For the first time this Twinning call adopts a partially directional approach allowing proposals in line with the European Green Deal objectives to have a specific budget. Hence, applicants will have the choice to submit their proposals under either:

Topic A: The (usual) Twinning Bottom-Up (HORIZON-WIDERA 2023-ACCESS 02-01) or,

Topic B: The Twinning Green Deal (HORIZON-WIDERA 2023-ACCESS 02-02).

Applicants should choose the topic (Topic A: Bottom-up or Topic B: Green Deal) to which they are submitting their proposal and cannot submit to both topics. Both topics will retain the same objectives, scope and expected impact.

Topic B: The Twinning Green Deal

As regards the Twinning Green Deal, climate change is the biggest challenge and the European Green Deal considers it is an opportunity to build a new economic model. The European Green Deal set the blueprint for this transformational change. All 27 EU Member States committed to turning the EU into the first climate neutral continent by 2050. To get there, they pledged to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. This will create new opportunities for innovation and investment and jobs. It includes research and innovation actions related among others, to transport, industry, energy, buildings’ ecological efficiency, nature and health protection, boosting global climate action.

The Twinning Green Deal will therefore focus on a defined area of research / innovation directly linked to at least one of the actions listed in the European Green Deal strategy, notably:

• Climate research;
• Green technologies;
• Renewable energy;
• Sustainable mobility;
• Biodiversity research;
• Sustainable use of natural resources (land, water, air).

To prevent further disparities, maximize investment in Research and Development and enhance economic growth, Horizon Europe is taking relevant actions under Widening participation and spreading excellence objective. Twinning actions are one of the main instruments of this objective.

Twinning aims to enhance networking activities between the research institutions of the Widening countries acting as co-ordinators and top-class leading counterparts at European Union level by linking it with at least two research institutions from two different Member States or Associated Countries. Therefore, building on the huge potential of networking for excellence through knowledge transfer and exchange of best practice between research institutions and partners. Twinning actions intend to help raise the research profile of the institution from the Widening country as well as the research profile of its staff including a special focus on strengthening the research management and administrative skills of the coordination institution from the Widening country.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Improved excellence capacity and resources in Widening countries enabling to close the still apparent research and innovation gap within the European Union;
• Enhanced strategic networking activities between the research institutions of the Widening countries and at least two internationally leading counterparts at European Union level;
• Raised reputation, research profile and attractiveness of the coordinating institution from the Widening country and the research profile of its staff;
• Strengthened research management capacities and administrative skills of the staff working in institutions from the Widening country.

Improved creativity supported by development of new approaches in Research and Innovation collaboration, increased mobility (inwards and outwards) of qualified scientists.

Twinning proposals should clearly outline the scientific strategy for stepping up and stimulating scientific excellence and innovation capacity in a defined area of research and innovation as well as the scientific quality of the partners involved in the twinning exercise. This scientific strategy should include arrangements for formulating new (or ongoing) joint research / innovation project(s) in the scientific area of choice and describe how Twinning will take this research to a new stage, by enlarging its scope and/or the research / innovation partnerships.

Such a strategy should include a comprehensive set of activities to be supported. These should include at least a number of the following: short-term staff exchanges; expert visits and short term on-site or virtual training; workshops; conference attendance; organisation of joint summer school type activities; dissemination and outreach activities. As far as appropriate these activities should take into account the gender equality plans of the participants.

Proposals should also focus on strengthening the research management and administration skills of the coordinating institution from the Widening country. This should take the form of a dedicated work package or task, placing emphasis to specific activities, in view of helping the staff of the coordinating institution to improve their proposal preparation and project management/administration skills. If not yet in place, setting up/upgrading a research management/administration unit within the coordinating institution would be beneficial. This will be achieved by fully utilising the experience and best practices of the internationally leading partners and is expected to be a concrete deliverable of the Twinning exercise.

A research / innovation component not exceeding 30% of the total Horizon Europe grant may include a research / innovation project. At least 50% of the budget for the research / innovation component must be allocated to the coordinator. This will open opportunities for integrating smaller research / innovation activities and by this strengthening the commitment and the engagement of the twinning partners. The research part of the project should be presented through a dedicated work package and plan including the scientific objectives, tasks and roles of the partners.

The Twinning proposals should illustrate quantitatively and qualitatively the expected potential impact of the twinning exercise within the coordinating institution (and possibly at regional/national level) based on indicators such as expected future publications in peer reviewed journals, collaboration agreements with businesses, intellectual property, new innovative products or services, number of international students, number of women scientists and their roles in the research institutions.

It should be explained how the leading scientific institutions in the partnership will contribute in terms of provision of access to new research avenues, creativity and the development of new approaches, as well as acting as a source for increased mobility (inwards and outwards) of qualified scientists and young researchers including doctoral candidates. The benefits for the leading scientific institutions and the way they would materialise through the partnership should be substantiated.

Specific attention should be paid to gender equality objectives, in line with the organisations’ commitments through their adopted gender equality plans, and in line with European Research Area objectives, as far as appropriate. The presence of a gender equality plan is an eligibility criterion.

The duration of the Twinning project should be up to 3 years.