Twinning

Call Updates

May 16, 2022 12:00:56 PM

EVALUATION results

Published: 20/07/2021

Deadline: 18/01/2022

Available budget: EUR 149 Millions

The results of the evaluation are as follows:

• Number of proposals submitted: 391
• Number of inadmissible proposals: 0
• Number of ineligible proposals: 2
• Number of above-threshold proposals: 285

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: EUR 406.989.740 

We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.

Sep 17, 2021 5:08:37 PM

Under the transitional provisions set in the General Annex to the Horizon Europe (HE) Work Programme, a new association agreement needs to be stipulated by each country. However, for the purpose of eligibility conditions, applicants established in Countries associated to H2020 are considered eligible for HE.

For the purpose of the eligibility conditions to this call, the list of Associated Countries eligible for hosting a Widening coordinator is :

1. Albania

2. Armenia

3. Bosnia and Herzegovina

4. Faroe Islands

5. Georgia

6. Iceland

7. Kosovo

8. Moldova

9.Montenegro

10.Morocco

11.North Macedonia

12.Serbia

13.Tunisia

14.Turkey

15.Ukraine

Jul 20, 2021 12:00:00 AM

The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03-01(HORIZON-CSA)

Twinning

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03-01

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Call: Twinning (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03)
Type of action: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model: single-stage
Planned opening date: 20 July 2021
Deadline date: 18 January 2022 17:00:00 Brussels time

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

To prevent further disparities, maximize investment in R&D and enhance economic growth, Horizon Europe is taking relevant actions under Widening participation and spreading excellence objective. Twinning actions are one of the main instruments of this objective.

Twinning aims to enhance networking activities between the research institutions of the Widening countries and top-class leading counterparts at EU level by linking it with at least two research institutions from two different Member States or Associated Countries. Therefore, building on the huge potential of networking for excellence through knowledge transfer and exchange of best practice between research institutions and partners. Twinning actions intend to help raise the research profile of the institution from the Widening country as well as the research profile of its staff including a special focus on strengthening the research management and administrative skills of the coordination institution from the Widening country.

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

• Improved excellence capacity and resources in Widening countries enabling to close the still apparent research and innovation gap within Europe.
• Enhanced strategic networking activities between the research institutions of the Widening countries and at least two internationally-leading counterparts at EU level.
• Raised reputation, research profile and attractiveness of the coordinating institution from the Widening country and the research profile of its staff.
• Strengthened research management capacities and administrative skills of the staff working in institutions from the Widening country.
• Improved creativity supported by development of new approaches in R&I collaboration, increased mobility (inwards and outwards) of qualified scientists.

Scope:

Twinning proposals should have to clearly outline the scientific strategy for stepping up and stimulating scientific excellence and innovation capacity in a defined area of research as well as the scientific quality of the partners involved in the twinning exercise. This scientific strategy should include arrangements for formulating new (or ongoing) joint research project(s) in the scientific area of choice and describe how Twinning will take this research to a new stage, by enlarging its scope and/or the research partnership. If relevant, any links with sustainable development objectives are to be outlined.

Such a strategy should include a comprehensive set of activities to be supported. These should include at least a number of the following: short-term staff exchanges; expert visits and short term on-site or virtual training; workshops; conference attendance; organisation of joint summer school type activities; dissemination and outreach activities. As far as appropriate these activities should take into account the gender equality plans of the participants.

Proposals should also focus on strengthening the research management and administration skills of the coordinating institution from the Widening country. This should take the form of a dedicated work package or task, placing emphasis to specific activities, in view of helping the staff of the coordinating institution to improve their proposal preparation and project management/administration skills. If not yet in place, setting up/upgrading a research management/administration unit within the coordinating institution would be beneficial. This will be achieved by fully utilising the experience and best practices of the internationally leading partners and is expected to be a concrete deliverable of the Twinning exercise.

A research component not exceeding 30% of the total Horizon Europe grant may include an exploratory research project. This will open opportunities for integrating smaller research activities and by this strengthening the commitment and the engagement of the twinning partners.

The Twinning proposals should illustrate quantitatively and qualitatively the expected potential impact of the twinning exercise within the coordinating institution (and possibly at regional/national level) based on indicators such as expected future publications in peer reviewed journals, collaboration agreements with businesses, intellectual property, new innovative products or services, number of international students, number of women scientists and their roles in the research institutions.

It should be explained how the leading scientific institutions in the partnership will contribute in terms of provision of access to new research avenues, creativity and the development of new approaches, as well as acting as a source for increased mobility (inwards and outwards) of qualified scientists and young researchers including doctoral candidates. The benefits for the leading scientific institutions and the way they would materialise through the partnership should be substantiated.

Specific attention should be paid to gender equality objectives, in line with the organisations’ commitments through their adopted gender equality plans, and in line with ERA objectives, as far as appropriate.

The research part of the project should be presented through a dedicated work package and plan including the scientific objectives, tasks and roles of the partners.

The duration of the Twinning project should be up to 3 years.