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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, part of Horizon Europe, aims to strengthen Europe's position in the global semiconductor value chain and digital technologies through strategic international cooperation. It focuses on gathering evidence and providing advice to the European Commission and Member States on joint actions with key global partners. - Target recipient type and size: Open to organizations capable of conducting in-depth analysis, mapping, and providing strategic advice, typically research organizations, industry associations, or public bodies. Size is not explicitly defined. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: This grant is highly sector-specific, focusing on semiconductors and semiconductor-based photonics. - Geographic scope: European Union and Associated Countries for applicants, with a primary focus on international cooperation with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, USA, Canada, and India. - Key filtering criteria: Expertise in semiconductors, international relations, policy analysis, and the ability to work collaboratively to advise on strategic technological positioning. - Grant frequency: Part of the annual Horizon Europe Work Programme (CL4-2025-03 call), but the specific topic 'HUMAN-19' is for the 2025 cycle.

Financial Structure

Funding amount: A single grant of 3,000,000 EUR is expected for this topic.
Currency: EUR.
Eligible costs: Covered by Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Generally, this includes personnel costs, travel, equipment, other goods and services, and indirect costs.
Ineligible costs: Not detailed for this specific topic, but typically include non-eligible VAT, excessive or unreasonable costs, and costs not directly linked to the project activities.
Matching fund requirements: Not specified for this topic, but Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) in Horizon Europe typically receive a 100% funding rate of eligible costs.
Payment schedule: Governed by the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) for Horizon Europe, typically involving a pre-financing payment, interim payments based on reported costs, and a final payment upon project completion and approval of final reports.
Financial reporting: Required periodically as per the grant agreement and detailed in Annex G.
Audit requirements: May be subject to audits by the European Commission or European Court of Auditors, as per standard EU grant procedures.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Eligible organization types: Not explicitly restricted, but typically includes universities, research organizations, industry associations, public bodies, and potentially enterprises (including SMEs) with relevant expertise. Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) are generally open to a wide range of legal entities.
Consortium Required: Yes, this is a 'Coordination and Support Action' (CSA) which inherently requires a consortium of at least two independent legal entities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Geographic and Legal Requirements

Geographic location: Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or a country Associated to Horizon Europe.
Legal status: Must be a legal entity.

Technical and Capacity Requirements

Expertise: Demonstrated capacity and expertise in semiconductor technology, supply chain analysis, international relations, and policy development are essential.
Capacity: Sufficient operational and financial capacity to carry out the proposed activities, as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Exclusion Criteria

Applicants must not be in any of the exclusion situations set out in the EU Financial Regulation.

Application Process

Application procedure: Single-stage submission process.
Submission platform: Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal's Submission System.
Submission format: Standard application form (HE CSA) is required, available in the Submission System.
Supporting materials: Applicants should consult the HE Programme Guide, relevant parts of the HE Main Work Programme 2025 ('Digital, Industry and Space' and 'General Annexes'), and the Model Grant Agreements for detailed guidance.

Timeline and Deadlines

Submission window: Opened on 2025-06-10.
Application deadline: 2025-10-02 at 00:00:00 UTC.
Evaluation timeline: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific dates are not provided in the topic description.

Post-Award Requirements

Project implementation: Activities are expected to align with the scope, expected outcomes, and contribute to the destination objectives.
Reporting obligations: Regular technical and financial reports are required throughout the project duration, as outlined in Annex G of the MGA.
Monitoring and evaluation: Projects will be subject to monitoring and evaluation as per Horizon Europe guidelines.

Application Assistance and Resources

Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on procedures from proposal submission to grant management.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs, on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical issues related to the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
Partner Search: Available on the Funding & Tenders Portal to help find consortium partners.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria Evaluation criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. While specific to this topic, general criteria for Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) under Horizon Europe typically include: Excellence

Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives and the extent to which they address the topic's expected outcomes.
Soundness of the proposed methodology, including conceptual framework, design, and analysis.
The extent to which the proposed work is beyond the state of the art and demonstrates innovation potential.
Quality of the inter-disciplinary approaches and involvement of social sciences and humanities, where appropriate.

Impact

The expected contributions towards the specific expected outcomes listed in the topic description, such as providing evidence-based advice to the Commission and Member States, strengthening Europe's semiconductor industry, and supporting research cooperation.
Magnitude and significance of the project's contribution to scientific, technological, societal, economic, and environmental impacts.
Credibility of pathways to achieve the expected impacts.
Effectiveness of the proposed measures to communicate and disseminate project results.
How the project will contribute to fostering a human-centric digital agenda and strategic autonomy in critical technologies.

Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation

Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including the appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources within the consortium.
Complementarity of the participants within the consortium, and the quality of the consortium as a whole.
Appropriateness of the management structure and procedures, including risk management.
Appropriateness of the budget allocation and resources for the proposed activities.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Ethical Compliance

Regulatory compliance: Adherence to all relevant EU and national regulations, including those concerning data protection and privacy, as outlined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Ethical standards: Projects must ensure human-centric and ethical approaches, avoiding gender, racial, and other social biases by design, particularly in relation to AI systems. Compliance with the AI Act is a key consideration.
Protection of European communication networks: Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific Project Requirements

Scope of activities: The CSA will primarily support the Commission and Member States through activities such as regional mapping of semiconductor supply chains, identification of cooperation opportunities, risk analysis (including economic security risks like over-capacities, export controls), promotion of standardization, organization of joint events, promotion of researcher mobility, and comparative analysis of cooperation modalities.
Complementarity and Synergies: Projects are expected to ensure complementarity with previously funded projects (e.g., HORIZON-CL4-2022-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-38, Chips Diplomacy Support Initiative, Chips Joint Undertaking calls) and develop synergies with projects funded under the Digital Europe Programme.
Involvement of Social Sciences and Humanities: Crucial for ensuring benefits and respecting European values in technological developments.

Unique Aspects and Challenges

'Chips Diplomacy': This grant explicitly contributes to European 'Chips Diplomacy' by guiding the European Commission on research collaborations and policy measures related to semiconductors.
Strategic Autonomy: Aims to bolster Europe's strategic autonomy in semiconductors and Generative AI.
Risk Mitigation: Requires analysis of risks to EU's technological advancements, competitiveness, and economic security in the semiconductor area.

Grant Details