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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to monitor and evaluate the 'Societal Readiness' pilot actions, which are being implemented across eight specific topics within the Horizon Europe Cluster 5 work programme 2025 (Climate, Energy, Mobility). The core objective is to learn from these pilot experiences, identify challenges and successes, and provide sound recommendations to the European Commission for improving and potentially widening the use of the Societal Readiness approach in future EU-funded research and innovation (R&I) projects. The grant focuses on policy evaluation and the integration of social sciences and humanities (SSH) into scientific and technological projects.

Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: The target recipients are likely research organizations, universities, consultancies, or consortia with strong expertise in social sciences and humanities (SSH), R&I project evaluation, and policy analysis. No specific size is mandated, but the scope implies organizations with significant capacity.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': This grant is SECTOR-SPECIFIC.
Geographic scope and any location requirements: Open to legal entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries. Eligible countries are defined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Expertise in SSH and R&I evaluation, experience with EU projects, capacity for organizing workshops, and developing web platforms.
Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific evaluation project for existing pilots. While the evaluation itself is one-time for these pilots, the action is expected to 'initiate similar monitoring activities' for future Horizon Europe work programmes if operational phases overlap. It is part of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2021-2027), specifically under Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy, Mobility).

Financial Structure

Funding for this grant will take the form of a lump sum contribution, simplifying financial management.
The total budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-09) is 1,500,000.0 EUR.
Only one grant is expected to be awarded for this topic, meaning the minimum and maximum funding for a single grant is 1,500,000.0 EUR.
Payments are tied to the proper implementation of defined work packages as outlined in Annex 1 of the grant agreement; they do not depend on actual costs incurred.
Applicants must propose the lump sum amount based on their estimated direct and indirect project costs, broken down per work package and per beneficiary/affiliated entity.
Eligible costs for the lump sum calculation must adhere to Horizon Europe rules and exclude ineligible costs. These typically include personnel, subcontracting, purchase costs (travel, equipment, goods, services), and other specific cost categories.
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a flat rate of 25% to eligible direct costs, and this flat rate is included in the overall lump sum calculation.
A percentage of 5-8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
If a work package's conditions are not met, its associated lump sum contribution will not be paid.
The co-financing principle is applied, meaning the total estimated costs of the action should be greater than the estimated Union contribution.
Any revenues generated by the action will be taken into account when calculating the maximum grant amount.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type

Eligible organization types are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. This typically includes a wide range of legal entities such as universities, research organizations, public bodies, private companies (including SMEs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from EU Member States and Associated Countries.
No specific organizational type (e.g., 'startup', 'SME') is exclusively defined or required; the grant is open to any legal entity that meets the general Horizon Europe eligibility criteria.

Legal and Financial Capacity

Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Exclusion criteria, which could disqualify an applicant, are also described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Location

Organizations must be established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if specific provisions for funding participation are made (refer to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide).

Technical Expertise and Experience

The proposed action requires the effective contribution of relevant SSH disciplines, including the involvement of SSH experts to support the monitoring and evaluation activities.
Demonstrated capacity to conduct comprehensive analysis of R&I projects, including content, implementation, and methodology.
Experience in assessing interdisciplinary collaboration (SSH vs. STEM) and identifying successful and less successful approaches.
Ability to organize and manage annual physical workshops for project representatives.
Technical capability to set up, update, and maintain a public web platform.
Experience in developing and providing policy recommendations based on evaluation findings.

Project Specifics

The recommended duration for the action is 42 months.
The project must focus on monitoring and evaluating eight specific Societal Readiness pilot topics from the Cluster 5 work programme 2025.
A consortium approach is strongly implied by the comprehensive scope, which requires interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with multiple pilot projects, though not explicitly stated as a mandatory requirement for application.

Application Process

Application forms specific to this call are available in the Submission System.
The application form for this Coordination and Support Action (CSA) is a Standard application form (HE CSA).
Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout guidelines described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and specifically in Part B of the Application Form.

Timeline and Deadlines

The submission system is planned to open on 2025-09-16.
The application deadline for submitting proposals is 2026-01-20 00:00:00+0000.
The recommended duration for the project is 42 months.
An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and Review

The evaluation process and submission procedures are detailed in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
A Standard evaluation form (HE CSA) will be used, with necessary adaptations.
Proposals will be evaluated by external independent experts. Experts with financial expertise will specifically check the budget estimate and ensure the proposed resources align with planned activities.

Required Documentation and Materials

The proposal itself, following the specified format and page limits.
Detailed budget table (HE LS) prepared using relevant templates published by the granting authority.
A declaration by beneficiaries stating they have followed their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Support and Guidance

Applicants can find guidance in the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA) (specifically the Lump Sum MGA), and Guidance: 'Lump sums - what do I need to know?'.
Comprehensive support is available through the Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), and the Enterprise Europe Network.
Technical assistance for the Funding & Tenders Portal issues is provided by the IT Helpdesk.
Support for intellectual property issues is available from the European IPR Helpdesk.
Assistance for standardisation aspects in project proposals can be sought from the CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk.
A Partner Search function is available on the portal to help find collaborators for a proposal.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

The evaluation committee, which will include representatives of EU institutions, will apply award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation

Project Plan: Assessment of the overall quality and efficiency of the proposed implementation, including the detailed breakdown of activities per work package and allocation of resources.
Budget Assessment: Evaluation of the proposed lump sum budget by experts with financial expertise. This involves checking the budget estimate against relevant benchmarks such as market prices, statistical data, and historical data from comparable actions. The proposed resources must be deemed sufficient and appropriate to achieve the described activities and expected outputs.
Accounting Practices: Verification that applicants have followed their own accounting practices for the preparation of the estimated budget.
Interdisciplinary Approach: Assessment of the effectiveness of mechanisms for interdisciplinary collaboration (SSH vs. STEM) and engagement with societal stakeholders. This includes identifying successful and less successful approaches and analyzing changes in partner behaviors or strategies.

Excellence

Methodology: Quality of the proposed methodology for conducting the consolidated analysis of the Societal Readiness pilot projects, including how they will analyze Descriptions of Actions, First Reports, and Final Reports. This includes assessing how guiding questions are addressed and planned responses to concerns.
Recommendations: Quality and relevance of proposed mid-project recommendations based on initial findings.

Expected Impact

Contribution to Outcomes: The proposal will be evaluated on its contribution to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Providing the European Commission with a comprehensive overview of how Societal Readiness is addressed and integrated into piloted projects, identifying main challenges and concerns.
- Demonstrating a proven strategy to intensify collaboration between STEM and SSH partners, leading to in-depth interdisciplinary work and ensuring broad and sustainable support for R&I solutions.
- Ensuring that the next generation of Societal Readiness projects benefits from current pilot experiences through a public web platform acting as a one-stop-shop.
- Equipping the European Commission with a sound, clear, and replicable procedure for addressing Societal Readiness effectively in future EU-funded R&I projects.
Policy Recommendations: Quality of the final recommendations to the European Commission, proposing practical improvements to the current Societal Readiness approach, overcoming shortcomings, and acknowledging successful aspects. This includes aiming for low implementation complexity, high understandability (including for non-SSH experts), replicability across technologies and fields, and strong interdisciplinary components.
Strategic Analysis: Analysis of the added value of SR pilot topics compared to SSH-flagged-only-topics within Cluster 5, as well as other relevant Societal Readiness routes.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Legal and financial setup of the grants must adhere to the rules described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is required.
Applicants must follow the Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment.

Financial Management and Reporting

Due to the lump sum nature, financial checks and ex-post audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package, rather than detailed cost reporting.
Beneficiaries are not obligated to document costs incurred for the action to the granting authority, but they must comply with their own national accounting rules.
If technical controls reveal that conditions for payment of a lump sum contribution per work package were not met, the granting authority may recover undue payments.

Research Integrity and Ethical Standards

Checks, reviews, and audits may cover aspects related to ethics and research integrity.
Adherence to the general principles and requirements outlined in 'The European Charter for Researchers' and the 'Code of Conduct for their recruitment' is expected.

Intellectual Property and Dissemination

Audits may also cover the dissemination and exploitation of results, and the management of intellectual property (IP).

Societal Readiness (SR) Pilot Specifics

The action is specifically tasked with analyzing how Societal Readiness is addressed in selected pilot projects (approximately 18 projects from 8 topics in Cluster 5 WP 2025).
Required activities include: consolidated analysis of project descriptions, first reports, and final reports; assessment of SSH and STEM interaction quality; provision of mid-project recommendations.
Mandatory organization of annual workshops in physical format for all pilot project representatives, with travel costs to be covered by this grant action.
Mandatory setup of a public web platform during the action's duration to support future SR users with examples, tips, and best practices.
Mandatory provision of recommendations to the European Commission for improving the current Societal Readiness approach, aiming for simplicity, clarity, replicability, and strong interdisciplinary components.
The project should perform an analysis of the added value of SR pilot topics compared to SSH-flagged-only-topics within Cluster 5.
Collection of qualitative information (perceptions, feelings, concerns) via direct interactions (bilateral discussions) with project partners is expected.
The action should be designed to initiate similar monitoring activities on future Horizon Europe work programmes if its operational phases overlap with new pilot projects.

Grant Details