Horizon Europe
EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation
Horizon Europe is the EU's main research funding programme (2021-2027, €95.5B). Includes Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). Most require multi-country consortia.
Evaluation Criteria
- 1Excellence: clarity and pertinence of objectives, soundness of methodology
- 2Impact: credibility of pathways to impact, scale and significance
- 3Implementation: quality of work plan, quality and complementarity of consortium
- 4Thresholds: 4/5 per criterion, 10/15 overall
Proposal Structure
- •Part A: Administrative forms, consortium details, budget tables
- •Part B1: Excellence — state of the art, objectives, methodology, interdisciplinarity
- •Part B2: Impact — expected outcomes, dissemination, exploitation, communication
- •Part B3: Implementation — work packages, deliverables, milestones, consortium management, risk
Common Mistakes
- ×Unbalanced consortium: wrong partners, missing expertise, or too many partners
- ×Weak impact section — vague exploitation plans
- ×Not addressing EU policy priorities in the topic description
- ×Budget inconsistencies between work packages and justification
- ×Missing gender dimension in research content
Success Tips
- ✓Read the topic description word-by-word — every sentence counts
- ✓Build the consortium AROUND the topic requirements, not vice versa
- ✓Include industry partners for innovation actions
- ✓Budget in the "sweet spot" — not too far from the indicative budget
- ✓Address Open Science, gender, and ethics proactively
Frequently Asked Questions
+What is the difference between RIA, IA, and CSA in Horizon Europe?
Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) fund basic and applied research (100% costs funded). Innovation Actions (IA) fund demonstration and deployment (70% for for-profit partners, 100% for non-profits). Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) fund networking, coordination, and policy support activities.
+How many partners does a Horizon Europe consortium need?
The minimum is 3 legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries. Typical consortia range from 6 to 15 partners depending on the topic; overly large consortia are often penalised for lack of coherence.
+What is the typical Horizon Europe project budget?
RIA/IA budgets usually range from €2M to €8M, with some flagship topics exceeding €20M. The call topic always specifies an indicative budget — proposals far outside that range are rarely competitive.
+How long does Horizon Europe evaluation take?
Evaluation typically takes 5 months from submission to evaluation results, with grant agreement preparation adding another 3–5 months. Total time from deadline to project start is usually 8–10 months.
+Do I need industry partners for Horizon Europe?
Industry partners are required for Innovation Actions and strongly recommended for most Pillar 2 cluster topics. For ERC grants and MSCA, no industry partners are needed. Check the topic description carefully for specific participation requirements.
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