Horizon Europe brings together research and innovation while putting a strong emphasis on excellent science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges. Researchers spanning all across Europe, as well as its associated countries, are after this coveted grant that can immensely push their research a few substantial steps forward. Choosing to apply for Horizon Europe undoubtedly means months of intensive preparation as the proposal development phase includes a list of requirements and attention. Experience shows that working alongside a dedicated and unique timeline can put aside piles of unwanted stress and allow to fully focus on the proposal development and writing. It is for this exact reason that our team has put together the Horizon Europe proposal development timeline – tested and improved over time.
An overview of the Horizon Europe proposal development
Developing the full proposal for a Horizon Europe collaborative project takes time. Normally, our team recommends allocating at least three months prior to the deadline for proposal writing and development. That being said, if you are targeting a deadline that falls around a downtime period (e.g. holiday season, summer vacation), we’d recommend allocating even more time for preparing the application.
As a starting point, identify a specific topic in the Horizon Europe work program. When identifying the topic – it is important to note the expected deadline. This is a very important date. In this article, the expected deadline will be referred to and labelled as “T”.
Once the topic is chosen and the deadline is clear, the development process begins. The process of developing a Horizon Europe collaborative project, whether it is a RIA/IA or CSA project, includes two complementary and parallel efforts that converge throughout the process. Such efforts are divided into consortium-related efforts and proposal-writing efforts, as can be seen in the diagram below:
The two parallel efforts feed one another throughout the proposal development process.
Additionally, it is important to engage all partners in the writing process. This is done by collecting information, consulting, discussing and articulating the project’s narrative. Nonetheless, a leading partner should manage, coordinate and synchronize these efforts (see more on this topic in coordination dilemma).
The Horizon Europe proposal development timeline
Orchestrating the above efforts for the Horizon Europe proposal development should be done in a timely fashion while adhering to the strict requirements of the Horizon Europe proposal structure. Therefore, our team recommends following this timeline:
| Action | Recommended due date |
|---|---|
| Prepare the preliminary project summary/abstract – This summary should be a live, working document, which will help in shaping the project definition and consortium structure (refer to‘Building a consortium in Horizon Europe - don’t bring your friends’). We recommend that it will not exceed 2 pages for the matter of simplicity and efficiency. | T-90 days |
| List of partners – Based on the preliminary project summary/abstract work to recruit partners for the project. Since the partners should take an active role in developing the project proposal, we highly recommend to conclude the partners’ list at least 2 months before the call deadline. | T-60 days |
| Send out the proposal template with instructions – Once the list of partners is intact, it is time to allocate tasks to the partners and start the writing process. Make sure to use the most updated template for the proposal. Use the official guidelines and add any specific instructions for the partners. From this point on, manage the writing process of this document with the partners until you submit it in the electronic submission system. | T-60 days |
| Open a submission system in the Participant Portal – Filling in the details in the electronic system takes time and cooperation of the partners. After setting it up, add the partners into the system (you will need their PIC numbers for that matter) | T-45 days |
| Collect partners' administrative information – This is generally a mostly ‘administrative’ task. There are administrative details that each partner should fill in the electronic submission system. We recommend not to postpone this to the end of the process. Monitor the process to ensure that there aren’t any validation errors. As well, this is a good opportunity to collect budgetary needs from your partners, to help plan the consortium budget. | T-45 days |
| Have a first full draft of the proposal – It is crucial to have a first draft of the full proposal, including all key sections (1, 2 and 3) about a month before the call deadline. You will need the rest of the time for fine tuning, final budgeting issues, quality assurance procedures, proof reading, etc. | T-30 days |
| Handle any supplementary aspects, such as ethics, security, etc. – In case the project is subject to any of these aspects, invest the time to finalize them and ensure there are no loose ends. Addressing and answering ethical aspects and requirements may take a long time to handle in the proposal development phase. | T-30 days |
| Finalize the budget – We would like to recommend that the budget be finalized even earlier, but reality and experience show that it is unrealistic in most cases. Finalizing the budget is a process that usually converges only in the very last phase of the proposal development process. It is subject to final negotiations between partners. Sometimes it is also subject to internal approval procedures in large organisations, etc. Make sure to finalize it no later than 2 weeks before the deadline. | T-15 days |
| Near-final draft – Dedicate about a week for final touches and proofreading. At this point, it is fine to share these tasks with the partners, but we recommend restricting any new input from them at this point in time. If you do get new input, make sure that it is important enough and examine it carefully before adding it to the text in order to avoid any imbalance or incoherence in the overall proposal text. | T-7 days |
| Final draft and first submission – Do not wait for the last day to submit the proposal. The system is programmed to allow you to submit multiple versions of the proposal until the deadline, while only the last version submitted is the one that will be accepted. Due to various reasons (system instability, overload on the system due to concurrent submissions, etc.) we highly recommend to submit a first version of the proposal about 3 days before the deadline. Submitting it will ensure that there are no validation errors, which is very important (validity errors will not allow you to submit any version of the proposal). After submitting the first version, you can re-submit newer versions of the proposal as you go to ensure that the most updated version is in the system. | T-3 days |
| Final submission – Aim at submitting the final version early on the day of the deadline, or on the day before, and go have a rest. You deserve it. Good luck! | Expected Deadline (T) |
The next steps
The above Horizon Europe proposal development timeline is surely your go-to guide for keeping up with all the required steps of the proposal development process. Follow the timeline accordingly as you proceed from one step to the next.
Additional readings that can assist you in the process of writing and developing a highly competitive and successful Horizon Europe grant proposal focus on:
- The Horizon Europe proposal template guide to understanding the inner logic and structure of the proposal
- Tips for ensuring the Implementation Structure of the proposal is both feasible and competitive
- Steps to building the right consortium for your Horizon Europe project
- The implications of being the Project Coordinator of your Horizon Europe project and the ‘coordination dilemma‘ that may come up in the process
- ensuring your proposal ‘feeds the reviewer’ during the review process
- the complete guide to the Horizon Europe budget preparation
- A ‘how-to’ Consortium Agreement guide for your Horizon Europe project
- and more Horizon Europe posts.
If you need any additional assistance in the process, review our selection of services and contact us for more information.