Teaming for Excellence

Call Updates

Dec 13, 2022 3:40:15 PM

EVALUATION results - HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-two-stage (Stage 2)

Published: 16/06/2021

Deadline: 08/09/2022

Available budget: EUR 180 million

The results of the evaluation are as follows:

Number of proposals submitted: 31

Number of inadmissible proposals: 0

Number of ineligible proposals: 0

Number of above-threshold proposals: 27

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: EUR 394,436,506.50

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

For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.

Sep 15, 2022 2:41:35 PM

PROPOSAL NUMBERS

Call HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-01-two-stage – Teaming Stage 2 has closed on the 08/09/2022.

• 31 proposals have been submitted.        

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in December 2022. 

Feb 10, 2022 5:40:34 PM

GENERALISED FEEDBACK AFTER STAGE 1 

In order to best ensure equal treatment, successful stage 1 applicants do not receive the evaluation summary reports (ESRs) for their proposals, but this generalised feedback with information and tips for preparing the full proposal. 

Information & tips 

Main shortcomings found in the stage 1 evaluation: 

• The credibility of the approach to ensure access to complementary funding is not demonstrated in several proposals. In particular, the precise commitment and share of contributions from potential funding sources is not shown. This is especially relevant in the case of national funding to support projects. 
• Synergies with relevant national, regional and/or European strategies and policies are not fully demonstrated in a number of proposals. How these synergies contribute to the projects’ expected outcomes and impacts is also unclear in some cases.
• The effectiveness of the approach to ensure the autonomy of the CoE is not demonstrated in several proposals. This is especially clear when considering the long-term self-sustainability of some of the projects.
• Some of the proposals do not provide sufficient detail on how to attract, recruit and retain the required human resources. In some cases, this gap is particularly evident when considering gender equality issues in human resources. How any potential reluctance of researchers to move to a low R&I performing country is addressed is also not fully explored in some instances. 
• The presentation of Open Science practices is too generic in several proposals. How they are integrated into the methodology of some of the work is also not clearly presented. In addition, the negative public perception of certain fields of science and technology, is not fully considered in some proposals.
• The range of barriers and challenges, both social and scientific, to how R&I excellence will be achieved are not sufficiently described in some proposals. Any approaches to overcome any barriers and challenges are also unclear.
• The impact of the proposed CoE on the institutional and national R&I systems is not fully considered in several proposals. More specifically, relevant local assessments and operational plans on how projects will be fully integrated, are insufficiently detailed.
• The key requirements and potential barriers are inadequately presented in several proposals. In parallel, the identification and effectiveness of relevant mitigation measures to address these barriers are inadequate. 

In your stage 2 proposal, you have a chance to address or clarify these issues. Please bear in mind that your full proposal will now be evaluated more in-depth and possibly by a new group of outside experts. Please make sure that your full proposal is consistent with your short outline proposal. It may NOT differ substantially. The project must stay the same.

Feb 9, 2022 6:20:30 PM

EVALUATION results

Published: 16/06/2021

Deadline: 05/10/2021

Available budget: EUR 180 million

In accordance with General Annex F of the Work Programme, the evaluation of the first-stage proposals was made looking only at the criteria ‘Excellence’ and ‘Impact’. The threshold for both criteria was 4. The overall threshold (applying to the sum of the two individual scores) was set for the call at a level that allowed the total requested budget of proposals admitted to stage 2 be as close as possible to 3 times the available budget (and not below 2.5 times the budget):

• HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-01-two-stage Teaming for Excellence (Stage 1): 8.5 points

The results of the evaluation are as follows:

Number of proposals submitted: 116

Number of inadmissible proposals: 1

Number of ineligible proposals: 0

Number of above-threshold proposals: 32

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: EUR 455,560,860.00

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

For questions, please contact the https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation_en

Jan 5, 2022 5:34:36 PM

PROPOSAL NUMBERS

Call HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-01-two-stage (Stage 1) has closed on the 5th of October 2021.

• 116 proposals have been submitted.

Evaluation results of this Stage 1 call are expected to be communicated by February 2022.

Aug 18, 2021 10:17:30 AM

The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-01-two-stage(HORIZON-CSA)

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 5, 2021 5:12:30 PM

The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-01-two-stage(HORIZON-CSA)

Teaming for Excellence

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-01-two-stage

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Call: Teaming for Excellence (HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ACCESS-01-two-stage)
Type of action: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model: two-stage
Planned opening date: 29 June 2021
Deadline dates: 05 October 2021 17:00:00 Brussels time
08 September 2022 17:00:00 Brussels time

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

Disparities in R&I performance are due to, among other reasons, the insufficient critical mass of science and lack of centres of excellence having sufficient competence to engage countries and regions strategically in a path of innovative growth. Teaming is responding to this challenge establishing new centers of excellence or modernising existing ones with the help of leading European partnering institutions. This will help countries to increase their R&I intensity and to attain a competitive position in the European R&I system and globally, especially by becoming drivers of change.

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

• Increased scientific capabilities of the beneficiary institution and the host country enabling them to successfully apply for competitive funding in the EU and globally,
• Improved the R&I culture of the country hosting the co-ordinator (indicators such as research intensity, innovation performance, values towards R&I) through centers of excellence as lighthouses and role models,
• Stimulus for institutional and systemic reforms and R&I investments at national level taking into account the enabling conditions on governance of smart specialisation introduced under cohesion policy programmes as far as applicable,
• Strengthened and mutually benefitting collaboration with partners from leading scientific institutions from abroad,
• Development and promotion of new research strands in relevant domains,
• Developed and enhanced research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies,
• Contribution to the achievement of the specific objectives of the supporting national/regional/EU programme as complementary funding,
• Enhanced innovation and integration of planned processes, services and products of the centre,
• Enhanced co-operation and synergies with other EU projects.

Scope:

Teaming is one of the actions that stimulates Europe exploiting its potential by maximising and spreading the benefits of research and innovation. It is vital for Europe's competitiveness and its ability to address societal challenges.

The Teaming action is designed to support the creation of new centres of excellence or upgrading the existing ones in low R&I performing countries, building on partnerships between leading scientific institutions in Europe and the main beneficiary institutions in low R&I performing countries that display the willingness to engage together for this purpose. This can help countries that are lagging behind in terms of research and innovation performance attaining a competitive position in the global value chains. Leading scientific institutions are advanced and established partners that have developed an outstanding reputation in research and innovation excellence in the chosen scientific domain. Institutions that are still in the process of development or modernisation, e.g. those that are still receiving support as coordinators from widening actions under Horizon 2020, are normally not considered leading institutions, unless a proper justification is provided for in the proposal.

In order to maximise impact of research and innovation on society, environment and economy at large and to contribute in particular to the achievement of the Union’s objectives, Union funding must be coherent and work in synergy. This notion is highly relevant for Teaming action, where a complementary funding from a national (or regional or European or private source) is required. The implementation of Teaming action is expected to become an influential and meaningful bridge particularly between smart specialisation strategies and excellence in R&I with the aim of strengthening the European Research Area and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Whatever the source of the required complementary funding, a Teaming project, as a notable flagship in its host country, exemplifies not only the achievements in R&I, capacity building or competitiveness, but also sets and facilitates synergies in practise.

The evaluation of the complementary funding part may use additional criteria required by, where relevant, the Cohesion Policy programmes and/or legislation. The managers of the complementary funding should apply to the operations the categories, maximum amounts and methods of calculation of eligible costs established under Horizon Europe. In addition, they should be able to apply Art.25 (d) of the revised General Block Exemption Regulation.

Proposals may be evaluated by an additional panel of experts with specific knowledge on complementary funding sources.

In the first stage of evaluation the R&I excellence and the conceptual approach for the Centers of Excellence will be evaluated. Applicants have to present a strategic vision on how to develop R&I excellence beyond the state of the art in the chosen domain and on how the co-ordinator will benefit from the partnership with a leading institution from abroad. In addition, the conceptual approach should outline how the access to complementary funding from other sources will be ensured, in the respect of national, regional and/or European strategies or policy priorities (e.g. notably smart specialisation strategies, Green Deal, Digital transformation). Proposals also should sketch out briefly how the autonomy of the envisaged center will be ensured and the necessary human resources recruited and retained.

Proposals invited to the second stage must include an investment plan for the full project including a binding commitment for the necessary complementary funding.

At a detailed level the full proposal should:

• Present a strategy for how the centre will develop excellence in the chosen relevant R&I domain that will put it at the competitive edge beyond the state of the art enabling future success in competitive calls,
• Demonstrate the growth potential and expected socio-economic outreach of the Centre of Excellence for the benefit of the host country or region,
• Demonstrate how the project will contribute to encouraging and supporting reforms of the R&I system at regional and or/national level,
• Elaborate on the structure of the consortium and how this will create a win-win situation,
• Demonstrate how the newly established/upgraded Centre will have full autonomy in decision-making. In particular, the Centre of Excellence should have the maximum degree of autonomy in terms of taking its own decisions, being in legal, administrative, operational, personnel and academic matters. The Centre should be able to fix and pay competitive salaries for its personnel,
• Elaborate on the steps that will be taken to ensure long-term self-sustainability after the end of the Horizon Europe grant,
• Propose a robust human resource strategy that addresses gender equality (in line with the research institutions respective gender equality plans) and international component, ensuring appropriate management capacities for the effective and efficient running of the Centre of Excellence,
• In order to assure the autonomy of the Centre of Excellence (CoE), if relevant, the project might benefit of having the CoE coordinating the project within the duration of the Grant,
• Present an investment plan including the letter(s) of commitment for complementary funding from the competent national/regional authorities or private sources to commit financial resources (e.g. resources coming from programmes co-financed by the ERDF or other sources ) for implementing the future Centre, in particular regarding investment in infrastructure and equipment. The letter(s) of commitment for complementary funding of the project will be an integral part of the evaluation of the proposal,
• The grant awarded from the Horizon Europe budget should provide substantial support for the start-up and implementation phase of the future Centre of Excellence including the recruitment of the managerial, technical and scientific personnel. It should also cover expenses related to team members of the future Centre of Excellence (e.g. their salaries, recruitment costs[1], management costs, travel and subsistence costs),
• A minor research component can be accepted not exceeding 10% of the total Horizon Europe grant that may include a preparatory research project. Such small research project embedded in the Teaming action should be aligned with the objectives of the project and e.g. serve the purpose of developing and testing new methodologies and instruments and/or the integration of new scientific personnel. If preparatory research activity is planned to carry out, the outline of a respective work plan at an appropriate level of detail should be presented,
• The duration of the grant should be up to six years.

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.

[1]This can be considered under the category of ‘other direct costs’