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School of Engineering

Horizon 2020

Horizon 2020 is the EU’s main funding programme for research and innovation and will run from 2014 to 2020. The H2020 programme is divided into three pillars – Excellent Science, Industrial Technologies and Societal Challenges. Each pillar has a range of funding schemes embedded within.

Draft Work Programmes 2016-2017:

Updated on 22nd September 2015

H2020

Index



Pillar 1 – Excellent Science

European Research Council (ERC)

The ERC provides funding for excellent researchers at different stages of their careers. Please see the see the Early Career Fellowships page or Mid-Advanced Career Fellowships page for further details of the ERC schemes.

Marie Curie Schemes (MSCA)

The MSCA schemes fund mobility, training and career development in academia, industry and other non-academic sectors through individual mobility grants and projects.

For further details, see the Marie Curie Funding pages.

Future Emerging Technologies (FET)

FET calls are a funding mechanism for collaborative ‘high risk’ research under three different streams:

  • FET Open: This scheme supports early-stage joint science and technology research around new ideas for radically new future technologies. It aims to explore a wide range of new technological possibilities, inspired by cutting-edge science, unconventional collaborations or new research and innovation practices.
  • FET Proactive: This scheme nurtures emerging themes and communities by addressing a number of promising exploratory research themes with the potential to generate a critical mass of inter-related projects that, together, make up a broad and multifaceted exploration of the themes and build a European pool of knowledge and excellence. The themes currently supported under this scheme are: Global Systems Science, Knowing doing and being, Quantum Simulation and High Performance Computing (see Work Programme below for full details of each theme)
  • FET Flagships: FET Flagships support ambitious large-scale, science-driven research aimed at grand interdisciplinary S&T challenges. Such activities require and will benefit from the alignment of European and national agendas, and provide a strong and broad basis for future technological innovation and economic application in a variety of areas, as well as novel benefits for society. There are two existing FET Flagships, the Graphene Flagship and the Human Brain Project.

Eligibility: Generally consortiums must consist of at least three separate legal entities based in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Award Duration: There are no formal limits on project duration imposed under Horizon 2020. Generally, a small or medium-scale Collaborative Project would usually last 2-4 years, and larger projects could run for 3-5 years.
Funding Available: Funding is based on the reimbursement of actual direct costs incurred for a project. Academic institutions are generally eligible for a reimbursement rate of 100% of direct costs. A flat-rate indirect cost calculation of 25% on actual direct costs is applied. Eligible costs include personnel costs, travel, consumables, management costs and dissemination.


Research Infrastructures

This scheme includes funding for e-infrastructures and access to infrastructures for researchers.

Pillar 2 – Industrial Leadership

Two of the schemes available in this pillar are primarily targeted at industry (Access to Risk Finance and Innovation in SMEs) and therefore are not discussed in more detail in this section.

Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies (LEIT)

Under this scheme, funding is available for Key Enabling Technologies (KETs), including ICT, Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing and for research and innovation in the area of Space. Overall, this is probably the most industry and innovation focussed part of Horizon 2020 with many opportunities for applied research. Usually, a minimum of three legal entities from three EU Member States are required to participate in these projects.

Eligibility: Generally consortiums must consist of at least three separate legal entities based in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Award Duration: There are no formal limits on project duration imposed under Horizon 2020. Generally, a small or medium-scale collaborative project would usually last 2-4 years, and larger projects could run for 3-5 years.
Funding Available: Funding is based on the reimbursement of actual direct costs incurred for a project. Academic institutions are generally eligible for a reimbursement rate of 100% of direct costs. A flat-rate indirect cost calculation of 25% on actual direct costs is applied. Eligible costs include personnel costs, travel, consumables, management costs and dissemination.

Pillar 3 – Societal Challenges

Funding under this pillar is predominantly for collaborative projects, following a more top-down approach with two-year work programmes of defined, challenge-based topics. Usually, a minimum of three legal entities from three EU Member States participate in these projects. Given that the overall aim of this pillar is to tackle Societal Challenges, most projects will require a broader approach in terms of disciplines and might require the inclusion of different stakeholders.

Eligibility: Generally consortiums must consist of at least three separate legal entities based in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Award Duration: There are no formal limits on project duration imposed under Horizon 2020. Generally, a small or medium-scale collaborative project would usually last 2-4 years, and larger projects could run for 3-5 years.
Funding Available: Funding is based on the reimbursement of actual direct costs incurred for a project. Academic institutions are generally eligible for a reimbursement rate of 100% of direct costs. A flat-rate indirect cost calculation of 25% on actual direct costs is applied. Eligible costs include personnel costs, travel, consumables, management costs and dissemination.

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