​After over 15 months of experience with Horizon Europe for both individual and collaborative calls, EAIC, the European Association of Innovation Consultants can provide some constructive feed-back on the new Horizon Europe Programme and its application process which has slightly evolved since the previous Framework Programme H2020.
With a view to contributing to the European Commission’s current interim review of Horizon Europe programme, a synthesis of EAIC member recommendations is provided below.
Oversubscription and excellence:

• Although the overall success rate of Horizon Europe calls has increased vs H2020, a number of calls are too open and the expectations created are far above from the EC capacity to fund excellent projects, we urge the commission to consider restricting the focus of topics when the budget available is not expected to meet a large part of applicants' expectations, risking to demotivate new comers.  
• For actions receiving 15 points out 15 but not being funded due to a lack of allocated budget we strongly recommend the EC to use all regulatory means possible to facilitate the transfer of budget from unused part of the programme by setting up an automatic scheme enabling to fund such excellent projects. 

Collaborative Calls application process:

• Generally, the structure of the application process and the format of the answer for collaborative Horizon Europe calls (IAs, RIAs or CSAs) remains the same as in Horizon2020 which is perceived positively.  

• Improve instructions as regard the type of staff members can be included in the case of partners not having researcher staff or for non-technical partners, that could be included in projects. 
• Length of proposals: we recommend to allow a length of 70 pages for the part B when the budget of projects foreseen goes beyond 10 million euros. 
• We urge the commission and its agencies to review urgently the capacities of their IT infrastructure.  

EIC Accelerator: 

• The EIC Accelerator evaluation requires some further improvements, the GO / NO-GO process is potentially leading to some false negatives, we are suggesting several improvements to avoid such situations. 
• We believe the EIC should go back to its original mission of a European sovereign investment mechanism, as initially foreseen by the European Parliament and European Council. The European Commission should remain the single decision-maker with regards to EIC equity funding.

Professional management of funded actions:

• Allow the participation of other entities, not just the coordinator, in Project Management activities. 
• Allow the subcontracting of management tasks to professional experts with proven track records. 
• Improve the quality of project management by promoting good project management practices as developed in our reply

“Building a greener, safer and better Europe”, this is the motto of the €2 billion partnership between the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and the European Union: the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). CBE-JU funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.
CBE JU operates under the same rules of Horizon Europe - the 2021 – 2027 EU’s research and innovation programme. The partnership is building on the success of its predecessor, the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), while addressing the current challenges facing the industry.
CBE JU aims to scale up technologies leading to industrial deployment, thus attracting investment and creating jobs. Furthermore, different stakeholders including the primary sector, regional authorities, and investors to prevent market failures and unsustainable bio-based processes will be involved.

What is CBE JU's mission? The European bio-based sector, including SMEs, regions and primary producers should become climate neutral, more circular and more sustainable while remaining competitive on the global market. A strong, resource efficient and competitive bio-based innovation ecosystem can decrease Europe’s dependency on and accelerate the substitution of non-renewable fossil raw materials and mineral resources.
CBE-JU mission is to implement the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), through yearly open calls for proposals to fund projects in research, demonstration, and industrial deployment. These are the main goals of the partnership:

• Accelerate the innovation process and development of bio-based innovative solutions
• Accelerate market deployment of the existing mature and innovative bio-based solutions
• Ensure a high level of environmental performance of bio-based industrial systems

How CBE JU will achieve its objectives?The CBE JU calls fund different types of actions:

Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs): 'testing', 'demonstrating' and 'piloting' activities to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of new/ improved technology, product, process, service, or solution. Basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration, and validation on a small-scale prototype, in a laboratory or simulated environment are included. It is expected that RIA delivers TRL3-5 at the end of the project.

Innovation Actions (IAs): 'testing', 'demonstrating' and 'piloting' activities also aiming at scaling up activities from prototype, in a (near to) operational environment, industrial or otherwise, to large-scale product validation and market replication. At the end of the project TRL6-8 have to be delivered.

Flagships: important and specific type of Innovation Action with the objective to support the first application/deployment in the EU market of an innovation already demonstrated but not yet applied/deployed in the EU market (first-of-its-kind innovation). Flagship projects need to deliver TRL 8 at the end of the projects.
In each topic the end TRL is specified.

Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs): addressing needs to i) structure stakeholder communities; ii) support dissemination and exploitation of research or innovation projects; iii) exploit synergies of scale among projects; iv) raise awareness in specific areas; v) support technological visions (e.g. road-mapping, user cases, etc.) and outreach (e.g. events, publications, etc.); vi) promote international cooperation with specific regions and/or technological areas for any of the above-mentioned activities; vii) undertake other activities similar in nature to those above (i.e., this is not an exhaustive list).

Pre-commercial Procurement Action (PCPs) may also be considered if relevant to attain the objectives of the CBE JU in future CBE JU AWP. Additionally, financial support to third parties may be included in specific call topics and funded as part of the received grants from CBE JU via financial support.

What are the calls for proposal of 2022?The CBE-JU Annual Work Programme 2022 will fund projects developing innovative and sustainable bio-based solutions, with a focus on the following strategic priorities: feedstock, processing, products, cross-cutting aspects of communication and environmental sustainability.
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CBE JU will welcome project proposals across 12 topics with a total indicative budget of €120 million:

Innovation Actions

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-IA-01 Biogenic carbon capture and use (CCU) for circular bio-based products - €10 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-IA-02 Cooperative business models for sustainable mobilisation and valorisation of agricultural residues, by-products, and waste in rural areas - €10 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-IA-03 Cost-effective production routes towards bio-based alternatives to fossil-based chemical building blocks - €12 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-IA-04 Co-processing of mixed bio-based waste streams - €12 million.        

Innovation Actions - Flagships

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-IAFlag-01 Maximum valorisation of sustainably sourced bio-based feedstock in multi-product, zero-waste, zero-pollution biorefinery - €14 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-IAFlag-02 Alternative sources for high added value food and/or feed ingredients - €14 million.

Research and Innovation Actions

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-R-01 High performance bio-based polymers for market applications with stringent requirements - €9 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-R-02 Bio-based coatings, barriers, binders, and adhesives - €9 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-R-03 Circular-by-design bio-based materials to improve the circularity of complex structures - €9 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-R-04 Proteins from alternative and unconventional sources - €9 million.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-R-05 Sustainable fibres biorefineries feedstock - €9 million.

Coordination and Support Actions

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-S-01 Developing and validating monitoring systems of environmental sustainability and circularity: collection of best practices and benchmarks - €3 million.

The application must be done via the Funding & Tenders Portal, deadline for application is September 22nd at 17.00 CET.
Check out all the funding opportunities and get more information about the whole programme.

Are you planning to apply to any of these calls? Our members are expert in accompanying consortia from small to very large size. They are acting in line with our code of conduct which guarantees qualitative and professional behavior at all times.

Are you interested to get support from a consultant? Indicate here the type of service you are needing and we will get back to you very shortly!

Article courtesy of EAIC member ENCO Engineering and Consulting
​

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship programme supports postdoctoral researchers to develop their research careers with a total budget of €257 million. It provides fellowships to the most promising researchers, who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, by either coming to Europe from any country in the world, moving within Europe or even moving to Third Countries not associated to Horizon Europe.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is the main European instrument supporting young women and men to make a career in research with the goal to retain excellent researchers within Europe and reintegrate those working elsewhere. Since their launch in 1996, they have become Europe’s reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training.

​The MSCA PF programme that is part of the Excellent Science pillar of Horizon Europe aims to equip postdoctoral fellows with new transferable skills and international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral exposure via advanced training and mobility. The MSCA PF is based on the principle of physical mobility, meaning that researchers who receive funding have to move from one country to another. Researchers who wish to apply are also encouraged to move between sectors and disciplines.
​
The main objectives of a Postdoctoral fellowship are to:

• Enhance the research and transferable skills and competences of postdoctoral fellows, leading to their improved employability and career prospects
• Foster researchers’ international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility
• Enhance networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public to broaden the research and innovation impact
• Strengthen R&I capacity and output among participating organisations, by implementing original and innovative research projects
• Facilitate transfer of knowledge by building bridges between the academic and non-academic sector  

What’s new this year?
This year MSCA place a stronger emphasis on collaborations between academia and business. There’s also a renewed emphasis on effective supervision and career guidance to postdoctoral fellows according to the  MSCA Guidelines on Supervision. Applicants are also encouraged to address the principles of the MSCA Green Charter, in line with the European Green Deal, and implement measures to promote sustainable research activities and minimise the environmental footprint of such activities.
Another novelty in MSCA PF in Horizon Europe compared to Horizon 2020 is that areas of research covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme, specifically nuclear research and innovation, are now included in the range of topics supported by the MSCA, including Chemistry, Social Sciences and Humanities, Economic Sciences, Information Science and Engineering, Environment and Geosciences, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Physics.

When and how to apply?
The 2022 call is now open for submissions through the Funding and Tenders Portal, with a deadline on 14 September 2022. Although, the project proposal should be written jointly by the postdoctoral candidate and the host organisation, only the Host Supervisor is allowed to submit the proposal. The EU average success rate for the 2021 call was 13-14%.
Host organisations are encouraged to read the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Guidelines for the Inclusion of Researchers at Risk comprising researchers experiencing threats to their life, liberty or research career, and those who are forced to flee or have been displaced. Following Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, the new MSCA4Ukraine scheme includes €25 million for actions supporting researchers previously active in Ukraine.

Who can apply?
You can apply for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship if you:

• are interested in engaging in research and innovation projects at a host organisation abroad (otherwise known as Beneficiary) that can be a university, research institution, business, SME or other organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
• hold a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply.
• have a maximum of eight years of experience in research, from the date of the award of your PhD degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks do not count towards this maximum, nor do years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe.
• have not resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

​There are two types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

1. European Postdoctoral Fellowships (overall budget: €218.45) are open to researchers of any nationality moving to or between EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships can last between 1 and 2 years.
2. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (overall budget: €38.55) are open to researchers, who are national or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries and wish to carry out their research activities outside Europe. These fellowships can last between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in Europe.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world within the overall duration of the fellowship, as well as a placement of up to six months in a non-academic organisation based in Europe at the end of their research project for which researchers receive additional support.

What does the postdoctoral fellowship cover?

• a living allowance
• a mobility allowance
• family, long-term leave and special needs allowances, if applicable
• research, training and networking activities
• management and indirect costs

Evaluation process
Submitted proposals will be evaluated between October and December 2022 against three evaluation criteria, including Excellence (50% of the evaluation score), Impact (30%) and Implementation (20%). Applications with a total score equal to or higher than 85% receive a Seal of Excellence, which adds weight to the researchers’ applications when they seek to apply to other EU Funding Calls. The evaluation results will be published by February/March 2023 and projects are expected to start around May-September 2023.

Are you planning to apply to any of these calls? Our members are expert in accompanying consortia from small to very large size. They are acting in line with our code of conduct which guarantees qualitative and professional behavior at all times.

Are you interested to get support from a consultant? Indicate here the type of service you are needing and we will get back to you very shortly!

Article courtesy of EAIC Member GrantXpert Consulting Ltd. 

​We're pleased to welcome our newest member:

GRANTEX ADVISORY GROUP started its activities in December 2012 in Czech republic. It focuses mainly on grant consulting, especially in the field of R&D, digital transformation, energy savings and renewable energy. In 2021 GRANTEX started to develop its activities also in Slovakia.


The main services they offer:

• EU Project Management
• National or Regional funds
• Other services:
  • Tax Credits
  • Expoitation support in EU Projects

View our full list of members here.

Horizon Europe (HE) Cluster 5 supports EU’s strategic objectives through activities in the are a of Climate, Energy and Mobility and by supporting a number of Institutional European Partnerships such as Clean Hydrogen, Transforming Europe's rail system, Integrated Air Traffic Management, and Clean Aviation.

Activities in this work programme will contribute to all Key Strategic Orientations (KSOs) of the Strategic Plan (KSO C being the one with the most direct contribution):

1. Promoting an open strategic autonomy by leading the development of key digital and, enabling and emerging technologies, sectors and value chains to accelerate and steer the digital and green transitions through human-centred technologies and innovations;
2. Restoring Europe’s ecosystems and biodiversity, and managing sustainably natural resources to ensure food security and a clean and healthy environment;
3. Making Europe the first digitally enabled circular, climate -neutral and sustainable economy through the transformation of its mobility, energy, construction and production systems;
4. Creating a more resilient, inclusive and democratic European society, prepared and responsive to threats and disasters, addressing inequalities and providing high-quality health care, and empowering all citizens to act in the green and digital transitions.

Here we provide an overview of some of the open calls of Cluster 5 closing in September and October:

• Battery:

The expected impact is “Nurturing a world-class European research and innovation eco-system on batteries along the value chain based on sustainable pathways”. It includes improvement of technological performance to increase application user attractiveness (in particular in terms of safety, cost, user convenience, fast charging and environmental footprint), in parallel “supporting the creation of a competitive, circular, and sustainable European battery manufacturing value chain”.
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11 Calls have been released with 6 September 2022 deadline for 138 M Euro budget:

 
Some notes about the calls:

• The calls are generally Research and Innovation Action (RIA). Some calls aim at really low TRLs such as TRL 3-4-5.
• EU contributions are not very high especially in some RIA calls. So, applicants/coordinators should define the scope in accordance with call’s exact expectations.
• It is critical to understand the main goal of the call: battery pack or battery chemistry. Some calls don’t have enough EU contribution to make novel innovation for both sides.
• Applicants/coordinators should include the battery value chain in their consortium as partner and/or advisory board member. Especially for recycling, a dedicated partner will be beneficial to show environmental-friendly side of your solution. Also some calls address industry partners.
• Artificial intelligence is the key part of proposals. Applicants/coordinators should add some activities to use AI in development or developing AI tools for future research.
• The page limit of the application is generally 70 pages.

 

• Renewable Energy:

The expected impact, in line with the Strategic Plan, is to contribute to “More efficient, clean, sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply through new solutions for smart grids and energy systems based on more performant renewable energy solutions”, notably through.
The final aim is decarbonising the economy in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal and the European Union’s 2050 net-zero target, and Climate Law. So, proposals should address how they will contribute to these.
 
8 Calls have been released with 27 October 2022 deadline for 99 M Euro budget:

Some notes about the calls:

• Calls considers cost reduction even in low TRL projects. Affordability is emphasized in some calls for targeted new technologies.
• Some calls address industry partners for demonstration activities.
• Renewable fuel call proposals should present the sustainability of sources. Agricultural or forest wastes are highly welcome. In this part, there is a link with Cluster 6. So, to review funded projects about valorisation of agricultural or forest wastes will give idea about sustainable resources that EU prefers to fund.
• Energy management systems are expected in some calls. There are many funded projects already in this area. So, it is crucial to review the previous projects to define the gaps and pain points.
• Life cycle analysis is frequently stated in the calls.

Are you planning to apply to any of these calls? EAIC members are expert in accompanying consortia from small to very large size. They are acting in line with our code of conduct which guarantees qualitative and professional behaviour at all times.

Are you interested to get support from a consultant? Indicate here the type of service you are needing and we will get back to you very shortly!
 
Article Courtesy of EAIC Member Intract