Consolidamento del panorama delle infrastrutture di ricerca: complementarità, sinergie e integrazione tra infrastrutture paneuropee

Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to several of the following expected outcomes:
- better structured, integrated and strengthened European research infrastructure landscape;
- solid concepts and/or comprehensive plans for the integrated research infrastructures, to support decision making at national and European level, leading to increased sustainability, operational and financial efficiency;
- increased synergies between research infrastructures;
- increased capacity to address EU policy priorities and/or support EU industry;
- reinforced global competitiveness and attractiveness of the European Research Area.
Scope:
This topic targets the consolidation and improved functioning of the EU RI landscape through the support to the development of complementarities, synergies and/or integration between a set (two or more) of ESFRI Landmarks and/or other European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) or, if duly justified, between one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC and other European research infrastructures of European interest[1].
Proposals could address either a tighter operational integration between infrastructures, or instead the feasibility and the planning of a merging between infrastructures, which could be targeted in future by a specific topic. The rationale and the potential benefits of the planned consolidation action should be clearly spelled out in the proposals.
When addressing an operational integration, projects will develop complementarities and/or synergies between infrastructures, at thematic and/or cross-disciplinary level, to optimise the functioning of the RI landscape. The development of complementarities (e.g. through service level agreements for the sharing of horizontal/common services/tools, including external ones) should lead to increased efficiency and prevent unnecessary duplications. Synergies should be exploited to address complex research challenges and EU priorities and should be implemented through cooperation mechanisms ensuring sustainable and long-term integration of services and resources (e.g. common horizontal services, joint scientific services). The needed joint staff skill development, including exchange programmes among the participating RIs, could also be supported.
When addressing a merging between infrastructures, proposals should provide evidence that the project will effectively involve the funders of the different infrastructures, develop the concept of the merged infrastructure in all its dimensions, including governance, legal form and operation, and define the operational steps and the financial forecast for the actual merging process. Where relevant, pilots for the integration of services and resources (e.g. common horizontal services, joint scientific services) as well as joint staff skill development, including exchange programmes will also be supported.
Proposals should explain any synergies and complementarities with previous or current EU grants notably under the research infrastructures part of the Horizon Europe work programme[2].
[1] A research infrastructure is of European interest when it is able to attract users from EU or associated countries other than the country where the infrastructure is located.
[2] Such as under topic HORIZON-INFRA-2023-DEV-01-04: Consolidation of the RI landscape – development of complementarities, synergies and/or integration between a set of pan- European research infrastructures https://cordis.europa.eu/programme/id/HORIZON_HORIZON-INFRA-2023-DEV-01-04/en

General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions
Due to the scope of this topic, proposals must include at least one of the ESFRI Landmarks[[See the list of ESFRI 'Landmarks' in the 2021 ESFRI Roadmap on https://roadmap2021.esfri.eu/ For ESFRI Landmarks that are not an ERIC or an international European research organisation, the beneficiary must be the legal entity hosting the infrastructure in the lead country (such legal entity is a minimum requirement to become an ESFRI Landmark).]] or European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs)[[European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) | European Commission (europa.eu)]] as beneficiaries. Such beneficiaries, and the research infrastructure(s) that they operate, must be explicitly identified in the proposal. For distributed ERIC the ERIC must be the beneficiary.

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].

described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions
described in the specific topic of the Work Programme

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard application form (HE CSA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)
Guidance
HE Programme Guide
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
HE MGA
Lump Sum MGA
Framework Partnership Agreement FPA
Call-specific instructions
Detailed budget table (HE LS)
Information on financial support to third parties (HE)
Information on clinical studies (HE)
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 3. Research Infrastructures
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement