Horizon2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020). It is the financial instrument aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness.
By coupling research and innovation, Horizon 2020 is focused on: Excellent science, Industrial leadership and Tackling societal challenges. The goal is to ensure Europe produces world-class science, removes barriers to innovation and makes it easier for the public and private sectors to work together in delivering innovation.
Horizon 2020 is open to everyone, with a simple structure that reduces red tape and time so participants can focus on what is really important. This approach makes sure new projects get off the ground quickly – and achieve results faster.
More information at Horizon 2020 website http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en
H2020 project types:
Type of project (called action) is defined specifically for each call and is stated in the respective call description in the Work Programme. It is crucial to recognize which type of action is relevant to the call you are interested in, because each type has its specific conditions. There are several types of actions applied within the Horizon 2020 programme:
| Type of Action | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
Action supported by grants |
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Research and Innovation Actions (RIA)“Actions primarily consisting of activities aiming to establish new knowledge and/or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. For this purpose, they may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing and validation of a small scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment. Projects may contain limited demonstration or pilot activities to show technical feasibility.” |
Funding rate: 100% of eligible costs
Participation: Consortia of partners from different countries, industry and academia has include at least 3 legal entities established in Member State/Associated State |
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Innovation Actions (IA)“Actions primarily consisting of activities directly aiming at producing plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. For this purpose, they may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication. Projects may include limited research and development activities “ |
Funding rate: 70% of eligible costs (100% for non-profit organizations)
Participation: Consortia of partners from different countries, industry and academia has include at least 3 legal entities established in Member State/Associated State |
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Coordination and Support Actions (CSA)This type of grant does not fund research. It funds actions such as “standardization, dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking, coordination or support services, policy dialogues and mutual learning exercises and studies. This includes design studies for new infrastructures and may also include complementary activities of strategic planning, networking and coordination between programmes in different countries” |
Funding rate:100% of eligible costs
Participation: At least one single entity or consortia of partners from different countries, industry and academia. |
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SME InstrumentSME instrument is targeted at “all types of innovative SMEs showing a strong ambition to develop, grow and internationalise”. SME Instrument (Phase 1) funds a feasibility study to verify the viability of the concept. SME Instrument (Phase 2) funds demonstration, testing, prototyping, piloting, scaling-up, miniaturization, design and market replication. SME Instrument (Phase 3) facilitates access to public and private risk capital. |
Funding rate: Phase 1 – lump sum of 50.000 euro; Phase 2 – 70% (or 100% in exceptional cases) of eligible costs
Participation: Single SME or consortia of SMEs at least 1 established in Member State/Associated State |
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