Assessing the state of research infrastructures in Ukraine

Topic updates

13 January 2025

EVALUATION results

Published: 13.06.2024

Deadline: 19.09.2024

Available budget: EUR 2 million

Budget per topic with separate ‘call-budget-split’:

HORIZON-INFRA-2024-DEV-02-01

The results of the evaluation are as follows:

Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls): 6

Number of inadmissible proposals: 0

Number of ineligible proposals: 0

Number of above-threshold proposals: 3

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: 5.95 million

Number of proposals retained for funding: 1

Number of proposals in the reserve list: 0

Score of the first proposal in the reserve list: N.A.

Ranking distribution of above-threshold proposals:

Number of proposals with scores between 15 and 14 (incl): 1

Number of proposals with scores between 14 and 13 (incl): 1

Number of proposals with scores between 13 and 10 (incl): 1

Assessing the state of research infrastructures in Ukraine

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-INFRA-2024-DEV-02-01

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)

Call: Consolidating and developing the landscape of European research infrastructures by supporting research infrastructure policy in Ukraine (2024) (HORIZON-INFRA-2024-DEV-02)

Type of action: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

Type of MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]

Status: Open for submission

Deadline model: single-stage

Opening Date: 13 June 2024

Deadline dates: 19 September 2024 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• roadmap identifying a clear path and plans for recovery and enhancement of the Ukrainian research infrastructure (RI) landscape, in line with the green and digital transition;
• sufficient information is available for guiding the EU reconstruction support for Ukrainian RIs;
• increased integration of Ukrainian RIs in the EU RI landscape;
• upscaled skills and knowledge of Ukrainian RI staff.

Scope:

This topic supports the assessment of the state of RIs in Ukraine, the identification of key needs and the development of an investment roadmap for RI reconstruction, closing the skills gap and facilitating well-connected R&I communities.

To this extent, proposals should address the following aspects:

• Assess the situation of RIs in Ukraine, including the damage to Ukrainian RI capacities caused by the war;
• Building on EU experience in research infrastructure roadmapping, in particular in the context of ESFRI, identify priorities for development, re-construction and or re-orientation of the RI capacity in Ukraine, including digital ones, taking into account political priorities such as the green and digital transition and resilience;
• Identify areas that would require the development of specific RI concept and design, in view of future integration into the European RI landscape;
• Involving RIs policy makers, RIs and RIs stakeholders in EU and Ukraine to develop the strategy for investment in short and long-term;
• Support training of Ukrainian RI staff, including through study visits and staff exchange with equivalent EU RIs as well as exchange of best practice activities.

Environmental (including climate-related) impacts as well as the optimisation of resource and energy use, and the appropriate exploitation of advanced digital technologies should be integrated in the road-mapping exercise.

In accordance with General Annex B of the General Annexes, legal entities established in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in any capacity.

Topic destination

Developing, consolidating and optimising the European research infrastructures landscape, maintaining global leadership (INFRADEV) (2023/24)

Over recent years, the European Commission, Member States (MS) and Associated Countries (AC) have been closely collaborating, in particular within the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), to develop an integrated and efficient ecosystem of research infrastructures (RIs) in Europe, which encompasses single-sited facilities, distributed facilities integrating resources across the European Research Area, as well as networks of national facilities and which serves researchers and engineers in all S&T fields, from basic to applied research. To facilitate integration and pooling of resources for the development of new capacities, a legal instrument has also been developed at European level, the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) that provides favourable conditions for the establishment and operation of large European infrastructures supported jointly by several MSs and ACs as well as by third countries. While Member States remain central in the development and financing of public RIs, the Union and ESFRI play a catalysing and leveraging role in driving the integration between national efforts.

The challenges for the near future are to consolidate and optimise the European Research Infrastructure landscape and enhance its capacity to support frontier research and address the emerging and new scientific and societal objectives associated with the transition towards a sustainable and resilient Europe. In addition, there is the need to define and implement an effective and sound RI strategy in Europe, in close cooperation with ESFRI, MSs and ACs, which is complemented by and interlocks with the long-term ambition of creating an integrated Technology Infrastructure (TI) landscape, the latter is supported in Pillar II of Horizon Europe Programme (HE). Such a strategy would also help in exploiting synergies between RI and TI financed from Horizon and massive investments in infrastructures from ERDF.

This destination aims to create a world-leading coherent, responsive, sustainable and attractive RI landscape in Europe, by reducing its fragmentation at European, national and regional level, ensuring coordination of efforts and fostering alignment of priorities among MSs and ACs, connecting RIs to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and which is able to support national and regional R&I ecosystems. The support to a European strategy for Research Infrastructures as well as activities to enhance the role of RIs for international cooperation and science diplomacy will also be covered under this destination.

Expected impact

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to one or several of the following impacts:

• Disruptive research and breakthrough science and innovation through cutting-edge, interconnected and sustainable Research Infrastructures;
• Strengthened scientific excellence and performance and efficiency of the European Research Area, increasing its attractiveness to researchers from all over the world;
• Coordinated research infrastructure capacity among countries and regions, also by exploiting possibilities given by the smart specialisation processes;
• Reinforced R&I capacities enabling systemic changes needed for a truly transformative societal and economic recovery and a strengthened resilience of critical sectors, as outlined in the Recovery Plan;
• Improved European response, in cooperation with international players, to emerging socio-economic and related scientific and technological challenges at global level.

General conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex Aand Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System

2. Eligible countries: described in Annex Bof the Work Programme General Annexes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

The following additional eligibility criteria apply: in order to achieve the expected objectives of the action, the application must include at least three legal entities as beneficiaries established in different Member States/Associated Countries, including at least one legal entity established in the government controlled territories of Ukraine.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes

5.Evaluation and award:

• Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex Dof the Work Programme General Annexes

• Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual

• Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). [1].

Specific conditions

7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]

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