EU - Horizon Europe

Mode of Application

SEARCHING FOR SUITABLE CALLS

How to find relevant Horizon Europe calls?

Review the work programmes and calls: Horizon Europe is comprised of various work programmes, covering different research priorities and themes and organised under three main pillars. Click here to see the overview of Horizon Europe and access the specific programme part's webpage relevant to your research; then browse through the work programme to see the current and upcoming calls and submission topics.On these webpages, you can:
- Browse through the work programme to see the current and upcoming calls and submission topic.
- See the list of current and upcoming calls and click on a call title to access the group of specific topics associated with it on the Portal, the EU funding and tenders website.

Use the dedicated search tool: search for relevant calls using the search funding and tenders tool on the EU’s Participant Portal.

Contact the RGP: Contact RGP’s scientific collaboration coordinator for EU collaborative calls, Dr. Alice Mett, etx. 4007, for assistance in identifying suitable funding opportunities.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

NOTE: The information herein refers to submission of proposals for collaborative projects, highlighting the main features of the application process. See the dedicated ERC, EIC and MSCA webpages for information on the proposal preparation and submission procedures applicable to these programs.

For further guidance and support for the proposal registration, preparation and submission please contact the EU Desk.

Types of action

The calls are classified into several types of actions, according to the activities that are generally eligible. The types of actions that are mainly relevant are the following:

Research and innovation actions (RIA): ‘Traditional’ multi-national, multi-partner collaborative research and innovation projects.

Innovation actions (IA): Actions which might include limited research and development activities but where the main focus is on innovation, including new or improved products, processes or services.

Coordination and support actions (CSA): ‘Traditional’ multi-national, multi-partner support actions or accompanying measures. CSAs do not provide funding for the actual research costs but for example for co-ordination of research policies, networking activities or, in some cases, studies and events. This excludes R&I activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme.

Consortium composition and coordination

RIA/IA actions: Unless otherwise specified in the call conditions, the consortium must include at least three independent legal entities, independent of each other, established in three different EU Member States and/or Associated Countries. At least one of these entities must be established in a Member State.

CSA actions: Applications may be submitted by one or more legal entities, which may be established in a Member State, Associated Country or, in exceptional cases and if provided for in the specific call conditions, in another third country.

Most projects in Horizon Europe will have more than the required minimum number of partners. What the right number is will depend on the requirements of the project topic, the expected outcomes/impacts, the activities proposed and the available budget.

In multi-beneficiary grants, the consortium has to choose a coordinator, who will manage and coordinate the project and will represent the consortium vis a vis the granting authority. Weizmann researchers serving as proposal coordinators are required to use the services of a consultancy company that will assist with the Coordinator with the administrative and financial management of the project. If you intend to serve as a proposal coordinator, please contact the EU-Desk for further information and discussion.

Proposal templates

The following standard proposal templates serve only as an example. The definitive template to be used for the preparation of your proposal may defer, and can be downloaded from the submission system once the call is open and the proposal is registered.

• Standard Application Form for RIA and IA proposals
• Standard Application Form CSA proposals

Ethics issues

For all activities funded by the EU, ethics is an integral part of research and is addressed through an ethics review procedure to ensure that all research activities are conducted in compliance with fundamental ethical principles.

When preparing a proposal, it is required to conduct an Ethics Self-assessment starting with the completion of an Ethics Issues Table. See the guidance document on How to complete your Ethics Self-Assessment in the proposal preparation stage.

For guidance and assistance, contact Aviva Goldstein, the Research Ethics and Regulation Coordinator at the RGP.

Proposals involving Human Subjects and/or Human cells/tissues
IMPORTANT: In light of Europe's recent General Data Protection Regulation, should your proposal involve Human Subjects and/or Human cells/tissues that are not available commercially, the advice and assistance of Weizmann’s appointed DPO (Data Protection Officer) may be required for providing relevant information in the ethics self-assessment document. If this is relevant for you, please send Aviva Goldstein details concerning the human data aspect of the project in order to initiate this assistance. For example, what kind of data will you be obtaining, will it be anonymous or not, details about the methods that will be used to store and protect it, etc.

WEIZMANN INTERNAL PROCEDURES

As per WIS management instructions, grant proposals must be submitted for evaluation by the RGP, with a budget approved by Finance, at least one week to 10 days prior to the funding agency’s deadline.

Give RGP access to the proposal in the submission system or, if you are a partner in the proposal, ask the coordinator to do this. The RGP contact person for this purpose is Gabi Bernstein (gabi.bernstein@weizmann.ac.il).

Budget approval: Make sure to obtain a written approval for the budget allocated to Weizmann from the Projects Section of the Finance Division before submitting the online application. The coordinator generally sends the partners a detailed budget which partners are asked to complete. If you have received such a table, it is preferable to use it for the internal approval as well. If needed, contact the EU Desk for a more general budget that we have prepared.

Internal Form: A direct link to a pre-filled online Internal Form will be emailed to you for completion.

Internal review: Send the proposal to the EU Desk for review at least one week before the call deadline

International Cooperation

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION:

Who Can Participate?
Legal entities from an EU member states, Associated countries or other Third countries (states that are neither members nor contractual partners of the EU). In collaborative research projects, a consortium generally comprises at least three independent institutions from three different EU Member States or Associated countries. New to Horizon Europe is the fact that at least one member must come from an EU Member State.

EU Member States (MS):
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary*, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
* Following the EC Decision against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary, restrictions have been imposed on the participation of legal entities from Hungry in Horizon Europe. If relevant for you, please contact the RGP EU Desk, for further guidance.

Associated Countries (AC):
Third countries (i.e. not EU Member States) which are party to an International agreement with the EU. Legal entities from these countries can participate in Horizon Europe under equivalent conditions as legal entities from MS, unless specific limitations or conditions are laid down in the work programme and/or call/topic text:
Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada*, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand**, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and UK***.

*Canada - only in Pillar II 'Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness', including the Institutionalised European partnerships.
** New-Zealand - only in Pillar II 'Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness', including the Institutionalised European partnerships.
*** UK- with the only exception of the EIC Fund (part of the EIC Accelerator)

Morocco and Switzerland – while association process is in progress, transitional agreement is in place to enable its participation in the programme:

• Morocco - entire programme
• Switzerland – for ERC Advanced 2024 call and ERC Starting, Consolidator and Synergy 2025 calls. Grant Agreements can only be signed with successful applicants if the association agreement with Switzerland applies at that time.

South Korea - Association expected in 2nd half of 2024 for participation in Pillar II 'Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness' only from 2025.

Other Third Countries:

• Most Horizon Europe calls are open to scientists and innovators worldwide. Partners from other third countries can participate together with institutions from MS and ACs, unless specific limitations are detailed in the specific Work Programme and/or call topic.
• Not all participants from other third countries are automatically eligible for funding and Horizon Europe distinguishes between low to middle income countries who are automatically eligible for funding and other countries.
• Participants who are not eligible for EU funding, must participate as ‘Associated Partners’, i.e., without EU funding.
• Switzerland is currently not associated to Horizon Europe and Swiss organisations can participate in the majority of the calls for proposals for collaborative projects as an Associated partner.

For full information see the List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe document.

Specific restrictions for 2023-24 calls:

• Organisations established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government-controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in any capacity, even when they are not specifically subject to EU sanctions.
• Organisations based in China are not eligible to participate in Horizon Europe ‘Innovation Actions’ in any capacity.

Updated July 2024

Financial Info

COST MODEL

Under the Horizon Europe framework program the EU contribution for non-profit legal entities is 100% of the eligible costs. Consequently, all costs related to a specific project including salaries of permanent personnel can be reported. For more information or questions about the eligibility of costs please contact your Departmental Administrator and/or EU Projects Team (Headed by Sima Cohen) at the Finance Division.

APPROVED OVERHEAD BY FOUNDATION

Indirect eligible costs will be determined by applying a 25% flat rate to the total direct eligible costs excluding subcontracting and internally invoiced goods and services.

SALARIES, TOSEFET MEHKAR AND EFFORT REPORTING

Salaries and wages: Salary costs of permanent workers including the PI can be declared.

Tosefet Mehkar Aleph allowance: The cost model under which Horizon Europe grants are awarded allows for the partial reimbursement of all salaries based on actual monthly effort reports (see EFFORT REPORTING below). Please note that further to VATAT regulations, if Tosefet Mehkar Aleph is not requested on a grant from an agency whose guidelines allow for the partial reimbursement of the PI salary, you will NOT be eligible to receive Tosefet Mehkar Bet on grants from this agency.

RGP Comment: Each PI of a Horizon Europe grant must have a distinct intellectual contribution to the project. Thus, in all cases, all PIs should be listed at the same hierarchical level and to the same degree of detail in the proposal section describing the consortium partners. In case of doubt regarding how one should be listed in the proposal in order to qualify as a PI on the project once it has been approved, please contact the EU Desk.

Effort reporting: Eligible personnel costs shall cover only the actual hours worked by the persons directly carrying out work under the action. Time records of the number of hours declared must be kept and approved by the persons working on the action and their supervisors. In the absence of reliable time records of the hours worked on the action, alternative evidence supporting the number of hours declared may be accepted, if it is considered to offer an adequate level of assurance.

SUBCONTRACTING

For advice on the inclusion of subcontracting costs in the project budget, please contact the EU Projects Team (Headed by Sima Cohen) at the Finance Division.

Intellectual Property

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) AND CONSORTIUM AGREEMENTS

Please read an important message from the VP for Technology Transfer to Scientists:

"According to the regulations of the EU, a consortium agreement has to be signed prior to the project kick-off. The consortium agreement enables us to ask for royalties and reach commercial terms on know-how developed during the project, as well as on pre-existing relevant know-how. Exploiting these advantages requires negotiation of commercial terms by Yeda in a short time frame. The "default" consortium agreement gives partners free access to any previous IP of the Weizmann Institute (even if created by other scientists) that is needed for the execution of the program. Thus, under some circumstances (e.g. IP that has already been commercialized), we shall not be able to join a consortium unless the agreement can be amended accordingly.

If you have any background IP (Patents or know how) that are subject to potential commercialization (this applies amongst other to any IP with Yeda.) that are crucial for the carrying out of your project please contact Adv. Aaron Jaffe at Yeda's legal department (Aaron.Jaffe@weizmann.ac.il, tel. 4094) as soon as you have the initial information on such a project. Feel free to contact Aaron in incidences that prolonged negotiation may jeopardize your chance to join the project."

Consultancy Services

Advice and Recommendations