Horizon Europe (HE) is the EU’s flagship funding programme for research and innovation over the years 2021-2027. With a budget of €95.5 billion, it’s an attractive opportunity for leader organisations (both publics and privates) who need to support and foster innovation.
However, HE is quite complex to understand if you’re not familiar with it.
This is why, if you are a business company leader or researcher from a public organisation, having practical guidance to better understand this funding scheme in the view of submitting your future proposal might help.
This is precisely the goal of this post. Explain what HE is and, most importantly, the key steps you must follow to access and benefit of the programme.
HE is an excellent accelerator for driving breakthrough research, fostering innovation, and addressing challenges aligned with EU priorities established by the European Commission.
Before diving into the topic, you may want to know if you can apply for HE.
Even if the program includes Europe in its name, applications can come from non-EU countries, such as the UK (post-Brexit) or Canada and (for some dedicated programs) African nations, broadening collaboration and innovation opportunities. Moreover, other countries (Japan, South Korea, for instance) are currently exploring the possibiliy to be associated to the programme.
Now, let’s start by understanding the main structure of the documentation for your application.
The Structure: Part A vs. Part B of HE Applications.
There are three actions under the HE scheme.
The two most common actions are “Research And Innovation Actions” (RIAs) or Innovation Actions (IAs). The main differences between the two are the TRL (technological readiness level) of the proposed innovation. The general idea is that RIAs are more exploratory, while IAs focus on advancing technologies toward market readiness and commercialization. In this view, the funding rate support for the organisation taking part in the action is different, by favouring the RIAs for which the funding grant will cover the entire funding request.
Whether you apply for the first or the second, you must be familiar with the two key parts of your proposal: Part A and Part B.
Part A summarizes all administrative details of your application. This includes the identification of all consortium participants (see later), their legal information, the proposal budget details, and other aspects. Generally, the lead applicant—often a well-experienced organization—takes the responsibility for gathering and submitting this information on behalf of the entire consortium.
Part B, on the other hand, is the technical section of the proposal's submission package. This part is where you will outline the scientific excellence, the impact, and the implementation plan of your proposal.
These sections are vital because they provide evaluators with a coherent narrative ("storytelling" or "red wire") of how your project will address the requirements and challenges presented in the funding call.
Writing Part B (usually 45 pages) requires strong storytelling skills, ensuring your project meets technical and scientific criteria and demonstrates societal value and potential for innovation.
Now that you know what Part A and Part B are, let’s find out the essential steps to begin your journey with HE, starting from identifying the best topic for your proposal.
Identify the right topic for your proposal.
⏰ When: EU publishes regularly. Check the Funding & Tender portal (F&T) to make sure you don’t miss a funding opportunity: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/
HE publishes calls for proposals regularly, so keeping an eye on new opportunities is essential. The first step in preparing your application is identifying the topic call that aligns with your expertise and project idea.
The structure of HE is organized into thematic clusters, each aligned with a strategic EU policy goal. For example, cluster 1 is dedicated to health, with specific subcategories called destinations that address detailed research fields. Each destination has several funding calls , and selecting the right one requires understanding the strategic needs of the EU in that field.
👀 Horizon Europe > Cluster > Destination or Work programme > Specific Topic
In addition to the thematic clusters, HE includes specialized Joint Undertakings (JU or Partnerships), which combine public and private resources to accelerate the take-up of the most cutting-edge solutions in specific domains (e.g. hydrogen, digital, circular economy, etc.) .
If you are uncertain which call is best for you, National Contact Points (NCPs) are a great place to seek guidance. NCPs are your reference to address your questionning and solve your doubts.
Build a strong consortium.
⏰ When: (3 to 5 months before the submission)
After having identified a suitable funding call for your idea, the next step is forming a consortium: each partner must bring its own skills and expertise to cover the entire proposal value chain.
Most topics require three organizations from three different countries, all independent from each other. In any case, before applying, you must check the funding call eligibility conditions (they are in the F&T page of the published call) to be sure you are compliant with the settled rules.
If your organization becomes lead applicant you must be ready to provide commitment and leadership, and allocate dedicated experienced personnel (e.g. financial and administrative support) as you’ll be responsible for coordinating (many) partners to guarantee that anyone contributes to the proposal writing on time and with the highest quality. For these reasons, for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), joining an existing consortium as a partner is a more attractive opportunity, given the resources needed, and also considering the constraining financial requirements to become the lead applicant. However, SMEs can target the EIC programme (European Innovation Council), which is (fully) dedicated to this applicant typology.
Effective leadership in proposal writing is essential to avoid common pitfalls, making the role of lead applicants rewarding and challenging at the same time.
Fit-to-call exercise.
⏰ When: at least 2.5 - 3 months before the submission
Once a topic call is selected and the consortium starts shaping up, it’s time to evaluate if your project aligns with all the funding call requirements.
This is probably the most critical part of the process before going into the deep writing.
This is why you should carry out this evaluation at least 2.5 to 3 months before the submission deadline, allowing ample time to discuss all the scientific/ technical contributions you and your partners can bring, the main goal of your project, or even shift focus to another (better fitting) call if necessary.
Remember: your proposal should ideally respond to 100% of the requirements of the funding call to increase your chances of getting funded.
Evaluators are very sensitive to the coherence of your proposal ("storytelling") and how it responds to the general goal of the specific call and the policy goals set by the European Commission.
The "Fit-to-call exercise" is also where you may evaluate the necessity of enlarging your consortium if you spot gaps critical for your project’s success.
Don’t overlook this stage.
If done correctly, it can save you countless hours of writing, minimize your stress and the risk of conflict between partners, and ultimately grow your chances of success. This step is the key to be "on the right track", definitively.
Diving into the proposal writing.
⏰ When: Start ideally 10 weeks before the submission.
It’s now time to start writing.
But writing for a HE proposal is not the same as submitting a paper or write content promoting your company.
HE Part B has a precise and well-defined structure, and this explains why hiring external consultants can enhance the quality of your writing.
Among them, freelancers offer personalized support and high commitment, often reviewing your proposal to provide a critical approach to challenge your idea with the aim to facilitate its understanding even to a non-expert public.
The proposal writing starts with a kickoff meeting that all partners must attend to define a working timeline, the frequency of the meetings, the contribution required, and how the contributions to the proposal can be optmimally shared among all .
💡 Aim for at least one meeting every two weeks with all the partners and a weekly meeting among people who’ll be responsible for guiding the writing process (the so-called "core-writing team")
To help your consultants get up to speed fast, provide them with a "concept note", a short document of 1 or 2 pages explaining the main project goals, key contributions provided by the partners, and an initial definition of the work plan.
Then, it’s finally time to start writing.
The first two parts you must initiate are the project objectives and the work packages (WPs). WPs are the essential building blocks of your Implementation section (section 3) and describe "what, who and when" the tasks will be realized.
This is what distinguishes them from the Excellence part (Section 1), which focus on the "how".
The scientific rationale, the ambition, and the progress beyond the State Of The Art (SoA) is precisely the goal of the Excellence part (Section 1).
In the Excellence part you must elaborate a convincing scientific pathway to explain to the evaluator how your project will reach its objectives through a robust and convincing methodology illustrating all your know-how, expertise and background to be used as baseline., Moreover, other more transversal sub-sections such gender aspects, open science and data management shouldn’t be overlooked.
The proposal objectives, that are the core of your "storytelling" must be measurable and time-bound. A good framework to use here is the SMART objective framework.
👀 SMART is an acronym standing for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely.
This framework helps you demonstrate that you and your partners have a clear view and know how to achieve your project's goals.
An example of a SMART-goal statement might look like this: Our goal is to [quantifiable objective] by [timeframe or deadline]. [Key players or teams] will accomplish this goal by [what steps you’ll take to achieve the goal]. Accomplishing this goal will [result or benefit].
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Last but not less important is the Impact section (Section 2), which helps to understand how your project contributes and align to the European Commission's overarching scientific, societal, and economic goals.
HE marks a paradigm change in the EU funding scheme, shifting from an activity-driven to an impact-driven programme. This paradigm change translates at the work programme level and at the project level and marks the introduction of the Key Impact Pathways (KIPs).
KIPs are the logical steps toward the achievement of the expected impacts over time and beyond the initial project timeline. In a simplified nutshell for building them effectively, you must start from your project results and explain how they contribute to the medium- and long-term economic, societal, and scientific goals of the specific EU work programme.
💡 Expected Outcomes vs Expected Impacts
Outcomes are in the medium term. Explain how the project results should contribute to the outcomes, in particular by the communication measures dedicated to specific target groups (You also find the word dissemination and/or exploitation in the Horizon Europe jargon. This is beyond the goal of this article, but it may be discussed in the next one)
Impacts explain how your project contributes to long-term benefits for society (including the ****environment). Here, you refer to specific objectives of the work programme, and you must align with the priority of the European Commission, as they are described in their strategic plans.
It’s not uncommon for partners to focus on the Excellence and Implementation section of their proposals and overlook the Impact section. To avoid this mistake, it is important to have the support of experienced external consultants who can drive the discussion among partners to gather all relevant inputs and ensure they’re aligned with the European Commission’s expectations.
While listening to your partner's perspective is essential, a consultant can guide your consortium to find the best compromise and help you build a coherent narrative that will convince evaluators.
In a short sentence: the Impact section is the cornerstone of your proposal, making the (bilateral) bridge between the Excellence and the Implementation, and showing that your proposal can go beyond the duration of the funding.
Then, when you have finished the first draft (ideally, at least 10 days before the submission deadline), leave enough time to read, read again, and make the final adjustements.
Remember: a well-written proposal can make the difference between getting funded or not. Invest time now, to not regret it later.
How HE supports sustainable innovation.
With many programmes having their deadlines for submissions closing soon, the end of the year is a good time to start thinking about applications to next year programmes.
For healthcare you want to monitor initiatives such as those in cluster 1 and Innovative Health Initiative (IHI). Others can be EDCTP JU calls which support collaborations between European and African countries to manage emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance and more.
Book a call with me to discuss which programme could be more adapted for your innovation project!
Credits: written by Samuele Lisi with the contribution of Samy Strola
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