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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Single, clear statement: This grant aims to structure AI-enabled research in Europe, assess and optimise the ecosystem for AI in Science, and develop a Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda to boost Europe's competitive edge in scientific R&I.
Target recipient type and size: The grant targets a diverse range of organizations including research institutions, universities, industry players (including SMEs and start-ups), civil society organizations, and policy-maker communities across Europe.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC (focused on Artificial Intelligence in Science and digital technologies across various scientific and industrial domains).
Geographic scope and any location requirements: Projects must have a European focus, contributing to EU's competitive advantage. Geographic eligibility is defined by eligible countries in Horizon Europe (EU Member States and Associated Countries).
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on AI, science, research ecosystem optimization, strategic agenda development, and coordination/support actions.
Grant frequency and program context: This is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, suggesting it is a recurring type of call within the broader Horizon Europe framework.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided in the form of a lump sum contribution.
The total budget allocated for this specific topic is 3,000,000 EUR.
The minimum grant amount per project is 3,000,000 EUR.
The maximum grant amount per project is 3,000,000 EUR.
Eligible costs that form the basis for the lump sum calculation include: Personnel costs (employees, direct contractors, seconded persons, SME owners/natural person beneficiaries), Subcontracting costs, Purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services), and Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement, Euratom Cofund staff mobility, ERC additional funding).
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a flat rate of 25% to the direct eligible costs.
Payments do not depend on actual costs incurred but are contingent upon the proper implementation of the corresponding work packages and compliance with all grant agreement obligations.
The lump sum is determined by the granting authority based on the applicant's proposed estimated direct and indirect costs.
The final lump sum contribution will apply the reimbursement rate set out in Horizon Europe rules to the total estimated eligible costs, which for CSAs is typically 100.0% of eligible costs.
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

Not explicitly defined in the provided documents, but as a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action (CSA), it is generally open to a wide range of legal entities, including: universities, research organizations, public bodies, private companies (e.g., SMEs, large enterprises, start-ups), and non-profit organizations.

Geographic Location

Applicants must be from eligible countries as defined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. While the specific annex is not provided, this typically includes EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.

Project Type

The proposed action must align with the definition and scope of a 'Coordination and Support Action (CSA)', focusing on networking, coordination, mutual learning, and supporting activities rather than direct research and innovation.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed activities, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Consortium Requirement

While not explicitly stated as 'mandatory consortium' in the provided text, the nature of a 'Coordination and Support Action' aiming to 'mobilise large groups of domain and AI researchers' and 'diverse users and stakeholders' strongly implies that applications must be submitted by a consortium of multiple partners.

Application Process

Application Deadline

The submission deadline for proposals is 2025-09-23 00:00:00+00.
The submission session opened on 2025-05-22.

Submission Process

Applications follow a single-stage submission procedure.
The application form specific to this call is available through the Submission System on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Proposals must be submitted via the electronic submission service.

Required Documentation and Materials

Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Applicants must complete Part B of the Application Form.
A detailed budget table (HE LS - Horizon Europe Lump Sum) is required for the lump sum calculation.
The standard application form for Coordination and Support Actions (HE CSA) will be used.

Support Available

Extensive support resources are available, including:
- The Online Manual (guidance on procedures from submission to grant management).
- The Horizon Europe Programme Guide (details on structure, budget, and political priorities).
- Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
- Research Enquiry Service for general inquiries.
- National Contact Points (NCPs) for guidance and assistance.
- Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for business advice, especially for SMEs.
- IT Helpdesk for technical issues.
- European IPR Helpdesk for intellectual property concerns.
- CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks for standardisation advice.
- The European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct.
- A Partner Search tool to help form consortia.

Project Implementation and Reporting

Progress tracking and payments are linked to the completion of specific work packages as agreed in the grant agreement.
While there is no obligation to report actual costs incurred, technical implementation, ethical compliance, dissemination, exploitation of results, intellectual property management, and gender equality will be monitored.

Evaluation and Grant Agreement Timeline

The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement procedures is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (not provided in this document).

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Award Criteria

The primary award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, which are not provided here. However, standard Horizon Europe criteria typically include:
- Excellence: Quality of the proposed activities, methodology, and scientific/technological ambition.
- Impact: Potential contribution to the expected outcomes, societal, economic, and environmental benefits, and effectiveness of dissemination and exploitation plans.
- Quality and efficiency of the implementation: Soundness of the work plan, appropriateness of the resources, quality of the consortium, and management structure.

Financial Assessment of Lump Sum Proposals

Experts with the necessary financial expertise will check the budget estimate. This involves:
- Assessing the budget based on relevant benchmarks such as market prices, statistical data, or historical data from comparable actions.
- Verifying that the proposed resources and the breakdown of lump sum shares are appropriate for achieving the described activities and expected outputs.
- Confirming that applicants have declared the use of their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Strategic Alignment

Proposals are expected to demonstrate strong alignment with the objectives of the grant, particularly in developing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for AI in Science and optimising the European AI ecosystem.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Applicants must comply with general conditions and other eligible criteria detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Compliance with financial and operational capacity requirements and exclusion criteria, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes, is mandatory.

Financial Compliance and Audit

The use of lump sum contributions is authorized under the Decision of 7 July 2021 (Horizon Europe and Euratom Programmes).
Beneficiaries have no obligation to document incurred costs for the action to the granting authority, but they must still adhere to national accounting rules.
Checks, reviews, and audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action, including the fulfilment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
Other audited aspects include ethics, research integrity, dissemination and exploitation of results, management of intellectual property, and gender equality.
If conditions for payment of a lump sum contribution per work package are not met, the grant can be reduced, and undue payments recovered following a contradictory procedure.

Strategic Focus and Collaboration

Projects are expected to identify long-term research challenges in AI across diverse scientific fields, particularly those aligning with EU competitive, environmental, and social policy agendas.
Emphasis on exploring 'frugal AI' (compact, efficient, less energy intensive) and 'human-centric and trustworthy AI' for scientific work.
Proposals should build evidence and assess the potential for future R&I initiatives to optimize the EU landscape for AI in Science, including improving data access, infrastructure, and talent development.
A roadmap for more effective coordination between domain-specific and AI scientific communities, and upgrades in EU-level service/infrastructure provision, should be developed.
Coordination and dissemination activities (e.g., website, awareness events, good practices exchange) are expected to facilitate stakeholder engagement.
Collaboration with and synergy development with existing EU-level initiatives are highly encouraged. This includes EOSC, EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, ESFRI, AI Factories, EU AI, Data and Robotics Partnership, AI4EOSC, AI on Demand Platform, and the GenAI4EU Central Hub.

Grant Details