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.

A COFUND project can be designed in many different ways and it is up to the beneficiary to decide how the researchers are funded. If the beneficiary wants to include a family allowance after the recruitment, it is OK, but it is not a formal requirement from the EC/ REA. It can of course be evaluated positively by the evaluators as clear support to offer the best conditions to the fellows. In addition, this would be unlikely, as in H2020 the MSCA rules did not foresee changes in the eligibility for family allowance during the fellowship duration.

“Partner Organisations” means both type of partners: associated or implementing.

Implementing partners have a bigger role, however, this was harmonised among the MSCA actions and associated partners are supposed to appear in part A for all actions. COFUND is the only action which has implementing partners and therefore it is slightly different.

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.

The change would be implemented from the time the allowance is or is no longer eligible according to the documentation. So if the divorce comes into force on 1September, then that is the month the researcher is no longer eligible for the family allowance.

Yes, if the situation of the researcher changes, the Family Allowance can become ineligible. If the relationship is no longer bound through marriage/ other legal agreement, then they are no longer eligible to receive the allowance.

The researcher is obligated to inform of this change of situation if it occurs.

Regarding the estimation of the family allowance budget for a Doctoral Network, there is a footnote (number 37) which starts on page 79 of the MGA for Unit Grants and continues on page 80, which states:

“Average based on the amount for the family allowance set out in the Horizon Europe Work Programme (MSCA Work Programme part) in force at the time of the call (75% of the number of units with family, 25% without).”

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.

It is uncommon, but not necessarily detrimental to the proposal. For the 2021 PF call, there were only 2 12-month projects funded. For comparison, there were over 950 24-month projects funded.

Yes, it is possible. As long as the 8-year and mobility rules are respected, they are eligible for the PF call.

Currently, Switzerland has the status of a third country not associated to Horizon Europe in the frame of the DN and PF calls.

For PF: As long as this status remains unchanged, researchers with a Swiss host institution are not eligible to apply to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships. Switzerland is eligible as host country for the outgoing phase of a Global Fellowship. However, Swiss nationals are NOT eligible for participation in MSCA Global Fellowships unless they are long-term residents of an EU Member State or a country associated to Horizon Europe.

For DN: Organisations based in Switzerland can participate in MSCA Doctoral Networks as ‘Associated Partners’. The Swiss project partner will not be funded by the European Commission but by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

More info can be found at https://www.euresearch.ch/en/horizon-europe/excellent-science/marie-skodowska-curie-actions-(msca)-55.html

UK is to be considered as an Associated Country to Horizon Europe in the frame of PF and DN calls.

For PF: a fellow who plans to be hosted by an institution located in the UK must apply for a European PF.

For DN: partners located in UK can be beneficiaries and the doctoral candidate(s) recruited by UK partners are taken into account in the count of person-months funded by the EC (max. 360 or 540 person-months depending on the DN mode).

If the HE Association Agreement between UK and EC is not signed by the signature of the PF 2022/ DN 2022 Grant Agreements, successful UK applicants will receive funding from UKRI. Currently, the UK government guarantee only covers those eligible calls where the grant agreement needs to be signed by 31 December 2022.

More info can be found at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/horizon-europe/

With the approval of REA and the host organisation, it is possible to opt for part-time for professional reasons – if the researcher wishes to keep both projects, they should first ask the host if they agree, and then approach the project officer with this request. If approved, the PF duration will be extended (the person-months remain the same) and the unit costs reduced proportionally (i.e. the same amount of funding will be stretched over a longer period).

There are no such templates beyond the standard consortium agreement template, such as the one provided by DESCA (https://www.desca-agreement.eu/desca-model-consortium-agreement/).

For Associated Partners, applicants have to click on the button on the Funding and Tenders Portal and then apply the PIC. For further steps in Form A and description of their role in Part B, applicants should follow instructions in the template.

For associated partners linked to a beneficiary, similar steps apply, but the type of link and description of the activities must be described in Part B.

There are three types of IMPACT in SE:

1. Economic Impact: boosts global & inter-sectoral collaborations

Triggers global inter-sectoral networking & innovation in TC and mobility flows between TC and Europe/ AC Increases active involvement of industry partners Consists on fostering innovation Facilitates technological development Transfers knowledge and deploys solutions It may include the impact the project will generate on participating companies in terms of revenues and profits, employment creation, market share, etc.

2. Social Impact: is a positive contributor to MSCA careers and employment for both male and female researchers

Concentrated on the generation of knowledge Involves R&I in developing, supporting and implementing Union policies Applies innovative solutions in industry (including SMEs), and addresses global challenges

3. Scientific Impact: contributes to fertilize advances across disciplines

Consistent fair representation in all the main research disciplines (majority of RISE projects ≥2 fields of science) Includes in particular the promotion of scientific excellence Creates high-quality new knowledge, skills, training and mobility of researchers

These three impacts are tracked with Key Impact Pathways (KIPs) which are divided as: ·

Scientific impact:

o Creating high-quality new knowledge

o Strengthening human capital in R&I

o Fostering diffusion of knowledge and Open Science ·

Societal Impact:

o Addressing EU policy priorities & global challenges through R&I

o Delivering benefits and impact via R&I missions

o Strengthening the uptake of R&I in society

Economic/ Technological Impact:

o Generating innovation-based growth

o Creating more and better jobs o Leveraging investments in R&I

When talking about impact, this is prospective, it is in the future, assuming that the project is successful and that it achieves everything that it set up to achieve. The applicants could base themselves on some other studies to strengthen or build their case about the impact they could have, before the impact is actually achieved.

There are different scientific panels and proposals are ranked within their scientific panel. Proposals in some panels are more STEM-oriented and would have a different kind of impact than proposals in the SOC panel for instance, but these proposals would not compete against the STEM-oriented proposals. It should also be considered that the impact is now broadened to encompass not only a purely scientific impact but also impact on the society at large. This can be an area where the SSH proposals could actually have a competitive advantage.