EU Project Compendium
Looking for the big picture as well as the details of what is available at CERN in terms of competences, procedures, documentation to support you at any stage of an EU project? Here is an .xls file that compiles this information for you. Please note that this is a first version that will be regularly updated in particular when more information on Horizon Europe becomes available. We are eager to know your feedback on this first version and how to make it even more suited to your needs. Therefore don’t hesitate to share your comments by sending an email to r.muller@cern.ch
What is an EU project?
The main R&D programmes of CERN cover particle physics and related accelerator, detector, and IT technologies. In order for a project in one of these fields to be eligible to receive funding from the EU, there should be:
- an appropriate H2020 Work Programme with topics that belong to these fields,
- a suitable Call for Proposals addressing these topics, and
- a suitable instrument (type of project) corresponding to the needs of the project.
The Work Programmes are bi-annual implementation plans that describe the priority topics of each H2020 Programme that will be funded over a two year period. The Calls for Proposals are announcements soliciting proposals in certain topics of the Work Programmes.
The Calls indicate the topics that need to be addressed by the projects, the deadlines for submission of proposals, the type of projects that can be funded and the total budget available, and in some cases, the minimum or maximum funding each project may receive. Each published Call is accompanied by several important reference documents, such as proposal templates, evaluation forms, rules for submission and evaluation etc.
The planned timing of the Calls depends on the type of programme. For ERC and MSCA the Calls for Proposals are repetitive: basically one Call per type of project per year (e.g. one call for ITN, one call for Starting Grants etc.). For most other programmes, topics appear only once in 2 years and may not be repeated. Therefore, the bi-annual Work Programmes should be closely monitored.
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Once a suitable Call is identified, the participation of CERN in any EU project proposal is subject to approval by the senior management (for more details, see the CERN internal procedures). |
In H2020, the funding rate for projects in any given Work Programme and Call, may reach up to 100% of the total project costs. However, there are projects, in particular on the Research Infrastructures Work Programme, where CERN has participated with a lower funding rate (as low as 30% of the total project costs in some cases) and this may still be the case in H2020.
Therefore, the participation of CERN in a given EU project will normally imply a commitment of CERN resources to work on a project, which, until then, has not been foreseen in the laboratory’s agreed R&D programme. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the administrative management and follow-up of EU projects is not simple and differs from the normal administrative procedures of the Organization.
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It is essential that the agreement of the CERN management hierarchy (Group Leader – Head of Department – Directorate) is sought in advance. The participation of CERN in any EU project needs to be approved via the dedicated EDH document: Externally Funded Projects. The EU Projects Office should be informed about ongoing proposals at the earliest possible moment, and if the project is approved, it should be then kept informed of the further developments. |
In the case of proposals for Marie Skłodowska-Curie projects (for host-driven actions: ITN, RISE), there is a special body called Marie Curie Steering Group which, in addition to the departmental approval, reviews the ideas for such projects, and makes a recommendation to the Directorate.
CERN PIC number to be used for all EU programmes, including H2020 and Erasmus+ : 999988133
Proposal preparation
It is the responsibility of the Coordinator to take charge of the preparation and submission of the proposal. In most cases, and in particular for large Collaborative Projects, Design Studies and Integrating Activities, the preparation of the proposal is a difficult enterprise necessitating many months of dedicated work with input from the other participants. The project structure – e.g. work packages and WP leaders – is usually set up in advance, and the WP leaders provide essential input and feedback to the Project Coordinator, who has to assemble the different contributions in one coherent proposal.
The structure of proposals depends on the Specific Programme the proposal will be submitted to. Proposals submitted to all H2020 programmes (except for ERC) consist of three main sections – Excellence, Impact and Implementation, and the evaluation criteria are based upon these sections. The precise content of these sections, including some mandatory tables and useful instructions, are specified in the proposal templates on the call description page.
The degree of involvement of CERN staff in the preparation of EU projects depends on the nature of the tasks CERN will have in the project. In projects where CERN has an important role (but is not a Coordinator), CERN staff may be asked to become WP Coordinators and/or members of the Management Board (Executive Committee) of the project, and as such they will be expected to provide some input to the technical content and/or review of the proposal. It may also happen that CERN has a small participation in a given project, or that the Organization is asked to join a project towards the end of the preparation, so in such cases CERN will have very little or no contribution to the proposal writing.
| All EU proposals, coordinated or not by CERN, will need to undergo an internal approval process at CERN before submission to the EC, via EDH. |
The submission of all H2020 projects is done in electronic format via the Participant Portal. Apart from the proposal document, referred to as “Part B” of the proposal (that needs to be uploaded on the Participant Portal), there is a set of forms (Part A) with legal, administrative and financial information about each participant, that need to be filled out directly on the Participant Portal.
| It is important that a copy of the administrative and budget forms is sent for verification to the EU Projects Office prior to the submission, as well as a copy of the final version of the submitted proposal. |
E-training on EU project funding demystified is available on the CERN Training Catalogue.
More useful information related to the preparation of proposals at CERN can be found below:
EU projects@CERN
Participating in European Union projects strengthens CERN's existing collaborations and creates new links with European universities, research institutes, laboratories and industrial partners, complementing the main R&D programmes of the Organization.
Horizon 2020
During the seven years of Horizon 2020 (2014-2020), CERN participated in 92 projects and coordinated 29. More than 80% of CERN projects and EC funding for CERN was in the Excellent Science pillar. The Organization also participated in other programmes linked to Horizon 2020 such as EURATOM, COST, Eurostars, EURAMET etc.
Framework Programme 7
During the seven years of Framework Programme 7 (2007-2013), CERN participated in 88 EU projects with durations of two to five years. Of these projects, 36 were coordinated by CERN. In addition to the Research Infrastructure, e-Infrastructure, and Marie-Curie programmes, in which CERN has been actively involved since FP6, the Organization also participated in the Cooperation, Science and Society, and Ideas programmes of FP7.