In the context of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s key funding programme for research and innovation (2021–2027), co-funding refers to a funding model where the European Commission provides financial support, but not the full amount, requiring the participating entities to...

Horizon Europe offers beneficiaries the option to utilize personnel unit costs, streamlining and minimizing errors in cost declaration for staff in projects. This entails establishing a single predetermined daily rate for personnel, applicable across all staff involved in the project....

Certificate on the Financial Statement (CFS) – Horizon Europe A Certificate on the Financial Statement (CFS) must be issued by a qualified auditor following the completion of an audit. The auditor is required to use the European Commission’s official template,...

Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe For certain programmes under Horizon Europe, the European Commission has introduced lump sum funding as an alternative to the traditional cost-reimbursement model. Instead of covering actual costs, the Commission provides beneficiaries with a fixed...

Audits are mandatory in Horizon Europe for entities that receive more than 430.000€ of grant from the EU. If successful, this audit delivers the entity a Certificate on the Financial Statement (CFS) required by the EU. The CFS audit is...

The Gender Equality Plan (GEP) in Horizon Europe is a mandatory document for public bodies, higher education establishments, and research organisations. Only organisations from EU Member States or Associated countries are subjected to this obligation. It is recommended for private-for-profit...

Yes, Norway is eligible for Horizon Europe. On the 24th of December 2021, it has signed the agreement with the European Union to become a third country associated to Horizon Europe. Therefore, legal entities from Norway can receive EU funding...

Each part of Horizon Europe proposals are evaluated in a different manner. Part A is going through an eligibility check and Part B is evaluated by European Commission (EC) external experts on specific criteria. Part A, which is made of...

In Horizon Europe, payments are done according to Article 22 of the Annotated Model Grant Agreement. Payments are made according to the amounts budgeted, reported and accepted. The payments of Horizon Europe projects are made by the European Commission to...

There are three type of countries that are eligible for the Horizon Europe programme: EU Member States, Third countries associated and other third countries. EU Members States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,...

In Horizon Europe, the page limit is 45 pages for Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) as well as Innovation Actions (IAs) in total. For Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), the page limit is set at 30 pages. When the proposal...

Yes, months with absences can be declared in Horizon Europe. More specifically, months with more than half of the time absent can be declared in time sheets. In Horizon 2020, in exclusive declarations, it is indeed not possible to declare...

Extra payments are eligible in Horizon Europe under certain circumstances. They have to be registered in the accounting of the beneficiary for the reporting period as a cost. In the case of a payment that has an accrual period greater...

The funding rate of Horizon Europe projects depends on the type of project and on the nature of the beneficiary. It can vary substantially depending on the call the entity or person is applying to. Below a summary of the...

To prepare correctly a budget of a Horizon Europe project, you should go through 5 important steps. 1. Review the call conditions and plan the work For each call, we need to check 3 elements: Financing conditions: this refers to...

The National Contact Points (NCPs) for Horizon Europe can found on the European Commission website. The network of National Contact Points is the main structure to provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe....

The MGA of Horizon Europe, MGA standing for Model Grant Agreement, is a guide aimed at assisting EU grant beneficiaries. It is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to replace the binding legal agreements themselves, nor professional...

Where to find Horizon Europe proposal templatesThe template documents for Horizon Europe proposals are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal under the Reference documents section. To access them: Each proposal type has its own specific application form. All available...

The reference documents for Horizon Europe such as the framework programme regulation, the work programmes and the call documents, the grant agreements and contracts, and templates and forms can be found on the Funding & Tenders Portal of the European...

Horizon Europe 9th framework programme of the European Union (EU) and is its main funding tool for research and innovation with a budget of 95.5€ billion spanning from 2021 to 2027. Through financing research and innovation projects, Horizon Europe tackles...

Yes, you can declare the cost of an SME owner in Horizon Europe if she/he does not receive a salary. For this you need to determine the days worked on the Horizon Europe project and the daily rate of the...

Sick leaves in Horizon Europe are eligible if they are an actual cost for your entity. According to the Annotated Model Grant Agreement, you may not include any part of the remuneration which has not been an actual cost for...

To justify personnel costs, it is mandatory to provide a time sheet for Horizon Europe projects. Hereby the template provided by the European Commission. The obligation to have time sheet in Horizon Europe is stated in Article 20 of the...

The EU flag is mandatory in Horizon Europe for all communication and dissemination activities, as well as on infrastructure, equipment, vehicles, supplies, or major results funded by the grant. The flag must be clearly visible alongside the text: “Funded by...

SME Definition in Horizon Europe The definition of a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) in Horizon Europe is provided by the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. This definition also applies to Horizon 2020. According to the EU...

Yes, under certain circumstances there is a possibility to pay employees more in Horizon Europe projects, it is called the project-based remuneration. For programmes with standard rules for supplementary payments: The personnel costs may also include supplementary payments for personnel...

A good exploitation plan in Horizon Europe has to be precise about the impact of the results of your project on science, industry, society and governments mostly after its end. Results are any tangible or intangible output of the project,...

A good communication plan in Horizon Europe makes the difference between an excellent proposal and a winning proposal. The quality of the proposals submitted in Horizon 2020 calls was very high keeping the success rate low (an average of 11%)...

One logo is necessary when communication in Horizon Europe: the EU flag. A small text “Funded by the European Union” is also necessary. This is stated in Art. 17 of the Annotated Model Grant Agreement of Horizon Europe. Every time...

The dissemination plan in Horizon Europe ensures scientific results created during the project are being published and disseminated among the research community. To do so, various means can be used and should be defined at the very beginning of the...

Budget deviation is not necessarily a problem in Horizon Europe. It depends on the size of the deviation. This budget deviation will be visible when doing the financial (intermediary or final) reporting. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is recommended to...

In Horizon Europe, whether a cost is eligible or ineligible depends on its nature and how it aligns with the programme’s financial rules. There are five main categories of eligible costs: A comprehensive list of eligible costs is provided in...

The structure of a Horizon Europe Grant Agreement is based on three main elements: the datasheet, the articles and the annexes. The datasheet is a summary of the specific data of the grant agreement, The articles are the core of...

The AMGA of Horizon Europe, AMGA standing for Annotated Model Grant Agreement, is a guide aimed at assisting EU grant beneficiaries. It is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to replace the binding legal agreements themselves, nor...

No, Switzerland is not eligible for Horizon Europe, as it has not signed the agreement with the European Union to become a third country associated to Horizon Europe. Therefore, legal entities from Switzerland cannot receive EU funding in Horizon Europe...

Yes, Israel is now eligible for Horizon Europe. On the 6th of December 2021, it has signed the agreement with the European Union to become a third country associated to Horizon Europe. Therefore, legal entities from Israel can receive EU...

The difference between other goods and services and equipment in a Horizon Europe project can be sometimes tricky. Here is how to well differentiate both. Other goods and services are consumables and supplies, promotion, dissemination, protection of results, translations, publications,...

No, the United Kingdom is not yet eligible for Horizon Europe, but this will be the case starting on the 1st of January 2025 according to the Joint Statement by the European Commission and the UK Government on the UK’s...

Invoicing Between Partners in Horizon Europe Projects In general, invoicing or charging between partners within a Horizon Europe project is not permitted. According to the Annotated Model Grant Agreement (AMGA), purchases or invoices issued between beneficiaries are typically considered ineligible...

No, subcontracting between partners is not allowed in Horizon Europe nor in Horizon 2020 projects. According to the Annotated Model Grant Agreement of Horizon Europe, subcontracting between beneficiaries is not allowed in the same grant. All beneficiaries contribute to and...

Subcontracting is a commercial agreement made between your entity and a third party for the realization of an entire defined task. Financial support to third parties is a non-commercial agreement between you and a third party is for a sub-grant...

When working on Horizon Europe projects, costs for external experts can be declared in different ways depending on the type of contract you establish with them. These experts are most often treated as “other goods, works and services”, but two...

Receipts in Horizon Europe means revenue. According to the Financial Regulation of the EU, receipts are limited to the Union grant and the revenue generated by the project. According to this regulation it is important to remember that non-profit organizations...

Project-based remuneration in Horizon Europe is inherited from Horizon 2020 known as additional remuneration. It is a usual remuneration practice of a beneficiary under which an employee receives supplementary payments for working in a Horizon Europe project. As an example,...

The Mutual Insurance Mechanism in Horizon Europe is replacing the Guarantee Fund in Horizon 2020 and it can vary between 5%-8%. Compared to the previous framework programme, the Mutual Insurance Mechanism in Horizon Europe is not always 5%. It is...

No evidence is required to justify the indirect costs in Horizon Europe. Indirect costs are calculated based at the 25% flat rate on the direct costs, but only categories A-D, except volunteers costs, subcontracting costs, financial support to third parties...

Yes, in general rewards are eligible under Horizon Europe. Rewards could fall under the category prizes D.1 Financial support to third parties. It is important to ensure objective and transparent selection procedures and include at least the eligibility and award...

You can claim the full purchase cost of an equipment in Horizon Europe, if the equipment is purchased specifically for the action (or developed as part of the action tasks) and if it fulfills the cost eligibility conditions applicable to...

Horizon Europe defines five main categories of eligible costs, as outlined in Article 6.2 of the General Model Grant Agreement (GMGA). Below is an overview of each category, including specific eligibility conditions. A. Personnel Costs Eligible personnel costs include: B....

Convert the hours worked into days in Horizon Europe when reporting personnel costs can be done in three different ways. Option 1: we convert the number of hours that the person must work per day according to its contract. Example:...

Certificate on the Financial Statements (CFS) in Horizon Europe In Horizon Europe, beneficiaries are required to provide a Certificate on the Financial Statements (CFS) when their total EU contribution exceeds €430,000. This threshold applies per beneficiary, not per project or...

Yes, in-kind contributions provided by third parties against payment or free of charge are eligible in Horizon Europe. In-kind contributions are good or services that a third party, meaning an entity that is not part of the consortium, is providing...

Yes, internal invoices are eligible in Horizon Europe. Officially known as internally invoiced goods and services, they correspond to the category D.2, according to article 6.2 of the General Model Grant Agreement (GMGA) of Horizon Europe. These are goods and...

Associated Partners in Horizon Europe 🔹 What Is an Associated Partner? An Associated Partner (AP) in Horizon Europe is a participant that contributes directly to the project by implementing tasks but does not receive EU funding. This role is similar...

An Affiliated Entity in Horizon Europe is a Linked Third Party under Horizon 2020. It is an entity that has a link with a beneficiary, in particular legal or capital link, which is neither limited to the project nor is...

The System and Process Audit (SPA) is an optional audit in Horizon Europe allowing the entity to go through less audits as it rises the threshold for a certificate on the financial statement (CFS) to 725.000€ instead of 430.000€. A...

Indirect Costs (Overheads) in Horizon Europe In Horizon Europe, indirect costs (overheads) are reimbursed using a flat-rate of 25% of eligible direct costs. This calculation applies to: There is no need to justify or provide supporting documents for indirect costs....

The missions of Horizon Europe are commitments to solve some of the greatest challenges facing our world like fighting cancer, adapting to climate change, protecting our oceans, living in greener cities and ensuring soil health and food.  They are an integral...

The Horizon Europe Work Programmes can be downloaded from the Funding and Tenders portal of the European Commission. This page includes reference documents of the programmes managed on the EU Funding & Tenders portal starting with legal documents and the...

The total budget of Horizon Europe is of 95.5 billion euros. It spans over 2021 until 2027 and includes 5.4 billion euros from Next Generation Europe (NGEU) programme, the EU programme for the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Below a...

No, a single individual cannot participate in Horizon Europe. Most EU funding programmes require that participants (including beneficiaries and affiliated entities) are legal entities such as public or private bodies, including international organisations. Therefore, a single individual cannot participate in...

Associated countries to Horizon Europe are countries that signed an agreement with the European Union. This allows legal entities from these associated countries to participate under equivalent conditions as legal entities from the EU Member States, unless specific limitations or...

How to calculate personnel costs in Horizon Europe is the most important change compared to Horizon 2020. This excel template with fictitious numbers might be of great help. First, you have to calculate the daily rate of the person working...

Yes, VAT is eligible in Horizon Europe, except when the beneficiary can deduct or refund the VAT (Value-Added Tax). According to article 6.3 of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement, VAT is eligible in a Horizon Europe project. Beneficiaries can...

Yes, in general, a consortium agreement is required for Horizon Europe projects. According to article 7 of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement, a consortium agreement is required for a Horizon Europe project. Below the details and references. References: AMGA...

No, in general the coordinator cannot subcontract the project management tasks in Horizon Europe. The coordinator has to make sure the project is implemented correctly and manage it effectively. Furthermore, it should act as an intermediary for all communications between...

There is no limit established to subcontracting costs in Horizon Europe. The General Model Grant Agreement (GMGA) does not fix any limit. However, it is generally recommended to keep subcontracting costs below 15% of the total project costs. Subcontracting may...

Subcontracting involves outsourcing an entire defined task, while other goods and services refer to the purchase of specific items or support services. If the contracted service directly contributes to completing a task, it falls under subcontracting. If it merely supports...