initiatives.
Contributions to relevant standardisation efforts, such as EUROCAE WG-76, RTCA SC-206 MET datalink standardisation, and ICAO standards, are expected.

Grant Details