In the context of the preparation of (institutional) partnerships in Horizon Europe, it is essential to develop administrative / operational principles which ensure the full and unrestricted participation of private partners in such partnerships. Such principles should foster the continuation of the well-functioning ecosystems of industry, Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) and Universities.
To contribute to the discussion on these operating principles, the signatory organisations share their views on the following four principles.
- Funding rate & IKOP (In-Kind contribution for Operational Activities) methodology – Need to ensure recognition of full in-kind contributions from industry, non-profit and SMEs
- Need to ensure a sufficiently broad scope of eligible IKAA (In-Kind contributions for Additional Activities)
- Need to limit the financial contributions to 50% of the running costs of the JU
- Need to clarify questions on private members’ commitment & avoid any conflict of interest for private members
As the partnerships can contribute significantly to solving the industrial problems of the Covid-19 crisis and at the same time to achieving the Commission’s objectives (Green Deal, Digitisation), especially through the interaction of industry, RTOs, universities and SMEs, addressing the above-mentioned issues is essential to ensure the smooth operating of partnerships and in particular the protection of established ecosystems, which is a central issue in the preparation of Horizon Europe.
It is our strong belief that only when we join forces we are able to meet the Commission’s goals. That is why we are proud to present you with our Joint paper on “Critical aspects of operational principles for (institutionalised) partnerships in HE” co-signed by 6 associations (EREA, EASN, ASD, EACP, EUREC and HER) and which can be found here.