The deadlines and procedures are set out in the evaluation result letter. For more information on complaints about proposal rejection: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/funding-tenders-opportunities/display/OM/Complaints+about+proposal+rejection.

This is up to the experts to assess; all networks are highly encouraged to follow what is explained in FAQ n 16721.

One single IERO/IO (all branches included) cannot receive more than 40% of the total EC contribution. The country where the IERO is based won’t be counting towards the 40% rule, but it is the IERO itself which is counting (as if the IERO was considered as a separate country, but using the country correction coefficients of their hosts). Example: In a project, if there are European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) German and French branches, the budget requested by both branches will count towards the 40% rule for EMBL’s share, while this specific budget will not count for France’s or Germany’s share of the budget.

The university must be included (either as an associated partner or associated partner linked to a beneficiary) and they must provide a Letter of Commitment even if they only award the degree and have no other task.

No, it is not.

Yes, it is possible as long as it is well described in the proposal. It will be assessed accordingly by the experts during the evaluations. However, this set-up should not be used to circumvent some other rules, like the 40% rule.

The deadlines and procedures are set out in the evaluation result letter. For more information on complaints about proposal rejection: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/funding-tenders-opportunities/display/OM/Complaints+about+proposal+rejection.

Yes. For eligibility purposes, weeks outside the host country are taken into account. The most important thing is to clearly indicate it in the application forms and researcher’s CV (proposal Part A & B2).

To get rid of the warning message blocking the submission, applicants should link the deliverables with WP1.

An official resubmission is a proposal with the same host organisation and researcher. Since the host institution for both GF and EF would be the European partner, a proposal with the same beneficiary would be considered a resubmission.

There are no limitations as to when the researcher can go on maternity leave during the fellowship. An issue might be the employment contract. Some employment contracts stipulate that for paid parental leave the researchers need to have been employed for a set period of time. This doesn’t mean they can’t take the leave, just that it isn’t paid.

It is possible to postpone the actual start date without losing the grant. The initial start date in the contract cannot be further away than the legally allowed date, but it can be further postponed then with an amendment. The researcher needs to contact the project officer and explain the situation.

Timesheets and declarations are not requested in MSCA projects (contrary to other Horizon Europe actions based on actual costs). To prove that the researcher worked on their MSCA project, it is sufficient to present a contract with the host institution together with additional documents proving the fellow’s dedication to the project, if needed.

Moreover, declarations are not allowed by the auditors. REA has confirmed that the declaration on exclusive work is not applicable for audits carried out in MSCA ITN, IF and COFUND actions to determine time spent working on the action. It is expected this will continue in Horizon Europe.

As outlined in the H2020 Indicative Audit Programme, such evidence may include lab books, attendance lists, conference abstracts, library records, travel expenses, timesheets, reports to supervisor, meeting minutes, e-mail exchanges, etc. and other open sources (e.g. the internet) to see if the researcher worked on activities other than their  project. The auditors will also look at the researcher’s employment contract or corresponding agreement to see if it complies with Article 32 of the H2020 Annotated Model Grant Agreement, including but not limited to the obligation that the researcher works exclusively for the action.

Fellows need documentation in the form of a contract that shows the 50% commitment or something similar since MSCA does not typically operate with timesheets.

Organisations can only encode secondments that are eligible for EC funding. So organisations could encode the secondments going to the UK, but not those from the UK to a beneficiary. It is the dates included in the mobility declarations (previously researchers’ declarations) which are used for financial reporting.  

The researcher is eligible to participate, the change of status does not affect their eligibility.

The UK partners will be funded with the UKRI Horizon Europe Guarantee, in line with the original budget line. They will no longer be able to be included as a beneficiary but will need to become Associated Partners (APs).  Secondments to UK APs from Member States (MS) and/ or Associated Countries (AC) will be funded by the EC as originally foreseen in the proposal. Secondments from UK APs to MS/ AC/ other APs will be funded via UKRI, in line with the budget line and secondment plan in the proposal. Secondments from another AP to the UK will also be funded via UKRI.