Applications are done via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. We guide you through the multitude of opportunities in EU funding instruments, inform you in good time about expected calls and support the application process. If you are interested in applying for a Collaborative Research Project, please contact us at an early stage.
To maximize impact, flexibility and synergies, research and innovation activities under Pilar II are organized in six clusters (see figure ‘Structure Horizon Europe’), which individually and together promote interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, cross-policy, cross-border, and international cooperation.
In addition, there are five EU Missions, Initiatives like the New European Bauhaus and European Partnerships. The Missions are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges. They have ambitious goals and will deliver concrete results by 2030. European Partnerships bring the European Commission and private and/or public partners together to address some of Europe’s most pressing challenges through concerted research and innovation initiatives. The rules of participation may differ depending on the Partnership.
Collaborative research projects need at least 3 partners from 3 different European Member States or Associated Countries. Typical sizes are between 7 and 15 partners from universities, research institutions, companies and NGOs. One partner takes over the coordination of the consortium. The sizes of the projects are indicated in the work programmes and range typically between EUR 3 million and EUR 15 million, of which a partner receives between EUR 200,000 and EUR 2.5 million. The average value in the past was EUR 600,000. Duration of collaborative research projects is usually between 2 and 4 years. The funding rate for universities is usually 100% of the requested EU contribution, which includes an overhead of 25% of the requested direct costs.
Calls for proposals in Pillar II are published in the two-year work programmes. Initiatives like the New European Bauhaus and most European Partnerships Calls are included in the work programmes of Clusters 1 to 6 and Missions. Some European Partnerships have their own work programmes. The EU Funding & Tenders Portal offers corresponding search options.
Calls for proposals are made throughout the year. They are published about four months before the deadline in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The deadlines are also indicated in the work programmes. So are topic descriptions and the number of projects that will be funded per call. The Funding & Tenders Portal is also used for submission.
The two-year work programmes are central documents for the planning of an application. Drafts of forthcoming work programmes are available from a certain point in time and can be requested from us.
National Contact Points (NCP) provide advice on whether a research topic fits a call for proposals. Their thematic focus corresponds to the programme parts of Horizon Europe.
We offer guidance and support in the search for suitable calls for proposals/topics (clusters, missions, initiatives and partnerships). We assist you in your search for topics in the portal and provide you with general information about the programmes and help to answer specific questions.
We organize information events on the structure of Horizon Europe and on how to use the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Our services also include a monthly newsletter EU INFO to keep you updated on forthcoming calls, information events and important news regarding EU funding. To receive EU INFO you have to subscribe via this Link.
In addition, we offer you the opportunity to participate in the Crowdhelix platform. It is a partner and opportunities search tool based on the structure of Horizon Europe. Register with your corporate e-mail and enjoy their services, including events, personalized round tables and more.
We also encourage you to collaborate with the TU Darmstadt strategic partners. In case of participating with Unite!, note the following links Unite! Notice Board and Unite! Seed Fund.
Submission is done by you via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal where all relevant documents (proposal templates, guiding documents, work programmes) are provided. The needed PIC number of TU Darmstadt is 999986581.
We offer assistance with initial steps in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, if necessary. To provide a better service, we always encourage you to include euforyou@tu-darmstadt.de as a Participant Contact on the proposal in the Portal.
We recommend consulting the work programmes and looking for interesting upcoming Calls for proposals that lay way ahead in order to have time to form a strong consortium that includes the most suitable partners for each field of expertise required. For work programmes that have not yet been published on the official channels, please contact us. We might be able to share some information or drafts.
For a partner search outside your personal network, we offer advice and encourage the use of the Crowdhelix tool.
We can put you in touch with successful applicants and refer you to the NCS’s services and KoWi, to check if your project idea fits to the call. If you are the coordinator, the also offer specific services such as proofreading (for German coordinators).
During the proposal preparation we provide administrative support and guidance. For cross-cutting issues we can give you the input or name of the appropriate contact person at TU Darmstadt, for instance regarding Data Management, Open Acces and Ethics. Also for an insight on the free-of-charge dissemination and exploitation services and tools from the EU follow the previous link.
We can offer information on the structure of the proposal and evaluation criteria. The expected impacts are included in the description of the destination and the expected outcomes in the topic description. Both, excellence and impact are major evaluation criteria.
When it comes to budget planning, please contact us to ensure that both EU and the University guidelines are being followed. We can also provide you with a template to facilitate the calculations.
There are three evaluation criteria: Excellence, Impact and Quality and efficiency of the implementation. For a proposal to be considered for funding it must pass both an individual and an overall threshold.
Calls for proposal can be evaluated in one or two stages. You will find this information in the Call description.
To pass the first check, please use the templates provided for the specific call and be sure to follow the instructions regarding form and content. It is important to address all aspects to reach the individual threshold in all criteria.
The evaluation panels are composed of experts from diverse backgrounds and various sectors. The EC selects from its poll of experts the candidates with the most suitable profile for each evaluation. You can become an expert and evaluate project proposals or provide assessment of a project’s progress, registering here.
Information to all applicants of the outcome of the evaluation of their application since the submission deadline is maximum 5 months.
The 'Widening participation and spreading excellence' part of Horizon Europe contributes to building research and innovation capacity for countries lagging behind, in line with the policy objectives of the European Research Area. This funding line includes opportunities in collaborative projects as well as talent development. Calls and conditions for participating can be found in the work programme.
We offer guidance and support in the search for suitable calls for proposals. For work programmes that have not yet been published on the official channels, please contact us. We might be able to share some information or drafts.
In case your proposal is approved for funding, you will enter the Grant Agreement Preparation process in the Funding & Tenders Portal. The Grant Agreement will include the proposal as an annex to be used as a reference for the progress of the project.
A funded project can start around 8 months after the submission deadline, on the first day of the month following the signature of the Grant Agreement.
The preparation of the consortium agreement takes place in parallel to this process and is led by the coordinator. The European Commission provides a model (DESCA) but is not involved in this process. It is negotiated internally between the organizations belonging to the consortium.
Regarding Open Access, the EC provides an open access publishing platform for scientific publications originating from Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe actions on a voluntary level. You can also consult the services TU Darmstadt offers on Open Access here.
For the digital research data management our colleagues of TUdata can offer you support on this matter and the use of the tool TUdmo to create your Data Management Plan (DMP).
In order to exploit the results of the projects the EC offers the Horizon Results Platform. To go beyond the Dissemination and Exploitation obligations, the EC also offers free consulting services through the Horizon Results Booster.
In addition to Horizon Europe, there are other EU programmes that promote research like the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), the EU Health Programme (EU4H), the Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE), Creative Europe and the Digital Europe Programme.
Note, that the funding conditions may differ from those in Horizon Europe and that funding rates can be less than 100%. The funding conditions and application requirements can be found in the work programs and guidelines for these programs provided in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
We can help you to find the information you may need to participate in these programmes.
