Last round of calls in Horizon 2020 programme!

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation funding programme, bringing together grant initiatives focused on excellent science, industrial leadership and societal challenges. Its runtime is from 2014-2020. The final version of the Work Programme for the calls opening in 2020 will be published this July.

Horizon 2020 – last round for applications

The current calls are the last chance to participate in Horizon 2020. And although budget and programme discussions are well on their way, it is not yet clear when Horizon Europe, the successor of Horizon 2020, will exactly start. Therefore now is a great moment to still be able to profit from the Horizon 2020 grants. Most deadlines of the last round will be in 2020. However, some of the calls (e.g. in the health programme) are two-stage, and the deadline for the first stage is already on September 24, 2019.

Tips for a successful proposal

Collaboration within Horizon 2020 calls

Many calls within the pillars Societal Challenges and Industrial Leadership ask for an international public-private consortium. The success rate of proposals in these calls is low, therefore it is crucial to take several measures that increase your chances of success. Even if you are a veteran in applying for European grants, our experience is that applicants often forget to keep some essentials in mind.

Some tips that help you take your application to the next level!

• Start in time! For a typical public-private consortium, take at least 6 months to prepare the consortium and another 3 to write the proposal.
• To perfectly fit with the call of your interest, the first step is to assess if the call actually fits your project. Carefully read the call text and make sure your project idea perfectly matches the call text.
• Read the requirements and make sure that your proposal and consortium meets them. E.g. a minimum number of parties that have to form the consortium, or a minimum number of countries in which the participants are based. If the call asks for collaborating with SME’s in Canada, make sure you actually do this.
• Find partners by thinking about what the EC would like to see in a consortium fitting with this call. Ensure you bring together the top parties in their respective field, that together form a collaborative group focused on achieving the goals as described in the call and only on these goals. Get commitment from them, i.e. don’t let the partners distract themselves from these goals, and ensure they stay in the consortium. When adding them to the consortium, ensure that also their goals fit with what the call asks for.
• Before you start writing the proposal, organise a live meeting with all prospective consortium members. Ensure to get everyone on the same page and write down the objectives the consortium wants to achieve and that meet the call text.
• Don’t underestimate the project management! You need a project manager that steers the writing process and keeps track of internal deadlines as well as the final deadline for submission. After being granted, a project manager keeps track of the budget, milestones and deliverables and reporting. This is essential in keeping the grant and bringing the project to success.

Horizon 2020 and Innovation

Horizon 2020 is one of the measures the European Commission takes to deepen the innovation capability of Europe. The success of Horizon 2020 is becoming visible in the European innovation scoreboards that were recently published. This year, the EU has surpassed the USA in innovation performance. However, compared to Japan and South Korea, the EU still has some steps to take.

Need help with your application?

Would you like to know more about the last calls within Horizon 2020? Our experts can help you find the right call for your project. In addition, we offer support in forming a consortium and the project management of a European grant project.

Contact us for more information
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