HORIZON 2020 – WORK PROGRAMME 2014-2015
Part I – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Eligibility conditions
[This annex will be located under the Common provisions of the WP, clearly identified as applying to MSCA]
Eligibility conditions
PROPOSAL
A proposal will only be considered eligible if it meets all of the following conditions:
- It is received by the Commission or by the Research Executive Agency before the deadline given in the call text.
- It involves at least the minimum number of participants according to the eligibility conditions for participants, as described in this annex.
- It is complete (i.e. both the requested administrative forms and the proposal description are present).
PARTICIPANTS
To address the inter-sector mobility in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the following sectors are defined:
Academic sector
Academic sector includes the following organisation: universities (public and private), higher education institutions (public and private), non-profit research institutions (public and private), non-profit research institutions (public and private), research foundations, research institutions associated to foundations and international European interest organisations as they are define in article XX of the Horizon 2020 rules for participation.
Non-academic sector
Non-academic sector includes any socio-economic actor not included in the academic sector and fulfilling the requirements of the Horizon 2020 rules for participation
Participants are organisations from the academic or the non-academic sector actively contributing to the project. They can be divided in two groups based on their level of participation:
- Beneficiaries (Participants - Level 1): signatory to the agreement
Beneficiaries are organisations that are full partners of a network. They contribute directly to the implementation of the joint training programme by supervising, hosting and training researchers. They may also provide secondment opportunities. Beneficiaries take complete responsibility for executing the proposed training programme and other requirements of the project.
- Partner organisations (Participants - Level 2): non-signatory of the agreement
Partner organisations provide trainings and host researchers during secondments. Partner organisations do not employ the researchers within the project.Partner organisations shall include a letter of commitment in the proposal to ensure their real and active participation in the proposed network. The experts will be instructed to disregard the contribution of any partner organisations for which no such evidence of commitment is submitted.
Minimum network composition
Innovative Iraining Networks (ITN)can take the form of collaborative European Training Networks (ETN), European Industrial Doctorates (EID) or European Joint Doctorates (EJD). They must be created by at least three beneficiaries (or at least two for EID) located in different Member States or Associated Countries. Above this minimum, the participation of institutions from any country or international organisations is possible under the conditions provided by the Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation. However, not more than 40% of the projectbudget shall be dedicated to hosts in the same country (except for two-partner EID).In the case of EID, at least one beneficiary must be entitled to award doctoral degrees[1] and at least one beneficiary must come from the non-academic sector. For EJD, at least three beneficiaries must be entitled to award doctoral degrees.
The overall European Union contribution for ETN and EJD is limited to the recruitment of a maximum 500 researcher-months. For EID projects with only two participants, this limit is set to 180.
Participants in the Research and Innovation Staff Exchange(RISE) shall be established in at least three different countries. For international stream, there should be at least one institution outside Europe and two institutions from different Member States (MS) and/or Associated Countries (AC). For inter-sector stream, there should be at leas one participant from each of the two sectors and from at least two different Member States (MS) and/or Associated Countries (AC). Above this minimum, the participation of institutions from any country or international organisations is possible under the conditions provided by the Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation.
The overall European Union contribution for RISE is limited to the secondment of a maximum 500 researcher-months.
Participants in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes(COFUND) shall be legal entities established in a Member State or associated country that fund or manage doctoral programmes or fellowship programmes for researchers. International European interest organisations, as defined in Article XX of the Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation, that fund or manage doctoral programmes or fellowship programmes for researchers can also participate in this action.
RESEARCHERS
Researchers may be of any nationality.
Global Fellowships panel in IF is open to nationals or long –term residents[2] of Member States and associated countries.
Supported researchers fall into two categories: early-stage or experienced researchers:
Early-stage researchers shall at the time of recruitment(ITN) or secondment(RISE) by the host organisation, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not yet been awarded a doctoral degree.
Experienced researchersshall, at the time of the relevant deadline for submission of proposals(IF) or secondment(RISE) by the host organisation, be in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience.
Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree which would formally entitle him or her to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited or seconded, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate is or was ever envisaged.
Researchers shall comply with the rule for mobility.
Mobility: at the time of the relevant deadline for submission of proposals, or recruitment/secondment by the host organisation, depending on the action, researchers shall not have resided or carried out their main activity (work , studies, etc) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date. Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account. As far as international European interest organisations or international organisations are concerned, this rule does not apply to the hosting of eligible researchers. However the appointed researcher shall not have spent more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference deadline for submission of proposals or recruitment by the host organisation, depending on the action, in the same appointing organisation.
In the 'career restart' panel in IF, researchers shall not have resided or carried out their main activity in the country of their host organisation for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately prior to the relevant deadline for submission of proposals.
Duration of support
Support for early-stage researchers in ITN will be for periods of 3 to 36 months.
The periods supported (full-time equivalent) in IF shall be as follows:
- European or Reintegration Fellowship: 12-24 months
- Global Fellowship: 12-24 months plus 12 month return phase in Europe.
To be eligible for secondments in RISE, the staff of the participating institutions shall be actively engaged in or linked to research activities for at least six months (full-time equivalent) at the sending institution prior to the first period ofsecondment. Secondments may last from 1 to 12 months. The exchanged staff shall be reintegrated into the sending institution for at least the same time period of the secondment, thus maximising the impact of this action for knowledge sharing and long-term collaborations between the partner institutions.
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HORIZON 2020 – WORK PROGRAMME 2014-2015
Part I – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Selection and award criteria
[This annex will be located under the Common provisions of the WP, clearly identified as applying to MSCA]
Selection and award criteria
The evaluation criteria against which proposals will be judged are set out in Article XX of the Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation.
The purpose of this annex is to set out specifications for the criteria, weightings and thresholds applied to calls for proposals in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
Evaluation scores will be awarded for each of the criteria, and not for the sub-criteria. Each criterion will be scored from 0 to 5. The total score will be subject to a threshold of 70%.
A proposal that contravenes fundamental ethical principles, fails to comply with the relevant security procedures, or which does not fulfil any other of the conditions set out in the specific programme, the work programme or in the call for proposals shall not be selected. Such a proposal may be excluded from the evaluation, selection and award procedures at any time. Details of the procedure to be followed are given in the Commission rules mentioned above.
Table:Award Criteria, Thresholds and Weightings
1. ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training NetworksExcellence / Impact / Implementation
Quality, innovative aspects and credibility of the research programme(including inter/multidisciplinary and intersectoral aspects) / Enhancing research- and innovation-related human resources, skills, and working conditions to realise the potential of individuals and to provide new career perspectives / Overall coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources(including awarding of the doctoral degrees for
EID and EJD projects)
Quality and innovative aspects of the training programme
(including transferable skills, inter/multidisciplinary and intersectoral aspects) / Contribution to structuring doctoral / early-stage
research training at the European level and to strengthening European innovation capacity, including the potential for:
a) meaningful contribution of the non-academic sector to the doctoral/research training, as appropriate to the implementation mode and research field
b) developing sustainable joint doctoral degree structures (for EJD projects only) / Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including quality management and risk management (with a mandatory joint governing structure for EID and EJD projects)
Quality of the supervision(including mandatory joint supervision for EID and EJD projects) / Appropriateness of the infrastructure and operational capacity of the participating organisations
Quality of the proposed interaction between the participating organisations / Effectiveness of the proposed measures forcommunicationand dissemination of results / Competences, experience and complementarity of the participating organisationsand their commitment to the programme
50% / 30% / 20%
Weighting
1 / 2 / 3
Priority in case of ex aequo
2. IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action: Individual Fellowships
Excellence / Impact / Implementation
Quality, innovative aspects and credibility of the research (including inter/multidisciplinary aspects) / Enhancing research- and innovation-related human resources, skills and working conditions to realise the potential of individuals and to provide new career perspectives / Overall coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources
Clarity and quality of the research objectives in terms of transfer of knowledge/training for the development of researcher / Effectiveness of the proposed measures forcommunicationand results dissemination / Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including quality management and risk management
Quality of the supervision and the hosting arrangements / Appropriateness of the institutional environment(infrastructure and operational capacity)
Capacity of the researcher to reach or re-enforce a position of professional maturity in research / Competences, experience and complementarity of the participating organisations and institutional commitment
50% / 30% / 20%
Weighting
1 / 2 / 3
Priority in case of ex aequo
3. RISE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action: Research and Innovation Staff Exchange
Excellence / Impact / Implementation
Quality, innovative aspects and credibility of the research (including inter/multidisciplinary aspects) / Enhancing research- and innovation-related human resources, skills and working conditions to realise the potential of individuals and to provide new career perspectives / Overall coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources
Clarity and quality of the research objectives
in terms of knowledge sharing among the participants. / To develop new and lasting researchcollaborations, to achieve transfer of knowledge between research institutions and to improve research and innovation potential at the European and global levels] / Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including quality management and risk management
Quality of the interaction between the participating organisations / Effectiveness of the proposed measures for communicationand results dissemination / Appropriateness of the institutional environment(infrastructure and operational capacity)
Competences, experience and complementarity of the participating organisations and institutional commitment
50% / 30% / 20%
Weighting
1 / 2 / 3
Priority in case of ex aequo
4. COFUND - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action: Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes
Excellence / Impact / Implementation
Quality of the selection / recruitment process for the researchers (transparency, composition and organisation of selection committees, evaluation criteria, equal opportunity) / Enhancing research- and innovation-related human resources, skills and working conditions to realise the potential of individuals and to provide new career perspectives / Overall coherence, effectiveness and appropriateness of the work plan
Quality of the research options offered by the programme in terms of science, interdisciplinarity, intersectorality and level of transnational mobility / Impact of the programme on aligning practices at participating organisations with principles set out by the EU for the human resources development in research and innovation / Appointment conditions of researchers
Quality of career guidance and training, including supervision arrangements, training in transferable skills / Effectiveness of the proposed measures forcommunicationand results dissemination of the programmes / Competence and operational capacity of the participant to implement the programme
50% / 30% / 20%
Weighting
1 / 2 / 3
Priority in case of ex aequo
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HORIZON 2020 – WORK PROGRAMME 2014-2015
Part I – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Evaluation procedure
[This annex will be located under the Common provisions of the WP, clearly identified as applying to MSCA]
Evaluation procedure
In Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, proposals are allocated to one of the eight main evaluation panels: Chemistry (CHE), Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC), Economic Sciences (ECO), Information Science and Engineering (ENG), Environment and Geosciences (ENV), Life Sciences (LIF), Mathematics (MAT), Physics (PHY). Separate multidisciplinary panels will be created for the European Industrial Doctorates (EID) and the European Joint Doctorates (EJD) in ITN. Separate multidisciplinary panels will be created for the Career Restart Panel in IF.
For each panel a ranked list is established. The distribution of the indicative budget of the call over the research disciplines will be proportional to the number of eligible proposals received in each panel. If the budget allocated to any panel exceeds the requirements of all proposals positively evaluated[3] in that panel, the excess budget will be reallocated to the other panels based on the distribution as above. Equally, if the allocated funding to a panel is insufficient to fund the highest ranked proposal in that panel, the necessary budget will be transferred from the other panels based on the distribution as above,in order to ensure that the highest ranked proposal can be funded.
Proposals will not be evaluated anonymously.Proposals may be evaluated remotely.
As part of the evaluation by independent experts, a panel review will recommend one or more ranked lists for the proposals under evaluation, following the scoring systems indicated in this work programme.
If necessary, the panel will determine a priority order for proposals which have been awarded the same score within a ranked list. When the total scores are equal, priority will be based on scores for individual evaluation criteria. For each action the priority order of the criteria is detailed in table XX of the annex XX to this work programme.
If necessary, any further prioritisation will be based on other appropriate characteristics, to be decided by the panel, related to the contribution of the proposal to the European Research Area and/or general objectives mentioned in the work programme (e.g. inter-sectoral mobility, international co-operation, favourable employment and working conditions).
Whether or not such a prioritisation is carried out will depend on the available budget or other conditions set out in the call fiche.
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HORIZON 2020 – WORK PROGRAMME 2014-2015
Part I – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Reimbursement rates
[DN: This annex will be located under the Common provisions of the WP, clearly identified as applying to MSCA]
European Union contribution and applicable rates
The host organisation shall appoint each eligible researcher under an employment contract except where national regulation would prohibit this possibility. For short stays the host organisation can opt between recruiting him/her under an employment contract or under a fixed amount fellowship.
Table XX gives the yearly reference rates for calculating the monthly living allowances of each eligible researcher. The amounts per year are given in Euros per category of researchers who are recruited under an employment contractcomplying with the social security legislation applicable[4]. These amounts include the provisions for all compulsory deductions under national applicable legislation.
Table XX: Yearly reference rates for monthly living allowances
under employment contracts
(Correction Coefficient index 100)[5]
Early-stage researchers / XX
Experienced researchers / XX
When an employment contract cannot be provided, the host organisation shall recruit the researcher under a status equivalent to a fixed-amount fellowship. The rates applicable in these cases, which shall be duly justified, will be 50% of the rates for researchers under an employment contract. The host organisation shall ensure that researchers enjoy social security coverage at least equal to the one of employed persons. This social security coverage does not necessarily have to be paid from the European Union contribution for the fixed-amount fellowship.