💰 Funding Details

Research Infrastructure Services to Enable Health-Related R&I (HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-01)

Core Facts

* Type of Action: HORIZON-RIA (Research & Innovation Action)

* Maximum EU contribution per grant: €45 million

* Single-stage deadline: 18 September 2025, 17:00 Brussels time (submission opens 06 May 2025)

* Mandatory focus: Provide trans-national and/or virtual access to existing European research infrastructures (RIs) for one of three health-domain areas:

1. *Epidemic countermeasures* (Area 1)

2. *Paediatric clinical research* (Area 2)

3. *Environmental factors & human health* (Area 3)

Expected Outcome (all proposals)

* Integrated, customised and efficient RI services that strengthen Europe’s long-term problem-solving capacity in the health domain.

* Evidence-based inputs for EU policy making.

* FAIR, GDPR-compliant data made available via EOSC-compatible platforms.

Mandatory Ingredients

* ≥1 ESFRI Landmark or ERIC as beneficiary (or hosting legal entity).

* Clear list of services/ installations and the units of access offered.

* Access provision activities must dominate the budget (>50 % is a good rule of thumb).

* Outreach plan targeting widening countries and industry (incl. SMEs).

* Data management & interoperability plan aligned with EOSC and relevant global standards.

Funding Nuances

* Unit-cost scheme for access is available (Annex 2a HE MGA).

* Entities from several non-EU countries (e.g. USA, Japan) are exceptionally eligible if they provide complementary RI access.

* No long-term instrument development; only short-term (<3 yr) service optimisation is eligible.

Why This Matters for your country

* Opportunity to showcase your country’s RIs on a pan-European stage.

* Leverage your country’s strong industrial base to attract SME users.

* Drive alignment with your country national health and One-Health strategies.

📊 Evaluation Criteria

How Your Proposal Will Be Judged

Excellence (Threshold 4/5)

* Access quality & novelty: Are the offered services state-of-the-art and complementary?

* Integration: How effectively do you facilitate seamless, single-entry access across multiple RIs?

* Flexibility: Capacity to pivot RI services during outbreaks or regulatory shifts.

Impact (Threshold 4/5)

* Area-specific outcomes: Direct, measurable contribution to epidemic preparedness, paediatric therapies, or exposome evidence.

* Policy uptake: Clear pathways for results to feed into ECDC, EMA, HERA, or DG ENV.

* Industry competitiveness: Tangible benefits for European SMEs (e.g. reduced time-to-clinic).

* Sustainability: Robust post-grant model and integration with ESFRI / ERIC roadmaps.

Quality & Efficiency of Implementation (Threshold 3/5)

* Work-plan realism: Coherent work packages, milestones, risk matrix (including biosecurity for Area 1).

* Governance: Transparent decision-making, user selection panels, ethics advisory board.

* Resources: Adequate staff/time allocation and use of unit-cost access scheme.

Portfolio Consideration

Even a high-scoring proposal may lose if another area remains uncovered; ensure yours is top-ranked within its chosen area.

📝 Application Strategy

Winning Strategy for Your Proposal

1. Choose the Right Area — and Stick to It

Only one area per proposal is allowed. Align your consortium’s strength with the area-specific expected outcomes and avoid scope drift.

2. Build a Consortium that Embodies "Integrated Access"

* Horizontal breadth: mix of complementary RIs (biobanks, clinical networks, BSL-3 labs, exposome platforms, etc.).

* Vertical depth: service providers plus end-users (academia, SMEs, public health bodies) to prove demand and co-design services.

* Include at least one partner from your country to maximise national impact.

3. Allocate Budget Wisely

* Aim for ≥55 % of direct costs on access provision (unit costs + user support).

* Reserve ~10 % for service improvement & harmonisation (short-term R&D only).

* Cap management at ≤7 %.

4. Master Access Workflows

* Describe end-to-end user journey: call launch → eligibility check → RI matchmaking → access → data deposition.

* Embed fast-track lanes for epidemic emergencies (Area 1) or rare paediatric cases (Area 2).

5. Data & Ethics by Design

* Map data flows to GDPR Art. 9 derogations and national derogations in your country.

* Commit to FAIR & EOSC onboarding within 6 months of project start.

6. Sustainability & Legacy

* Present a business/ governance model (e.g. fee-for-service, ERIC integration, joint venture) that keeps the RI network alive post-grant.

7. External Alignment

* Cross-reference synergies with ISIDORe, EHEN, PARC, IHI, etc.

* Obtain letters of support from ECDC, EMA Paediatric Committee, or national health ministries in your country.

💡 Success Factors

Single-Entry Access Portal

A user-friendly online portal acting as **one-stop shop** for service catalogue, application, tracking, and data deposition dramatically improves excellence and impact scores.

Letters of Demand from End-Users

Attach **pre-commitments** from SMEs, hospitals or public health institutes in your country to demonstrate concrete demand and ensure high access uptake.

Rapid-Response Service Package

For Area 1, describe a **"24-hour activation"** mechanism that reallocates BSL-3 capacity during outbreaks, showcasing flexibility.

Harmonised Ethics & GDPR Toolbox

Provide template consent forms, cross-border data-transfer agreements and an **EU-level ethics helpdesk**, reducing barriers for paediatric or exposome studies.

Integrated Training Academy

Offer hands-on and virtual courses on RI use and data stewardship, building a **next-generation talent pipeline** and boosting long-term sustainability.

Clear Post-Grant Business Model

Detail a path toward **ERIC membership, service fees, or national co-funding** ensuring RI network longevity beyond the 4-year project.

❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring the 50 %+ Access Provision Rule

Proposals that spend the bulk of the budget on technology development rather than **actual user access** are deemed **out of scope and ineligible**.

Mixing Multiple Areas in One Proposal

The topic explicitly requires **one area only**. Blending paediatrics with environmental exposome dilutes excellence scores and fails the scope test.

Missing ESFRI/ERIC Representation

Evaluators flag proposals lacking an **ESFRI Landmark or ERIC** partner as non-compliant with the call’s integration objective.

Weak Data Governance Plan

Generic statements like "we will follow FAIR principles" without detailing **GDPR lawful basis, metadata standards, and EOSC onboarding steps** score poorly under Impact.

Underestimating Outreach to Widening Countries

Failing to earmark budget and KPIs for engaging users from **your country and other widening regions** lowers the societal impact assessment.

No Contingency for Biosecurity/Ethics

Especially in Area 1, omitting a **bio-risk mitigation plan and dual-use screening** can trigger ethical show-stoppers.

Research infrastructure services to enable R&I addressing main challenges and EU priorities related to the health domain

Quick Facts for Spain Applicants

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