Research infrastructure concept development

The 'Research Infrastructure Concept Development' program targets organizations and entities capable of developing innovative concepts for next-generation research infrastructures with a European interest. It spans all fields of research and aims to reduce fragmentation in the European Research Area by fostering coordinated development efforts. The program supports both entirely new infrastructures and significant, transformative upgrades to existing ones, with an emphasis on projects that address research challenges at a global level and generate new services and access opportunities for the research community.

This program specifically funds the conceptualization and initial design of new or significantly upgraded research infrastructures across all scientific disciplines. It focuses on developing sound science cases, identifying user communities, and outlining governance and financial plans for future implementation. Excluded from the scope are proposals that only address a new component of an existing research infrastructure, unless it constitutes a major, transformative upgrade.

The 'Research Infrastructure Concept Development' program primarily offers grant funding for research and innovation actions. While specific maximum funding amounts per project are not detailed in the provided information, the total allocated budget for the HORIZON-INFRA-2022-DEV-01 call was 21.8 million EUR, with 20.3 million EUR specifically for HORIZON-INFRA-2022-DEV-01-01. The grant agreements for successful proposals from this closed call were expected to be signed in December 2022.

Applicants for the 'Research Infrastructure Concept Development' program must adhere to general conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, covering admissibility, eligibility, financial capacity, and exclusion criteria. Evaluation is based on specific award criteria, scoring, and thresholds, with a single-stage submission and evaluation process. Legal and financial aspects of grants are detailed in the General Annexes and the Annotated Model Grant Agreement.

The application process for 'Research Infrastructure Concept Development' is a single-stage submission, with evaluation based on predefined award criteria and thresholds. Applicants submit proposals through the Funding & Tenders Portal, where detailed guidance on the process and required documents is available. Evaluation results were communicated to applicants, with grant agreements for successful proposals signed in December 2022.

The 'Research Infrastructure Concept Development' program operates under the comprehensive legal framework of Horizon Europe. Its foundational authority stems from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695 and the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764. Further operational and financial guidelines are detailed in various work programmes, general annexes, and the EU Financial Regulation.