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Note:
1. ‘Sole participants’ formed by several legal entities (e.g. European Research Infrastructure
Consortia, European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation, central purchasing bodies) are
eligible if the above-mentioned minimum conditions are satisfied by the legal entities forming
together the sole participant.
2. The eligibility conditions applying to Marie Skłodowska–Curie (MSC) actions are set out
under the MSC part and the eligibility conditions applying to the SME instrument under the
part 'Towards the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation: European
Innovation Council (EIC) pilot' of this Work Programme.
3. The eligibility conditions of European Research Council (ERC) actions are part of a
separate work programme (see the ERC Work Programme on the Participant Portal).
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D.
Types of action: specific provisions and funding rates
13,14
Research and innovation actions (RIA)
Description: Action 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 on a small-scale prototype in a laboratory
or simulated environment.
Projects may contain closely connected but limited demonstration or pilot activities aiming to
show technical feasibility in a near to operational environment.
Funding rate: 100%
Innovation actions (IA)
Description: Action 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.
A ‘demonstration or pilot’ aims to validate the technical and economic viability of a new or
improved technology, product, process, service or solution in an operational (or near to
operational) environment, whether industrial or otherwise, involving where appropriate a
larger scale prototype or demonstrator.
A ‘market replication’ aims to support the first application/deployment in the market of an
innovation that has already been demonstrated but not yet applied/deployed in the market due
to market failures/barriers to uptake. 'Market replication' does not cover multiple applications
in the market of an innovation
15
that has already been applied successfully once in the market.
‘First’ means new at least to Europe or new at least to the application sector in question.
Often
such projects involve a validation of technical and economic performance at system level in
real life operating conditions provided by the market
.
Projects may include limited research and development activities.
Funding rate: 70% (except
for non-profit legal entities, where a rate of 100% applies)
13
Eligible costs for all types of action are in accordance with the Financial Regulation No 966/2012 and the
Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation Regulation No 1290/2013. In addition, as training researchers on
gender issues serves the policy objectives of Horizon 2020 and is necessary for the implementation of R&I
actions, applicants may include in their proposal such activity and the following corresponding estimated
costs that may be eligible for EU funding:
(a)
Costs of delivering the training (personnel costs if the trainers are employees of the beneficiary or
subcontracting if the training is outsourced);
(b)
Accessory direct costs such as travel and subsistence costs, if the training is delivered outside the
beneficiary's premises;
(c)
Remuneration costs for the researchers attending the training, in proportion to the actual hours spent
on the training (as personnel costs).
14
Participants may ask for a lower rate.
15
A new or improved technology, product, design, process, service or solution.
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Coordination and support actions (CSA)
Description: Actions consisting primarily of accompanying measures such as standardisation,
dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking, coordination or support
services, policy dialogues and mutual learning exercises and studies, including design studies
for new infrastructure and may also include complementary activities of strategic planning,
networking and coordination between programmes in different countries.
Funding rate: 100%
ERA-NET Cofund actions
Description: ERA-NET Cofund actions under Horizon 2020 are designed to support public-
public partnerships, including joint programming initiatives between Member States, in their
preparation, establishment of networking structures, design, implementation and coordination
of joint activities as well as EU topping-up of a trans-national call for proposals. It is based on
the merger of the former ERA-NET and ERA-NET Plus actions and is implemented by using
‘programme co-fund actions’. It allows for programme collaboration in any part of the entire
research-innovation cycle.
ERA-NET Cofund actions aim at promoting the coordination of national programmes by
pooling national resources and contributing to the alignment of national research and
innovation policies.
The main and compulsory activity of ERA-NET Cofund actions under Horizon 2020 is the
implementation of the co-funded joint call for proposals that leads to the funding of trans-
national research and/or innovation projects. The call is normally based on a call for proposals
resulting in grants to third parties. In addition to the co-funded call, the consortia are usually
requested to implement other joint activities (including other joint calls without EU co-
funding).
ERA-NET Cofund actions may also, depending on the research area and the underlying
national programmes and their governing principles, target governmental research
organisations. The co-funded call for proposals will in these cases be based on in-kind
contributions from their institutional funding and the beneficiaries carry out the transnational
projects resulting from their call for proposals fully or partially themselves. The in-kind
contributions are the resources allocated as direct expenditure in the selected trans-national
projects that are not reimbursed by the EU contribution. ERA-NET Cofund actions based on
in-kind contributions do not include other joint activities.
The participation of programme managers including governmental research organisations has
to be mandated by the national/regional authorities in charge (normally the responsible
Ministry).
The minimum conditions for participation have to be fulfilled by the entities participating in
the joint trans-national call for proposals.
Only in addition to the minimum conditions, and if justified by the nature of the action,
programmes funded by other entities (international programmes, foundations or other non-
public programmes) may participate.