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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Grant's Core Objective: To explore and improve access to housing in rural areas, while developing innovative, sustainable, and climate-smart houses and villages for the future.
Target Recipient Type and Size: Research organizations, universities, SMEs, NGOs, public bodies, and other entities capable of participating in Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs).
SECTOR-SPECIFIC
Geographic Scope and Location Requirements: Rural areas within EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Focus on European challenges and solutions.
Key Filtering Criteria for Initial Grant Screening: Projects must address rural housing, future villages, and involve a multi-actor approach, focusing on research and innovation.
Grant Frequency and Program Context: This is a specific topic under Cluster 6 Call 02 of the Horizon Europe programme (2025 Work Programme), which is part of a recurring framework programme (2021-2027).

Financial Structure

Budget Range: The total estimated cost for this topic is 6,000,000.0 EUR.
Minimum Grant Amount: 6,000,000.0 EUR.
Maximum Grant Amount: 6,000,000.0 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Type: Lump sum contribution. Payments depend on the proper implementation of corresponding work packages, not on actual incurred costs.
Eligible Costs: Costs must be eligible for an actual costs grant. Categories include personnel costs (employees, direct contractors, seconded persons, SME owners), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods/services), and other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, research infrastructure access, PCP/PPI procurement).
Ineligible Costs: Any costs that would be ineligible under standard Horizon Europe rules are excluded.
Matching Fund/Co-financing Requirements: While not explicitly a percentage match, the lump sum is calculated based on underlying reimbursement rates. The EU contribution may cover partially the total costs, reflecting co-financing principles.
Indirect Cost Policy: A 25% flat rate for indirect costs is included in the calculation of the lump sum contribution.
Payment Schedule: Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules. Lump sums per work package are paid upon completion of defined conditions for that work package.
Financial Reporting: Simplified due to lump sum model; no obligation to document costs incurred. Focus is on technical reporting of work package completion.
Audit Requirements: Checks, reviews, and audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action and fulfillment of work package conditions, rather than financial ex-post audits on incurred costs.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Must apply the multi-actor approach, involving diverse stakeholders (e.g., researchers, policymakers, local communities, businesses).
Eligible organization types include universities, research organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and public bodies, as typically allowed under Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions.

Geographic Requirements

Organizations from EU Member States are eligible.
Organizations from countries associated to Horizon Europe are also eligible (refer to Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes for a full list).

Technical and Experience Requirements

Proposals must include effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH), including gender studies.
Projects should build on existing research, such as that by the EU rural observatory and relevant projects funded under Horizon Europe.

Exclusion Criteria

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Timeline and Deadlines

Submission Deadline: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+00.
Submission Model: Single-stage submission.
Planned Opening Date: 2025-05-06.

Application Procedure and Materials

Application Form: Specific application forms are available in the Submission System, based on the standard Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA) template.
Detailed Budget Table: Applicants must use the 'Detailed budget table (HE LS)' template to propose their lump sum amount, broken down by work package and beneficiary.
Submission Platform: Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Supporting Materials: Applicants should consult the 'HE Programme Guide', 'HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment', 'HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes', and the 'Lump Sum MGA' for detailed guidance.

Post-Award Requirements

Project Implementation: Project activities must be carried out in accordance with Annex 1 of the grant agreement (Description of the Action).
Reporting Obligations: Payments are linked to the completion of specific work packages as defined in the grant agreement. Progress tracking will focus on technical outputs.
Compliance: Ongoing compliance with ethical standards, research integrity, dissemination and exploitation of results, intellectual property management, and gender equality will be checked.

Evaluation Criteria

Overall Proposal Quality

Excellence: Quality of the research, innovation, and methodology. This includes the soundness of the proposed analysis of real estate and rental markets, evaluation of housing quality and poverty, and understanding of access to affordable housing.
Expected Impact: Contribution to the successful implementation of the long-term vision for EU's rural areas, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the Green Deal objectives. Expected impacts include improved understanding for policymakers, availability of new solutions for affordable housing, and widespread sharing of these solutions. Also, the establishment of affordable, sustainable, and replicable solutions for greenhouse gas nearly non-emitting, climate-resilient houses and villages.
Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, appropriateness of resources, and management structure. This includes the feasibility of proposed participatory processes and integration of innovative solutions.

Specific Scoring Factors

Budget Estimation: Financial experts will check the budget estimate for each work package based on benchmarks, market prices, and statistical data to ensure it is sound and allows for achieving the activities and expected outputs.
Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Effective contribution of SSH, including gender studies, is a key consideration, implying that proposals integrating these aspects robustly will be scored higher.
Innovation: The proposal's focus on innovative, replicable solutions, including improved renovations, insulation, energy/water efficiency, use of local materials, and circularity, will be highly valued.
Community Engagement: Strength of participatory processes involving rural stakeholders in designing future houses and villages.
Alignment with Funder Priorities: Demonstrated alignment with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility, EU rural observatory, and relevant EU Missions (e.g., 'A Soil Deal for Europe', 'Restore our Oceans and Waters', 'Adaptation to Climate Change') is encouraged.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

General Conditions: Admissibility conditions, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria are described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annex A, Annex B, Annex C).
Legal Framework: Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Horizon Europe Regulation 2021/695, and Euratom Regulation 2021/765.

Ethical and Environmental Standards

Ethical Standards: Projects are subject to checks on ethics and research integrity.
Environmental Standards: Solutions should contribute to reducing pollution (including air pollution) and soil sealing in rural areas, aligning with Green Deal objectives for climate neutrality and environmental goals.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property management is an area for checks during project implementation or post-grant period.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

Lump Sum Funding: This grant uses a lump sum funding model, which simplifies financial management by focusing on the technical performance and outputs of the project. Payments are tied to the completion of work packages rather than detailed cost reporting.
Multi-Actor Approach: Projects must involve a multi-actor approach, requiring active participation from a range of stakeholders, including researchers and practitioners.
Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Integration: The effective contribution of SSH, including gender studies, is mandatory, ensuring a human-centered approach and place-based solutions.
Collaboration Encouraged: Collaboration and complementarity with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility are encouraged.
Data Availability: Proposals should contribute to increasing data availability, potentially utilizing digital technologies.
Risk Tolerance: While financial audits are simplified, the focus shifts to rigorous technical verification that work package conditions are met for payments to be released.

Grant Details