FAQ

Only one topic, INFRADEV-2-2016, is restricted to projects in the ESFRI roadmap. Another topic of the same call, INFRADEV-3-2016-2017 is open only to ESFRI projects and other world class research infrastructure with in Europe, with established legal structure and international governance.

Indeed, the focus of this topic is mainly the development of new concepts. However, although research activities are possible, for developing the Research Infrastructure – RI concept, testing of the concept is not always necessary or possible. It mainly depends on the field (e.g. in ICT developing prototypes is much faster and simpler than in physics). Besides, the bulk of technological developments and testing for the RI components (instrumentation, technical solutions, etc.) should be carried out under INFRA-TECH rather than in INFRA-DEV Destination.

Projects funded under this topic cannot work in isolation and be unaware of other related ongoing initiatives. Projects under this topic are expected to cooperate and explore synergies with projects funded under topics related to open access publishing in the Work Programme Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area. The relevant topics are specified in the topic text. The proposal should indicate a credible mechanism through which this mutually beneficial exploration of complementarities should take place.

The topic seeks to support non-commercial open access publishing activities explicitly and this is what is meant by ‘for the public interest’. Exclusive publishing of databases is outside the scope of funding for this call, which is mainly directed to the publication of articles or long-text formats in scientific journals or platforms.

There is no threshold suggested in the Work Programme. However for efficiency and technical reasons it is advisable that the consortium partners do not overpass the number of 100 beneficiaries.

In the specific case of a Joint Research Centre (JRC) facility participating as access provider in a Research Infrastructure action (selected under a topic where the JRC participation – with zero funding – was allowed by a specific grant condition), the coordinator or one of the beneficiaries of the Grant Agreement receiving funding from the European Commission will be responsible for and bear the JRC additional costs linked to the JRC access provision activities, notably the travel and subsistence of users visiting JRC research infrastructures under transnational access as well as the consumables and external services needed to perform the users’ experiments. In the case of projects involving transnational access to the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment, the consumables and external services are related to the design, construction, safety measures, instrumentation, technical verification, demolition, disposal, etc. related to the specimens tested at the JRC.

If the page limit is specified in the topic specific conditions of the Research Infrastructures Work Programme, this limit prevails on the standard one, even when the application form provided in the proposal submission tool and/or the call page indicates the standard page limit. This is the case of the 2021 topics of the INFRASERV Destination where the page limit mentioned in the Standard Proposal Template for Research Infrastructures (45) is different from the one indicated in the specific conditions (100) of these topics. The latter shall be respected.

If the page limit is specified in the topic specific conditions of the Research Infrastructures Work Programme, this limit prevails on the standard one, even when the application form provided in the proposal submission tool and/or the call page indicates the standard page limit. This is the case of the 2021 topics of the INFRASERV Destination where the page limit mentioned in the Standard Proposal Template for Research Infrastructures (45) is different from the one indicated in the specific conditions (100) of these topics. The latter shall be respected.

The Excel sheets for TA (Transnational Access) and VA (Virtual Access) costs, even if attached to the Part B PDF, are NOT counted for the page limit as they are supporting documents not sections of Part B.

There are 3 ways to report trans-national and virtual access per installation:

1) using a unit cost calculated on the basis of historical access costs;

2) eligible costs actually and solely incurred for providing access to the selected user groups;

3) a combination of the two, if a part of the eligible access costs, e.g. the costs for the specific support to users, varies significantly between users.

With regard to the access costs calculation, unit cost for trans-national access is calculated based on the historical data of the last 2 closed financial years and it is the result of the division of the average annual total costs of providing access by the average total quantity of access annually provided. Unit cost for virtual access is calculated based on the historical data of the last closed financial year and it is the result of the division of the annual total costs of providing access by the total quantity of access provided annually. Actual costs are the costs actually incurred during the project for providing the measured and reported quantity of trans-national or virtual access. Therefore, the method of calculation is different between actual and unit costs and access costs. Contrary to H2020, in Horizon Europe, it is always mandatory to define a unit of access for virtual access too, even when the access costs are reported as actual costs. Thus virtual access, as well as trans-national access, must be measured so it can be reimbursed by the grant. The access costs reported on the basis of unit costs are declared in Annex 2a and Annex 2 under column D.3 and D.4 respectively and they include indirect costs, whereas the direct actual access costs are spread in the categories of personnel costs, other direct costs etc. Both categories include indirect costs. Finally, the calculation sheets for TA and VA provision can be annexed in PDF form in addition to the Part B (100 pages).

There is no limit. However, participants need to take into account that we are funding collaborative projects.

All countries are eligible to participate in the call topics. All countries are eligible to participate in the call topics and eligibility’s criteria are available within a list of countries are available at the Funding & Tenders portal. Before that, applicants could take into account the list of Annex A to Horizon 2020. Please note that in the second Research Infrastructures action, “Research infrastructure services for rapid research responses to COVID-19 and other infectious disease epidemics”, entities from developed countries usually not eligible for funding, can be eligible if they provide, under the grant, access to their research infrastructures to researchers from Member States and Associated Countries.

All Third countries are eligible to participate. Before that, applicants could take into account the list of Annex A to Horizon 2020. Please note that in the second Research Infrastructures action, “Research infrastructure services for rapid research responses to COVID-19 and other infectious disease epidemics”, developed countries usually not eligible for EU contribution, can be eligible if they play the role of access provider in the grant.

Please check the General Annexes, especially Annex B (Eligibility) of the work programme.

Applicants should describe the management structures in the Work Package table, under the Work Package that will include management activities. Please see on page 16 of 23 and page 17 of 23 in the RIA-IA application form template.

Entities established in China or USA are in principle eligible for participation but not for funding. As explained in the WP General Annex B, affiliated entities are allowed to participate, if they fulfil the eligibility conditions. Please note that in the second Research Infrastructures action, “Research infrastructure services for rapid research responses to COVID-19 and other infectious disease epidemics”, Chinese or USA entities can be eligible for funding if they provide, under the grant, access to their research infrastructures to researchers from Member States and Associated Countries.

A Chinese company is in principle allowed to be a subcontractor, provided that all conditions set out in Articles 6 and 9 of the Horizon Europe General Model Grant Agreement are met, including that the best value for money and no conflict of interest principles are complied with by beneficiaries when selecting a subcontractor.

Canadian entities are not automatically eligible for funding and can participate as associated partners. They can be funded only if their participation is deemed essential for carrying out the action and in this case they participate as beneficiaries, not associated partners. Please note that in the second Research Infrastructures action, “Research infrastructure services for rapid research responses to COVID-19 and other infectious disease epidemics”, Canadian entities can be eligible for funding if they provide, under the grant, access to their research infrastructures to researchers from Member States and Associated Countries.

In the two health topics and in the first Infrastructure topic (HORIZON-HLTH-2021-CORONA-01-01, HORIZON-HLTH-2021-CORONA-01-02, HORIZON-INFRA-2021-EMERGENCY-01), US organisations can be included as partners, however they are not automatically eligible for funding. They can be funded only if their participation is deemed essential for carrying out the action. In the second Research Infrastructures action, “Research infrastructure services for rapid research responses to COVID-19 and other infectious disease epidemics” (HORIZON-INFRA-2021-EMERGENCY-02), US organisations (and other more developed countries) are eligible for EU contribution if they play the role of access provider in the grant. This is because there is a clear EU interest in opening for access to EU researchers the most advanced research infrastructure services wherever they are in the world.

Argentina and Thailand are eligible for funding. Brazil is not eligible for funding. It can be funded only if the participation is deemed essential for carrying out the action. Please note that in the second Research Infrastructures action, “Research infrastructure services for rapid research responses to COVID-19 and other infectious disease epidemics”, Brazilian entities can be eligible for funding if they provide, under the grant, access to their research infrastructures to researchers from Member States and Associated Countries.