Horizon 2020 ERA-NET Cofund programmes

Introduced in the 6th framework programme (FP6), then successfully continued in FP7 and FP8 (Horizon 2020), the ERA-NET programme primarily aims to develop the coordination of nationally and regionally implemented public research programmes, to organise national and regional research activities into a network, and to mutually open national and regional research programmes. The  ERA-NET Cofund programmes, which were launched under the Horizon 2020, support public-private partnerships, including joint programming initiatives between member states. The ultimate goal of the programmes is to announce, finance and jointly manage international calls for proposals related to the specific area.

ERA-NET programmes comprise R&D programme owners (ministries or regional organisations coordinating the research programmes) and programme managers (research councils and agencies implementing research programmes under the supervision of the programme owners).

Budget

Under the ERA-NET programme only coordination activities can be funded from EU sources; the research programmes are financed from national sources.

One ERA-NET programme can be financed by the European Commission for up to 5 years.

To launch an ERA-NET programme all partners have to make financial contribution which is complemented by the European Commission with up to 33% of the national contributions. ERA-NET programmes are implemented through “Programme Cofund Actions”. The Commission does not specify the budget of the ERA-NET but work programmes indicate the estimated value of contributions.

Eligible participants

The ERA-NET funding system has been designed for programme owners (e.g. ministries) and programme managers (e.g. funding agencies) which develop and execute national and regional programmes.

The ERA-NET joint calls are open to researchers, research institutions, universities and businesses. Potential applicants can contact the national organisations implementing the ERA-NET programme.

ERA-NET consortia have to consist of 3 partners from at least 3 member states or associated countries. In certain justified cases, consortia may also involve other legal entities (such as NGOs) to manage the research projects. Research projects have to be transnational.

Assessment

Proposals submitted for ERA-NET calls are assessed in two stages. The international consortium first has to submit a pre-proposal, and it can only submit the full proposal after positive assessment. Proposals are assessed by an international panel of independent experts in both stages. Subsequently, the participants of the winning consortia submit the proposal in their respective countries and sign the funding agreement with the national funding agency or ministry.

The NRDI Office is currently involved in the following ERA-NET programmes:

M-ERA-NET 2 programme

The M-ERA-NET programme aims to facilitate the coordination of European research programmes through joint calls for proposals in the fields of materials science and engineering. The initiative involves research-funding organisations from 43 countries, including the NRDI Office.

Budget:
The budget of the 2017 call: EUR 25000000; the preliminary commitment of the NRDI Office: EUR 300000.

Open calls: https://m-era.net/joint-calls
Winning projects: https://m-era.net/joint-calls
Website: https://m-era.net

E-Rare-3 programme

The E-Rare-3 consortium facilitates rare diseases research in international cooperation through annual calls, the management and assessment of proposals and the support of individual research projects by using funds from several countries. The initiative involves research-funding organisations from 25 countries, including the NRDI Office.

Budget:
The budget of the 2017 call (preliminary commitments): EUR 14100000; the preliminary commitment of the NRDI Office: EUR 150000.

The 2017 call (closed): http://www.erare.eu/joint-call/9th-joint-call-european-research-projects-rare-diseases-jtc-2017Previous calls: http://www.erare.eu/previous-calls (there was no Hungarian research groups among the members of funded consortia)
Funded projects: http://www.erare.eu/all-funded-projects
Website: http://www.erare.eu/

FLAG-ERA II. programme

The European Union ensures the long-term support of certain high-profile research activities addressing interdisciplinary scientific and technological challenges through the FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) Flagship Initiatives. The Graphene and the Human Brain Project (HBP) Flagships provide the framework of the cooperation of over 100 research groups and businesses across Europe in line with long-term research strategies. The Flagship research projects enable the exploitation of technological innovation and future economic opportunities, while offering major social benefits. The FLAG-ERA consortium, which supports two European flagship initiatives, has organised international calls for project proposals since 2015. The initiative involves research-funding organisations from 17 countries, including the NRDI Office.

Budget:
The budget of the 2017 call: EUR 16,000,000; the preliminary commitment of the NRDI Office: EUR 500,000.

The 2017 call (closed): https://www.flagera.eu/flag-era-calls/jtc-2017/call-announcement/#
Winning projects: https://www.flagera.eu/funded-projects/
Website: https://www.flagera.eu/

QuantERA programme

In the framework of the Horizon 2020 FET (Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme, the European Commission announced the launch of its new flagship initiative in quantum technologies in May 2016. As projects funded from EU, national and own sources also take part in the implementation of the flagship projects, international research cooperation will be financed from an annual budget of EUR 100 million for 10 years. The new flagship on quantum technologies is expected to encourage hundreds of researchers and businesses to engage in international cooperation projects across Europe.

The annual calls of the QuantERA consortium secure funding for international research projects related to the flagship initiatives. Its members comprise 30 research-funding organisations from 26 countries, including the NRDI Office.

Budget:
The budget of the 2017 call: EUR 36000000; the preliminary commitment of the NRDI Office: EUR 300000.

The 2017 call (closed): https://www.quantera.eu/co-funded-call/call-2017
Website:https://www.quantera.eu/