Summary of "Webinar: How to prepare a successful proposal in Horizon Europe (Morning session)"

Summary of the Webinar: How to Prepare a Successful Proposal in Horizon Europe (Morning Session)

Overview and Introduction

Peter, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s DG for Research and Innovation, welcomed over 20,000 participants globally.
The webinar aimed to provide guidance on proposal submission, evaluation, and contractual obligations under Horizon Europe.
The event was interactive, with questions collected via Slido and answered based on popularity.
Ana Panagopolo, Director of the Common Implementation Centre, gave introductory remarks emphasizing:
- Horizon Europe’s budget (~€90 billion) and ambition.
- Focus on major challenges: Green Deal, digital transformation, health, resilience, and recovery.
- The program’s simplification efforts in proposal submission and contractual obligations.
- The importance of synergies across EU programs.
- The digital nature of the program continues from Horizon 2020.
- The event was recorded and is available for later viewing.

Horizon Europe Program Structure and Submission Process

(Presented by Isabel Fergara and Benedict Charles)

Horizon Europe runs from 2021 to 2027 with a budget of €95.5 billion, about 30% larger than Horizon 2020.
The program is structured into three pillars:
1. Scientific Excellence (ERC, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, infrastructures)
2. Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness (6 clusters, collaborative projects requiring minimum 3 participants from different countries)
3. Innovation (European Innovation Council, ecosystems, and EIT)

Key Submission Process Updates

Admissibility:
- Proposals must be submitted electronically before the deadline.
- Proposals must be complete, readable, accessible, and include a plan for exploitation and dissemination.
- Page limits are reduced:
  - Research & Innovation and Innovation Actions: max 45 pages.
  - Coordination and Support Actions: 30 pages.
  - First stage proposals (two-stage calls): ~10 pages.
  - Specific calls may have different limits (e.g., EIC Pathfinder: 70 pages).
- Proposals exceeding page limits will be automatically truncated.
Eligibility:
- Collaborative projects (Pillar 2) require at least 3 independent legal entities from at least two member or associated states, including one from a member state.
- From 2022, at least two participants (public bodies, research organizations, higher education establishments) must have a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) (self-declared at submission).
- Eligible entities include EU member states, associated countries, low- and middle-income countries (automatic funding), and others only if essential.
- The UK is expected to become an associated country soon (except for EIC loan/equity instrument).
Types of Actions and Funding Rates:
- Continuity with Horizon 2020: Research & Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions, Coordination & Support Actions, Training & Mobility, Pre-commercial procurement, etc.
- Funding rates mostly unchanged (e.g., 100% for RIA, 70% for Innovation Actions except 100% for non-profits).
Proposal Template:
- Two parts: Part A (automatically generated data) and Part B (narrative, subject to page limits).
- New fields in Part A include:
  - Researchers Table (identity of researchers only, for monitoring career impact).
  - Self-declaration on Gender Equality Plan.
  - Ethics self-assessment moved from Part B to Part A.
  - Security questionnaire added for all proposals.
- Part B has the same structure as Horizon 2020 but with clearer guidance and glossary to help applicants focus on relevant content.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

The evaluation retains the three main criteria: Excellence, Impact, Quality and Efficiency of Implementation.
Changes in evaluation:
- Open Science practices now assessed under Excellence.
- Impact assessed through Key Impact Pathways linking project outcomes to broader societal, economic, and scientific impacts.
- Quality of applicants assessed individually and as a consortium (not just consortium overall).
- Management structure assessment removed because all proposals now have good structures.
Evaluation Phases:
1. Individual evaluation (minimum 3 experts per proposal).
2. Consensus phase (experts discuss to agree on scores/comments).
3. Panel phase (consistency check and ranking).
4. Final decision by European Commission or agency.
Pilots introduced:
- Right to React (Battle Process): Applicants receive individual expert comments anonymously and can respond before consensus.
- Blind Evaluation: First stage of two-stage calls will hide participant identities to reduce perceived biases.
Ethics review remains similar but focuses on complex and serious cases.
Security scrutiny questionnaire is now mandatory for all proposals.

Key Policy and Horizontal Considerations to Address in Proposals

(Presented by Benedict Charles)

Proposals must address, unless otherwise stated in the topic:

Open Science: Early sharing, FAIR data management plan, active engagement.
Gender Dimension: Integration of sex and gender analysis in research content (different from GEP or gender balance in teams).
Impact: Clear explanation of contribution to expected outcomes and impacts as per work program.
Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication Plan: Target groups, communication channels, IP management.
Do No Significant Harm Principle: Environmental objectives aligned with European Green Deal.
Artificial Intelligence: Due diligence on robustness and trustworthiness if AI is involved.

Guidance and future webinars will be provided on these topics. Applicants are encouraged to register as experts to gain insight into evaluation processes.

Q&A Highlights

Business Plan: Not required unless explicitly requested.
Non-research staff: Can be mentioned in narrative but only researchers’ identities are requested in the researchers table.
Management work package: Not mandatory but recommended for funded projects; not assessed during evaluation.
Open Science enforcement: Obligations on open access publications and FAIR data; sanctions possible for non-compliance.
Gender Equality Plan (GEP):
- Four mandatory process-related requirements:
  1. Formal document
  2. Resources
  3. Data monitoring
  4. Training
- Five recommended content areas:
  - Work-life balance
  - Leadership
  - Recruitment
  - Integration in R&I content
  - Anti-violence
- Eligibility criterion enforced from 2022 deadlines.
Key Impact Pathways: Projects must align with expected outcomes and impacts; detailed guidance forthcoming.
Ethics and Security: Ethics work package created if needed; security questionnaire mandatory.
Page limits: Reduced but with clearer guidance to focus on relevant content.
Researchers table: Only researchers’ identities needed for career tracking; other staff described narratively.
Blind evaluation: Only first stage of two-stage calls; identity hidden to reduce bias.
Funding rates and overheads: Similar to Horizon 2020; 25% overhead generally applies.
Consortium and eligibility: Natural persons can be legal entities; UK and Switzerland can coordinate consortia if associated.
Evaluation timeline: Target ~5 months from deadline to results; ~8 months to grant signature.
Dissemination during COVID-19: Plans should focus on future normality; existing disruptions handled case-by-case.
Patent and Open Science: Beneficiaries decide whether to publish or exploit commercially; patent filing counts as publication.
Info days: Cluster-specific info days planned for April-May 2021.

Speakers and Sources Featured

Peter – Head of Unit, European Commission DG for Research and Innovation (Moderator/Host)
Ana Panagopolo – Director, Common Implementation Centre, European Commission
Isabel Fergara – European Commission, expert on submission and evaluation process
Benedict Charles – European Commission, expert on policy considerations and proposal writing
Alia – Specialist on Open Science (briefly during Q&A)
Ulrich – Specialist on Security Scrutiny (briefly during Q&A)
Other unnamed colleagues from legal, audit, and gender equality units contributed or were referenced

Note: This summary captures the main ideas, instructions, and clarifications from the webinar’s morning session on preparing successful Horizon Europe proposals.