Support measure for participation in ‘Horizon Europe’ brokerage events

CONTENTS

Purpose
Amount of support
Terms and conditions
Applying for the grant and evaluation
Grant allocation
De minimis procedure
Documents

Purpose
The aim of the grant is to increase the application activity of Estonian institutions in the framework programme “European Horizon”. Support can be requested to reimburse travel expenses to participate in brokerage events organised under Pillar II of the European Horizon, including missions and EU partnerships calls. Potential coordinators who have an idea for a proposal and are looking for partners with the right competences, as well as organisations willing to offer their skills and expertise, are invited to participate in the brokerage events. This action will support the participation in those brokerage events which take place locally in another European country and which are aimed at the participation in the ‘European Horizon’ Pillar II clusters, missions and EU partnerships calls.

List of eligible brokerage events

Amount of support
The maximum rate is €1000 per participant.

Terms and conditions
Support can be applied for by legal entities and institutions registered in Estonia (e.g. universities, companies, local authorities, NGOs) to cover their staff’s costs related to the participation in the “European Horizon” Pillar II and Missions brokerage event.

The measure is open all year round. Applications will be assessed and award decisions will be made once a month on the basis of the applications received during the previous calendar month. The decision will be notified within 10 working days of the beginning of the calendar month following the month in which the application was submitted.

Preference will be given to applications where the applicant takes an active role in the brokerage event and the proposed European Horizon project:
– is the coordinator of the ‘European Horizon’ application;
– is leading a work package;
– and/or will give a presentation at the brokerage event.

In addition, preference will be given to individuals and institutions that have not yet successfully participated in the Framework Programme (‘Horizon 2020’ or ‘Horizon Europe’).

A maximum of five travel grants will be awarded per brokerage event, including a maximum of three grants per organisation. Subject to the availability of funds and in duly justified cases, ETAG reserves the right to grant exceptions to these limits.

Applying for the grant and evaluation
A digitally signed application in Estonian or English must be submitted by the applicant’s representative or by a member of staff participating in the partnership event to etag@etag.ee. The application shall be made electronically using the form provided. If the applicant is a company, a de minimis form must be completed in addition to the application. The form can be downloaded HERE. 

Applications will be evaluated by a committee set up by the Estonian Research Council. The committee will assess the eligibility of the application and will base its assessment on the priority criteria described in point 3. The committee will make a proposal to the Director General of ETAG to accept or reject the application.

Grant allocation
The decision to approve or reject an application shall be confirmed by a directive of the ETAG Management Board.

If the application is successful, the organisation submits a claim for compensation to ETAG within three months after participating in the brokerage event. The claim for reimbursement shall be accompanied by supporting documents (airline or other means of transport tickets, including boarding passes, accommodation invoice, per diem). The claim must be accompanied by a feedback form completed by the participant to enable ETAG to assess the impact of the support measure.

N.B. If the claim documents do not meet the requirements, the costs will not be reimbursed.

De minimis procedure
If the applicant is an company within the meaning of the state aid rules, the aid is granted as de minimis aid within the meaning of § 33 of the Competition Act. De minimis aid is specified in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No. 1407/2013 of the European Commission.

ETAG is obliged to check that the de minimis aid granted to the applicant does not exceed the de minimis ceiling (EUR 300 000 over three fiscal years). If the de minimis ceiling is reached, the grant application will be rejected.

Documents
Application form (Brokerage event travel support)
Report form (Brokerage event travel support)
Claim for reimbursement of costs (in Estonian – will be updated soon)

The terms and conditions of the support measure are approved by the Management Board directive No. 1.1-4/23/47 on 3 April 2023.

Contact:

Priit Kilgas
Adviser
Phone: +372 5909 4883
priit.kilgas@etag.ee

The action is funded by the Horizon Europe project NCP_WIDERA.NET.