Who can apply for Horizon Europe funding?
Horizon Europe is the funding programme for research and innovation of the European Union. Any type of organisation from both the private and the public sector is eligible for funding, provided that it performs research or develops innovative products or services. To a lesser extent, Horizon Europe also funds coordination and support actions that concern topics such as dissemination or support to researchers.
How can I apply for Horizon Europe funding?
Horizon Europe funding is awarded based on calls for project proposals, which are published on the Funding and Tender’s Portal. The calls for proposals define the thematic areas for which funding is available and provide all criteria that need to be respected. They also include information on the total amount of budget available and the deadline for submitting a call. This deadline has to be respected to the minute – proposals that are submitted too late will not be taken into account.
Your National Contact Point (NCP) is available to help you identify calls for proposals that can be interesting for you, find project partners where needed, and advise on the submission and evaluation process.
What are the funding rates for Horizon Europe projects?
The funding rate corresponds to the proportion of approved project costs that is covered by European funds. In order to simplify the management of Horizon Europe projects, there is one single funding rate per project, with an exception concerning non-profit organisations participating in innovation projects. These are:
- Research projects: 100% for all types of participants
- Innovation projects: 100% funding rate for non-profit organisations – 70% for all other types of participants
- Coordination actions: 100% for all types of participants
- Indirect costs: flat rate of 25 %
How can I find partners for a Horizon Europe project?
We advise you to:
- Use your existing network
- Let your network know early on that you are interested
- Attend EU events
As NCP, it is also our role to help Luxembourg players find project partners through, for instance, various European networks, our privileged contacts with other NCP and our regular contacts with the European Commission.
What should I focus on to prepare a competitive project proposal?
A basic requirement is to read all the documentation of the call for proposals to understand its objectives and themes and to make sure that your project idea is in line with what the call aims to achieve. It is also crucial to keep the European point of view in mind and highlight that your proposed project:
- Will solve a problem
- Has European added value and impact
- Builds upon results from existing EU and national projects
- Represents excellence
- Achieves policy or economic impact
- Includes collaboration across disciplines and/or across the value-chain
It is also crucial to allow enough time for preparations before the submission deadline: ideally, you should start six months in advance. Finally, it is fundamental to respect all formal eligibility conditions (number of pages, etc.).
Your NCP is available to advise you further on all these points and help you increase the chances of success of your proposal.