Deadline: 23-Sep-21
The European Commission is calling for proposals for Protection of Higher Education Institutions and Research Organisations.
Horizon Europe has a new level of ambition – to maximise the impact of EU research and innovation funding for European science, economy and the wider society.
It marks a paradigm change in the design of the EU R&I Framework Programmes (FP) from an activity-driven to an impact-driven programme.
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the importance of R&I cooperation to deliver solutions to society’s most demanding needs. Delivering Europe’s recovery is a priority as are the green and digital twin transitions.
To match these challenges, a new level of ambition that links better R&I with the economy, as well as with education and training, is necessary to put the EU’s scientific knowledge to work.
The new ERA calls for deepening existing priorities and initiatives through new and stronger approaches. The green and digital transitions and the recovery call for cooperation between the Commission and the Member States.
They require the setting of new priorities, launching ambitious joint initiatives and developing common approaches between policies.
Scope
- The EU Higher Education Institutions and research organisations continue to face serious threats, such as to academic freedom, freedom of research and institutional autonomy, as well as increasing distrust in science and scientific experts, next to various forms of foreign interference.
- In addition, acute threats increasingly take non-conventional forms, such as cyber-attacks, infiltration or disinformation campaigns.
- These actions seek to access research findings, destabilise and endanger their higher education and research institutions and undermine their fundamental European values.
- To respond to these threats, the EU Higher Education Institutions and research organisations need to boost significantly their capacities in detecting and tackling these threats and they need to be well informed and geared with simple and effective tools ensuring security while respecting the openness of research and innovation.
- Given the very nature of the topic, continued exchange with member states and relevant stakeholders is necessary in order to expand the knowledge of conventional and non-conventional threats to Higher Education Institutions and research organisation, and develop appropriate actions.
- Proposals are expected to:
- analyse possible threats and identify mitigation measures;
- increase awareness of threats within higher education institutions and research organisations;
- promote networking and optimising of infrastructure and resources to ensure adequate preparedness and prevention at European level.
Funding Information
Grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000 except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
- Increase the awareness of Higher Education Institutions and research organisations to conventional and non-conventional threats
- Boost the capacities of Higher Education Institutions and research organisations to deter and respond to non-conventional threats
- Improve the resilience of Higher Education Institutions and research organisations
Eligibility Criteria
- Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
- A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
- To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe
- low- and middle-income countries
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