Evaluation Criteria – What Reviewers Will Score

All Horizon-Europe CSA proposals are assessed on three main criteria (score 0-5, threshold 3 each; overall threshold 10). Because only one project can be funded, near-perfect scores plus clear differentiation are required.

1. Excellence

- Clarity & pertinence of objectives – direct, measurable response to every bullet in the topic scope.

- Soundness of methodology – robust, step-wise processes for Roadmap drafting, evaluations, monitoring, impact analysis.

- Credibility of open-source approach – licence choice, repository governance, community adoption plans.

- Interdisciplinarity & innovation – e.g., AI-driven landscaping, data-visualisation dashboards, novel foresight methods.

2. Impact

- Contribution to expected outcomes – quantified efficiency gains, strengthened RI ecosystem, ERA competitiveness metrics.

- Scale & significance of impacts – pan-European coverage, policy uptake, global visibility.

- Measures to maximise impacts – detailed communication, exploitation, stakeholder-engagement & sustainability plans.

- Barriers & mitigation – political, technical, legal risks and contingency measures; alignment with ERA, EOSC, cohesion funds.

3. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation

- Coherence & effectiveness of work plan – logical WPs, milestones, deliverables; built-in flexibility mechanism with ESFRI.

- Consortium competence & complementarity – proven ESFRI expertise, RI management skills, policy outreach, ICT capabilities.

- Appropriateness of resources & budget – realistic lump-sum allocations, clear link between resources and outputs.

- Management structures & decision-making – roles, risk management, quality assurance, gender equality measures.

4. Additional Observations Reviewers May Use

- Open Science & Data Management compliance.

- Synergies with other Horizon calls, Cohesion funding, national RI roadmaps.

- EU added value & subsidiarity – why centralised ESFRI support cannot be achieved at national level alone.

Aim for ≥4.5 average per criterion to secure the single available grant.

Application Strategy – How to Win HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-04

1. Build an Unassailable Consortium

- Core leadership: ESFRI Secretariat or a national ESFRI delegation willing to act as coordinator.

- Strategic partners:

• National funding agencies and RI ministries (policy alignment).

• Existing ESFRI/ERIC infrastructures (hands-on experience).

• ICT & data-analytics specialists (monitoring platform, dashboards).

• Science communication professionals (events, branding, media).

• Impact-assessment experts (socio-economic analysis).

• JRC – include early to leverage their infrastructure management know-how.

- Governance: create an Executive Committee mirroring ESFRI’s own structure; integrate an ESFRI Liaison Board for fast task reprioritisation.

2. Design a Work Plan that Mirrors the Scope

- WP1 – Project & Liaison Management (incl. dynamic task-change protocol with ESFRI).

- WP2 – Roadmap & Landscape Production (methodology, timetable, editing, publication).

- WP3 – Evaluation & Monitoring Services (expert pool, ICT portal, KPIs).

- WP4 – Analytical & Foresight Capacity (trend studies, policy briefs, RI sustainability).

- WP5 – Communication, Outreach & Stakeholder Forum (events calendar, ESFRI Days, media tool-kit).

- WP6 – Impact Assessment (Third-Party Contract) – Terms of Reference, tender, supervision.

- WP7 – Open-Source Software Development & Maintenance (Git repository, licence compliance, user support).

3. Master the Lump-Sum Logic

- Bottom-up costing: estimate real costs per task, add contingency (<10 %), map to lump-sum work packages.

- Payment schedule: link instalments to clearly verifiable deliverables (e.g., Roadmap publication, annual monitoring report, major conference).

- Risk reserve: dedicate a small share of the lump sum to “ad-hoc ESFRI requests” to demonstrate flexibility.

4. Maximise Impact

- Show how the project reduces ESFRI overheads and accelerates decision-making (e.g., digital submission portal cutting evaluation time by 30 %).

- Quantify stakeholder reach (e.g., 5 000 unique participants across events, 50 000 social-media impressions/month).

- Outline sustainability: transition of tools & know-how to ESFRI after project end.

5. Excellence Tips

- Reference prior Horizon projects (e.g., ESFRI-PPP, RI-PATHS) as technical heritage.

- Embed open science principles (FAIR data, open-source code repository, AI-based text mining for landscape analysis).

- Provide a skills-development programme for RI managers (summer schools, webinars) to align with INFRADEV’s HR focus.

6. Submission Essentials

- Follow the Part B 45-page limit strictly; use annexes only where allowed.

- Address each expected outcome explicitly in a dedicated subsection with measurable KPIs.

- Include Letters of Commitment from ESFRI Chair, national ministries, EOSC Association, and JRC (if involved).

7. Timeline Management

- Freeze consortium by January 2025.

- Draft full proposal by June 2025; internal review loop in July; final edits August; submit early September (avoid rush hour on the portal).