Negotiation and conclusion of the agreement
For most Horizon Europe projects, the conclusion of a Consortium Agreement is mandatory (unless explicitly waived in the work programme). The CA should be signed before the Grant Agreement.
The Consortium Agreement is a private contract between the project partners. The European Commission is not a party to it and does not review or approve its content.
In practice, consortia usually rely on established model agreements (e.g. DESCA, MCARD-HEU, EUCAR), which are then adapted to the specific project, such as.
The DESCA Core Group provides a general model for both actual cost and lump sum projects, and a version with specific provisions for associated partners.
Costs for drafting the Consortium Agreement are not eligible, but for revisions during the project may be eligible.
Content of the agreement
The Consortium Agreement must not contradict the Grant Agreement (in case of conflict, the GA prevails). It may complement and further specify GA provisions and – where explicitly allowed – adapt them (e.g. “default rules”).
The Description of the Action (Annex 1 of the GA) is binding and must be reflected in the CA.
Typical content:
- General provisions: definitions, entry into force, duration, applicable law (often Belgian law)
- Obligations of the partners: compliance with deadlines (deliverables, reports), information duties, participation in meetings, consequences of non-compliance
- Governance and decision-making: structure and responsibilities of consortium bodies, meetings, voting rules
- Financial provisions: distribution of funding, payment modalities (e.g. instalments of pre-financing), handling of receipts and financial risks
- Intellectual property provisions: background, access rights, ownership and exploitation of results
- Other provisions: liability, confidentiality, dispute resolution
Further information