From now on a recurring topic in K2 News will be relevant information about Horizon 2020 presented under the banner “Spotlight Horizon 2020”.

The first topic presented here is general information about Horizon 2020.  Click here to know more about this.

What is Horizon 2020, who can apply and what is funded?

Horizon 2020 contains a number of different funding programmes and mechanisms. Individual researchers or groups of researchers from academia, industry and other stakeholder organisations can apply for funding in 3 pillars: Excellent Science, Competitive Industries and Tackling Societal Challenges. The choice of pillar and underlying programme depends on the research theme and the size of the planned project, whether it is basic or applied or whether someone is interested in moving to another country. The most common project type is a Collaborative Project (CP), which usually requires a minimum of three participants from three different EU Member States or the countries that are associated to Horizon 2020 (like Norway). CPs fund research activities including personnel costs, travel, consumables, management costs and dissemination. Co-ordination and Support Actions (CSAs) do not fund research as such but fund, for example, the co-ordination of research policies across Member States in a particular field; occasionally also studies, conferences and other networking activities. Actual direct costs incurred for a project are 100% reimbursed. For some types of projects, such as individual fellowships, funding can be based on flat rates and granted as lump sums.

Read more: http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm