Deadline: 23-Nov-21
European Commission is seeking applications for its National Contact Points in the Field of Security and Cyber security.
Scope
- National Contact Points (NCPs) are support structures that have become an essential component in the implementation of successive Framework Programmes.
- They provide information and on-the ground advice to potential applicants and beneficiaries, through the project life cycle, in their own language, in a manner that would be impossible for the European Commission and its Agencies acting alone.
- The NCPs are the main structure for providing practical information and assistance to potential participants.
- They are ambassadors for Horizon Europe, perceived as true and impartial partners of the European Commission Services and its Agencies.
- The system of NCPs will be established, operated and financed under the responsibility of the Member States and Associated Countries.
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 all of the following expected outcomes:
- Improved and professionalised NCP service of knowledge, experience and skills, consistent across Europe, thereby helping simplify access to Horizon Europe calls, lowering the entry barriers for newcomers, and raising the average quality of proposals submitted;
- Harmonised and improved trans-national cooperation between NCPs, paying particular attention to the engagement of NCPs from associated partners, eventually not directly involved in the consortium, with the aim of ensuring the same level of information and quality to all National Contact Points, inside and outside the network;
- Periodic and timely evidence-based policy feedback in support to EU-funded security research programming enabled by a seamless integration of the national, regional and local dimensions of security Research and Innovation into the EU picture;
- A systematic assessment of the needs of the various stakeholders involved in security and Cybersecurity research projects and programmes with respect to identified learning opportunities through harmonised support mechanisms;
- Collaboration with other Member States’ organisations providing support to Horizon Europe applicants in the domain of Cluster “Civil Security for Society”, for example the future National Coordination Centres created through the proposed Cybersecurity Competence Centre and Network Regulation;
- A more reliable measurement of the impact of security research and innovation built, inter alia, on a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the participation in the different Programme calls and a better awareness of the innovation-uptake success stories stemming from the participation of national players in EU-funded security research projects;
- Collaboration, including NCPs in third countries, through specific NCP networking projects in the different Horizon Europe programme areas to address and advise the respective communities better and more specifically.
- Increased cooperation of NCPs with the Enterprise Europe Network.
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
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3e5xZUP