Research infrastructure services advancing frontier knowledge
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-INFRA-2023-SERV-01-02
- Programme
- Research infrastructure services to support health research, accelerate the green and digital transformation, and advance frontier knowledge (2023)
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- December 6, 2022
- Deadline
- March 9, 2023
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €29,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €8,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €14,500,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 2
- Keywords
- Digital AgendaSocial sciences and humanitiesEOSC and FAIR dataenvironmentastronomybiodiversityastroparticleforestbiospherearts and humanities
Description
Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
- wider, simplified, and more efficient access to the best research infrastructures available to researchers to conduct curiosity-driven research, irrespective of location;
- breakthrough and leading-edge research enabled by advanced research infrastructure services made available to a wider user community;
- improved and harmonised RI services and broader use of RI resources across the EU and Associated Countries deriving from the exploitation of synergies and complementarities;
- a new generation of researchers trained to optimally exploit all the essential tools for their research;
- cross-disciplinary fertilisations and a wider sharing of information, knowledge and technologies across scientific fields fostered by closer interactions between researchers active in and around research infrastructures;
- better management, including implementing FAIR data principle, of the continuous flow of data collected or produced by research infrastructures.
This topic aims at providing trans-national access (on-site or remote) and/or virtual access to integrated and customised RI services for curiosity-driven research in wide scientific domains, offered by a wide range of complementary and interdisciplinary top level research infrastructures. Scientific domains are identified on the basis of a Multi-Annual Priority Setting (MAPS) exercise aiming at achieving a balanced coverage of scientific disciplines addressed under the INFRASERV destination as well as complementarities with Horizon 2020 ongoing grants offering access provision. Within identified domains, emerging areas of research can also be served. The MAPS follows the taxonomy used in the ESFRI Roadmap.
In 2023, the scientific domains called under this topic are:
- Biosphere: terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems, including forest;
- Astronomy and Astroparticle physics;
- Arts and Humanities.
An EU contribution between EUR 12.00 and 14.50 million for the first two domains and between EUR 8.00 and 10.00 million for the third domain, should allow the expected outcomes to be addressed appropriately.
Access also includes ad hoc users’ training and scientific and technical support. Training courses for using the infrastructures may also be supported. Training courses and ad hoc users’ training will prepare the new generations of researchers to properly exploit leading-edge RIs, and should provide them with appropriate skills for data stewardship.
Activities to facilitate and integrate the access procedures, to further develop the remote or virtual provision of services and to improve, customise and harmonise the services the infrastructures will also be supported.
While the main goal of this topic is access provision to existing services, limited development of new services, relevant to specific scientific challenges in the identified domains, can also be supported, including joint/cross-RI services, provided that the resulting services are opened and offered already under the actions (short term R&D) and that the long term sustainability of such services is ensured by the participant RIs. The long term R&D for new instrumentation, tools, methods and advanced digital solutions will continue to be supported under destination INFRATECH.
Proposals should adhere to the guidelines and principles of the European Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures[1].
Data management (and related ethics issues), interoperability, as well as the connection of digital services (e.g. data services) to the European Open Science Cloud, should be addressed where relevant.
Proposals should duly take into account major European or international initiatives relevant in the domain. Whenever appropriate, they should foster the use and deployment of (open) global standards.
Proposals should make available to researchers a very wide and comprehensive portfolio of complementary research infrastructure services, including data services, which are relevant for frontier research in the domain. To this extent, they should involve, as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, third parties, or external providers of purchased services, the necessary interdisciplinary set of research infrastructures of European interest[2] that provide such services. The inclusiveness of the portfolio of services offered by the proposal will be taken into account in the Excellence score. Proposals including only few of the research infrastructure services relevant to the scope will be scored lower.
Access could also be open, under certain conditions, to third countries’ researchers to work on global scientific challenges. Research infrastructures from third countries[3] may be involved when appropriate, in particular when they offer complementary or more advanced services than those available in the EU and Associated Countries.
Proposals should include an outreach and engagement plan to actively advertise their services to the research communities in the specific domains.
Proposals are expected to exploit synergies and to ensure complementarity and coherence with other EU grants supporting access provision.
Proposals should include the list of services/installations[4] opened by research infrastructures for trans-national or virtual access and the amounts of units of access made available for users. Further conditions and requirements relating to access provisions that applicants should fulfil when drafting a proposal are given in the “Specific features for Research Infrastructures” section of this work programme part. Compliance with these provisions will be taken into account during evaluation. In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/research_and_innovation/2016_charterforaccessto-ris.pdf
[2] A research infrastructure is of European interest when is able to attract users from EU or associated countries other than the country where the infrastructure is located. This includes ESFRI and ERIC infrastructures.
[3] See the Eligibility conditions for this topic.
[4] “Installation” means a part or a service of a research infrastructure that can be used independently from the rest. A research infrastructure consists of one or more installations.
Destination & Scope
Inclusive access to the services provided by research infrastructures in the European Research Area is essential both for the quality of the research produced and for the training of researchers. Easy access to high-quality resources, based on clear conditions and with appropriate funding, is an important and attractive feature of the EU research and innovation system, allowing researchers to move within or from outside Europe to perform their research. An open landscape of RIs in Europe contributes to the circulation of skills and attraction of talents and promotes European cohesion.
The support under past Framework Programmes of trans-national and virtual access to RIs has opened to research communities across Europe state-of-the-art services and resources for their scientific activities. RIs are key players in the generation of knowledge and drivers of scientific excellence in Europe. In conjunction with the European Open Science Cloud and Technology Infrastructures, they are crucial enablers of research and innovation. The provision of services at EU level has been so far mainly organised per types of infrastructures or disciplines. The complexity and urgency of the socio-economic and environmental transition that Europe is facing requires interdisciplinary approaches and a new challenge-driven provision of customised services able to accelerate the pace of the research cycle and the delivery of solutions.
Actions under this destination will provide efficient and customised research infrastructure services to drive and enable the transition toward a sustainable Europe and a prosperous economy. RI services (e.g. access to unique scientific tools and facilities, samples provision, processing and analysis, data and modelling services) will be directed to support R&I addressing main challenges and EU priorities, including an effective and responsive health system and to accelerate the transition towards a green and digital future. Specific alignments and synergies with priorities in Pillar 2 will be developed and research infrastructure support will duly contribute to the identified missions and partnerships under Horizon Europe. At the same time, research infrastructures, which are key players in the generation of fundamental knowledge and drivers of scientific excellence in Europe, will also continue enabling the advancement of frontier knowledge in areas complementary to those addressed through a challenge-driven approach.
Actions under this destination are invited to facilitate a fast-track access for Ukrainian researchers from government controlled territories, through specific outreach activities, support in preparing applications to the access calls, selection priority at equal scientific merit, as well as extended ad-hoc training and duration of visits (beyond 3 months).
Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to several of the following impacts:
- Reinforced research infrastructures capacity to provide at scale and across the EU services to support excellent research to address societal challenges, and Horizon Europe missions and partnerships’ objectives;
- Enhanced and increased society’s long-term and consistent problem-solving capacity and evidence-based policy making in areas linked to health, and the green and digital transition, including a better understanding of socio-economic implications, through the provision of innovative, customised and efficient RI services;
- New discoveries and knowledge breakthroughs enabled by access provision to the best and in some cases unique state-of-the-art RIs;
- A new generation of researchers trained to optimally exploit all the essential and advanced tools for their research;
Cross-fertilisation and a wider sharing of knowledge and technologies across disciplines and between academia and industry and businesses.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes
As proposals need to give information on the research infrastructures providing access, the page limit of the application is 100 pages.
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 eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
The following additional eligibility criteria apply: given the specific nature of this topic, access provision activities must be included in the proposal. Please read carefully the provisions under the section “Specific features for Research Infrastructures” at the end of this work programme part before preparing your application.
Considering the Union’s interest to make accessible to its researchers the most advanced research infrastructures, wherever they are in the world, legal entities established in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom and USA, which provide, under the grant, access to their research infrastructures to researchers from Member States and Associated Countries, are exceptionally eligible for funding from the Union under this topic.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
5. Evaluation and award:
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Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes
The following additions to the general award criteria apply:
For the 'Excellence' criterion, in addition to its standard sub-criteria, the following aspects will also be taken into account:
- The extent to which the access activities (trans-national and/or virtual access) will offer access to the state-of-the-art infrastructures of European interest in the field, high quality services, and will enable users to conduct excellent research.
- The extent to which the project will contribute to facilitating and integrating the access procedures, to improve the services the infrastructures provide and to further develop their on-line services.
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Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual
To ensure a balanced portfolio covering as many scientific domains for service provision as possible, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but also to proposals that address a scientific domain not covered by a higher-ranked proposal, provided that the proposals attain all thresholds.
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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: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Eligible costs may take form of unit costs for trans-national and virtual access to research infrastructures as defined in the Decision authorising the use of unit costs for the actions involving trans-national and virtual access (see Annex 2 of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement).
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System: Application form (Part A and B)
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations RIA/IA
Calculator (HE RI TA) and Calculator (HE RI VA) unit cost calculators for Research Infrastructure actions (transnational and virtual)
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023-2024 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023-2024 – 3. Research Infrastructures
HE Main Work Programme 2023-2024 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
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
European Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures
Applicants are not required to include in their proposal a plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results as the main objective of these actions is the service provision.
Support & Resources
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