Project management in Horizon 2020

The project consortium is responsible for carrying out the respective project. Good project management is therefore essential for smooth and successful implementation. The following information gives you an overview of the most important legal and financial steps to be followed in Horizon 2020 projects. Detailed information can be found on the relevant linked pages.

 

Comprehensive information on grant management can be found in the Online Manual of the EU Commission.
 

Coordinator vs. beneficiary

Each Horizon 2020 consortium must appoint a coordinator from among the beneficiaries. The coordinator acts as the communication hub between the EU Commission (i.e. the Project Officer) and the project consortium and must fulfil specific duties in this role (see article 41 of the Grant Agreement (GA)).
 

Reporting and payment requests

More detailed information can be found under "Reporting".

Key deadlines for the submission of reports and for grant payments:

Reporting and payment deadlines
What? Deadline art. GA Notes
Interim Report
 
within 60 days after the end of the reporting period 20.3  
Final Report
 
within 60 days after the end of the last reporting period 20.4  
Pre-financing Payment
 
within 30 days 21.2 either from the entry into force of the GA or from 10 days before the starting date of the action (whichever is the latest)
Interim Payment within 90 days from receiving the periodic report 21.3  
Balance Payment within 90 days from receiving the final report 21.4  

 
Amendments

More detailed information can be found under "Amendments".
 

Consortium Agreement

More detailed information can be found under "Consortium Agreement".
 

Publication and dissemination of project results

More detailed information can be found under "Open Access" and "Open Data".
 

Key deadlines related to intellectual property:

Notice periods for intellectual property
What? Deadline art. GA Notes
Granting of non-exclusive licences with joint ownership of other beneficiaries at least 45 days before granting 26.2 Notification of the other joint owners
Intention to stop protecting results/extending the protection of results at least 60 days before the end of protection 26.4.2 Notification of the European Commission (with justification)
Dissemination of own results at least 45 days before dissemination 29.1 Notification of the other beneficiaries
Transfer of ownership on own results at least 45 days before transfer 30.1. Notification of those beneficiaries with access rights to these results

 

Promoting the project and visibility of EU funding

The beneficiaries must promote the project and its results and provide information to a wider public. This also includes ensuring visibility of EU funding by displaying the EU emblem AND including the text set out in the GA.

Sticker templates providing reference to EU funding can be found in the Online Manual of the EU Commission.
 

More detailed information can be found in the Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA), article 38.
 

Checks, reviews and audits by the EU Commission

  • "Checks"
    Purely internal checks allow the EU Commission to examine all aspects of the project. If the result calls for a more detailed examination the check may be followed by a review or an audit.
     
  • "Reviews"
    The EU commission reviews the technical implementation of the project, which may, however, also include financial and budgetary aspects. The results are included in a review report.
     
  • "Audits"
    As a rule audits primarily focus on the financial implementation of the project by a beneficiary, but may also cover other areas, e.g. technical aspects. The results are documented in a final audit report and a letter of audit conclusions (LoC).

    More detailed information can be found under "Audits".


Please note: Also eventual third parties may be subject to a check, review or audit! As a beneficiary, you should therefore (contractually) ensure that the EU Commission can exercise these rights against any third party. In this respect you may use our Sideletter as template.

 
Overview of deadlines related to checks, reviews and audits:

Periods related to checks, reviews and audits
What? Deadline art. GA Notes
Keeping of records and other supporting documentation until 5 years after the final payment 18.1 low value grants lower or equal to 60.000 €: 3 years
Keeping during on-going checks, audits, reviews etc. until the end of these procedures 18.1  
Implementation of checks unlimited 22.1.1  
Implementation of reviews until 2 years after the final payment 22.1.2  
Implementation of audits until 2 years after the final payment 22.1.3  
Checks and audits by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) unlimited 22.3  
Impact evaluation until 5 years after the final payment 23.1 low value grants lower or equal to 60.000 €: 3 years

Records to be preserved in the 7th Framework Programme (FP7): at least 5 years after the END of the project!

 

Support for a successful project!

All important legal documents required for successful implementation of your project are available within the Reference Documents of the EU Commission:

  • The (General) Model Grant Agreement (GA) is the standard MGA concluded between the EU Commission and the beneficiaries and is thus indispensable for any Horizon 2020 project. The content is adapted to the respective project and comes into effect upon signature.
    Please note: In addition to the standard MGA, there are special regulations for some specific project types (e.g. MSCA, SME Instrument, ERA-NET Cofund).
  • We recommend consulting the Annotated Model Grant Agreement (AGA) for better understanding. This guide issued by the EU Commission provides annotations and guidance on the interpretation of the MGA (examples etc.).
  • The content of the AGA was integrated into the EU Commission’s Online Manual, which can be found on the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. For all project participants who need quick access to specific information!
     

More information about minimum conditions for participation and the funding rates can be found on our relevant pages.

Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal

Communication between Horizon 2020 project consortia and the EU Commission takes place via an electronic platform, the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. The portal enables the submission of applications or reports and regulates all matters arising during the duration of the project, through to the final report. The portal offers comprehensive information about Horizon 2020 and other project participations, while also helping to manage the project-specific part via an ECAS account accessed through personal login details. This portal is also used for registering the organisation, which is an indispensable requirement for carrying out a project, and for role assignment.

Helpful information on the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal:

 

Detailed information on the individual management steps to be followed during project implementation can be found …

  • in the information document of PwC und Technopolis Group "How to successfully manage a Horizon 2020-funded project"

Contact

Mag. Martin BAUMGARTNER
Mag. Martin BAUMGARTNER T 0043577554008
Mag. Tamara-Katharina MITISKA
Mag. Tamara-Katharina MITISKA T 0043577554009
Robert WOREL
Robert WOREL T 0043577554611