Horizon 2020 Funding Schemes

Horizon 2020 calls can have different types of action (funding schemes).

The type of action specifies:

• the scope of what is funded
• the reimbursement rate
• specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding
• the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums

You find the detailed description of types of actions in the General Annexes of the Main Work Programme and in the ERC Work Programme. The two types of actions relevant to the Imact-SC5 project are the Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA).

Research & Innovation actions (RIA)

EU funding rate – 100%

Activities aiming to establish new knowledge and/or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. For this purpose they may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing and validation on a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment. Projects may contain closely connected but limited demonstration or pilot activities aiming to show technical feasibility in a near to operational environment. For more detail see Annex D to the work programme.

In case of Research and Innovation Lump Sum actions (RIA-LS), funding for grants awarded will take the form of lump sums. For more information on the specificities of Lump Sum actions, check this presentation.

Innovation actions (IA)

EU funding rate – 70% (except non-profit, which are still funded 100%)

Activities directly aiming at producing plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. For this purpose they may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication. For more detail see Annex D to the work programme.

A ‘demonstration or pilot’ aims to validate the technical and economic viability of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution in an operational (or near to operational) environment, whether industrial or otherwise, involving where appropriate a larger scale prototype or demonstrator.

A ‘market replication’ aims to support the first application/deployment in the market of an innovation that has already been demonstrated but not yet applied/deployed in the market due to market failures/barriers to uptake. ‘Market replication’ does not cover multiple applications in the market of an innovation15 that has already been applied successfully once in the market. ‘First’ means new at least to Europe or new at least to the application sector in question. Often such projects involve a validation of technical and economic performance at system level in real life operating conditions provided by the market.

Projects may include limited research and development activities

In case of Innovation Lump Sum actions (IA-LS), funding for grants awarded will take the form of lump sums. For more information on the specificities of Lump Sum actions, check the presentation.

Other types of actions

There are several other funding schemes, but these are out of scope for the Impact-SC5 project. These funding schemes include:

• Coordination and support actions
• Grants of the European Research Council (ERC) to support frontier research
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA)
• COFUND actions
• Procurement actions
• SME Instrument
• Inducement Prize
• Recognition Prize
• Debt and equity facility

You can find all info on these types of actions here.