Applying for EU-funding

• Read the call text carefully. Make sure that you understand the purpose of the specific EU-program that includes the chosen call. It helps you to write a competitive proposal.
• Watch these informative films published by the ERC, about how to write a good application.
• In general, the European Commission provides templates for all parts included in the proposal. Always use these templates. The templates can be downloaded once you have registered your application in the application portal Funding & Tender Opportunities.
• If you are going to apply for funds for a collaboration project (Pillar 2), please read the application template with comments and advice that has been developed by a European network that works with support for EU applications. There are lots of good tips and advice here.
• Make sure that your proposal matches with the evaluation criteria for the selected work program.
• Ask a colleague outside your research group to read your proposal. The evaluators are rarely experts in your particular research area, so it is important that your proposal is adapted to a wider target group.
• Check if any approval is needed from your head of department or another person in a managerial position before submitting the proposal.
• Before starting writing a research proposal in a Horizon Europe call, we recommended that you read the Program Guide and take help from the Online Manual. The Program Guide provides detailed instructions on the structure of the proposal, budget and other important information. Some calls also provide Information for applicants that you also are recommended to read.
• When applying, you need to enter your organization's Participant Identification Code (PIC number). Uppsala University’s PIC is 999985029.
• Verify the project budget with the financial officer at your department.

The European Commission holds about 30 programs, programs for which there is a diversity of regulations and rules. The research support unit at your faculty office can guide you among these programs and related regulations. Some of these programs are of extra interest for Uppsala University's researchers, especially the Horizon Europe framework program.

Horizon Europe calls are open for applicants from all over the world, but in order to achieve funding for project costs, the participating organization must be based either in an EU member state or in a so-called associated country. A third category of countries is the so-called third countries. Third countries can always participate in EU-projects, but can achieve funding from EU only in special cases, for example if their participation is stipulated in the call. EU projects are often, but far from always, international cooperation projects. For universities the funding rate in Horizon Europe projects is 100% for direct costs and 25% for indirect costs (overhead), with some exceptions.

All types of organizations in business, public sector, research institutes, universities, companies, industry and civil society can participate in projects funded by Horizon Europe. You can participate as coordinator if you want to lead the project or as a partner with specific tasks and varying participation in the project.

Horizon Europe has strict requirements for Open Access and sharing research data. Hence, funded Horizon Europe projects need to set up a Data Management Plan. These strict requirements also mean that protecting IP rights in the project is of great importance and you need to budget for IP cost in the project when IP rights are to be secured. In order to facilitate the work with IP rights, Uppsala University collaborates with Research Intellectual Property AB (RIPAB), a subsidiary of Uppsala University's holding company.

To be eligible for research funding from Horizon Europe, public organizations, research institutes and higher education institutions in EU member states and associated countries are obliged to have a gender equality plan, a gender equality plan where EU gender requirements are met.

Sex- and gender perspectives for EU funding

Uppsala University's Gender Mainstreaming Plan 2023-2025

In almost all EU projects, a project party that generates project results owns these, and that results generated together with another project party are owned by the parties jointly. As a project partner, the university has a responsibility towards both the Commission and other project partners for the utilization of its own results.

Utilization can take place through publication or continued academic use, but may also, depending on the conditions of the specific project, need to take the form of protecting and / or taking other commercial measures with the results. The university’s responsibility for exploitation inevitably means that there are limitations of the researcher's rights according to the professors’ privilege (lärarundantaget).

Uppsala University strives to return ownership of the results to researchers, but in doing so must ensure that all commitments that Uppsala University has taken on can be fulfilled by the individual researcher. For example, this may mean that the researcher must be able to finance patenting and must be prepared to sign any licensing agreements with other project partners.

To support its work with IP rights, Uppsala University collaborates with Research Intellectual Property AB (RIPAB), a subsidiary of Uppsala University's holding company, UU Invest. RIPAB can act as a 'parking space' for IP while commercialization opportunities are investigated. In some cases, RIPAB can bear patent costs as part of the work and may act as a legal entity for licensing agreements.

It is important to consider which funding rules will apply and whether the results from your EU project could have commercial potential, even if you yourself are not interested in participating in the commercialization work. When appropriate and possible, you should set aside funds for IP costs in your research budget.

For more information, please contact Innovation Partnership Office.

To enable time and financial possibilities to write your research proposal, you can apply for planning grants for selected calls. Uppsala University has planning grants for EU research applications, see below. There are also external funders that regularly advertise similar planning grants. Please contact Research Support unit at your faculty office if you want to know more about these external planning grants.

Humanities and Social Sciences

Application form for planning grants Humanities and Social Sciences (Swedish only) Word, 130 kB.

Medicine and Pharmacy

Application form for planning grants Medicine and Pharmacy (Swedish only) Pdf, 31 kB.

Science and Technology

Application form for planning grants Science and Technology Word, 40 kB.

Accession to Grant Agreement

When the Grant Agreement has been signed by the coordinator and the European Commission, all other partners in the project also need to approve this by signing the Accession to Grant Agreement. Uppsala University has an internal routine for funded EU-projects where an Internblankett also needs to be filled in and signed before Uppsala University signs the Accession to Grant Agreement.

Affiliated Entity, AE (Linked Third Party)

An affiliated entity can be connected to a beneficiary in a project, provided that there is a legal connection between the beneficiary and the affiliated entity not only in the project. An affiliated entity signs the Declaration of Honor, but not the Grant Agreement, Accession to Grant Agreement or Consortium Agreement. Besides that, an affiliated entity participates in the project on the same terms as a beneficiary.

Associated countries

Non-EU countries that have a connection to EU and thus still can achieve research funding

Associated partner

Associated partner is an organization from a third country. An associated partners can be part of a project, but achieve funding only is special cases, for example if their participation is stipulated in the call.

Beneficiary

A beneficiary is a receiver of funding in the project. A beneficiary can be both coordinator and participant.

Consortium Agreement

For projects that include a consortium, a consortium agreement also needs to be written and signed by all partners in the project. The consortium agreement regulates how results, background information, publication and IP rights, etc. are to be handled between the partners in the project and after the project has ended.

Coordinator contact

A coordinator contact is a contact person for the organization that coordinates the project. An organization can have several coordinator contacts, but only one person can be the primary coordinator contact and responsible for the research proposal and funded project.

Data Management Plan, DMP

A Data Management Plan describes how research data will be handled in the project. Data Management Plan is mandatory in Horizon Europe projects and ensures that the project complies with the FAIR principle, where FAIR stands for findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.

Declaration of Honour

All participating organizations in the project need to sign the Declaration of Honor. By signing, Uppsala University verifies that the organization is valid for the funded project.

EU-portalen Funding & Tenders opportunities

The web tool that handles EU project proposals and funded projects.

Funding & tenders (europa.eu)

Evaluation Summary Report, GAP invitation letter och Evaluation Summary Report

You will achieve an evaluation summary report, ESR, when the evaluation of the proposal is complete. The ESR describes the outcome and rating of the project proposal. If the project proposal has proceed to the next step, the project is invited with a Grant Agreement Preparation, GAP, i.e. invited to complete the Grant Agreement. In connection to this, an Evaluation Result Letter is also received, which describes requested changes – if any – in the budget and project description and a timetable for the Grant Agreement Preparation.

FSIGN (Financial Signatory) och PFSIGN (Project Financial Signatory)

FSIGN is a person who is authorized on behalf of its organization to sign financial reports in Horizon Europe projects. PFSIGN is FSIGN for the specific project.

Grant Agreement

Grant Agreement is an agreement for the project, signed by the project coordinator and the European Commission. In order to complete the Grant Agreement, all participants in the project need to provide the requested legal, financial and administrative information, in the web tool Funding & Tender Opportunities. In addition, a project description, budget and other details about the project are requested, for instance project start. In order for the Grant Agreement to be signed, all partners in the project need to sign Declarations of Honor, which is also handled in Funding & Tender opportunities. Furthermore, Uppsala University has an internal routine for funded EU-projects where an Internblankett needs to be filled in and signed before Uppsala University signs the Grant Agreement.

Internblankett

When an EU-project is approved, an Internal form “Internblankett” is filled in and signed by the responsible head of department. The signing approves that the project will be conducted at the department and that any partial financing of the project is approved.

LSIGN (Legal Signatory) och PLSIGN (Project Legal Signatory)

LSIGN is a person authorized on behalf of its organization to sign Grant Agreement, Accession to Grant Agreement, Amendment and Declaration of Honor in Horizon Europe projects. PLSIGN is LSIGN for the specific project.

Lump sum

Lump sum are one-off payments used in certain forms of project funding. Using lump sum removes the obligations for reporting actual costs, time reports and financial audits.

Member states

EU countries and their overseas countries and territories.

Participant contact

A participant contact is a contact person for a participating organization, i.e. who does not coordinate the project. An organization can have several participant contacts

Subcontractor

A subcontractor can be contracted for smaller assignments in a project, which needs to be described in detail. Already included organizations in a project cannot also be subcontractor for specific assignments.

Third countries

Countries that are neither member states nor associated countries. These countries can be included in projects, but achieve research funding only in special cases.