This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.
STRUCTURE of the PROPOSAL
1-Excellence – aspects to be taken into account.
− Clarity and pertinence of the project’s objectives, and the extent to which the proposed work is ambitious, and goes beyond the state of the art.
− Soundness of the proposed methodology, including the underlying concepts, models, assumptions, interdisciplinary approaches, appropriate consideration of the gender dimension in research and innovation content, and the quality of open science practices, including sharing and management of research outputs and engagement of citizens, civil society and end users where appropriate.
Part B - Page 7 of 23
1.The following aspects will be taken into account only to the extent that the proposed work is within the scope of the work programme topic.
1.1 Objectives and ambition [e.g. 4 pages]
• Briefly describe the objectives of your proposed work. Why are they pertinent to the work programme topic? Are they measurable and verifiable? Are they realistically achievable?
• Describe how your project goes beyond the state-of-the-art, and the extent the proposed work is ambitious. Indicate any exceptional ground-breaking R&I, novel concepts and approaches, new products, services or business and organisational models. Where relevant, illustrate the advance by referring to products and services already available on the market. Refer to any patent or publication search carried out.
• Describe where the proposed work is positioned in terms of R&I maturity (i.e. where it is situated in the spectrum from ‘idea to application’, or from ‘lab to market’). Where applicable, provide an indication of the Technology Readiness Level, if possible distinguishing the start and by the end of the project. Please bear in mind that advances beyond the state of the art must be interpreted in the light of the positioning of the project. Expectations will not be the same for RIAs at lower TRL, compared with Innovation Actions at high TRLs.
1.2-Methodology  [e.g. 14 pages]
• Describe and explain the overall methodology, including the concepts, models and assumptions that underpin your work. Explain how this will enable you to deliver your project’s objectives. Refer to any important challenges you may have identified in the chosen methodology and how you intend to overcome them. [e.g. 10 pages]
   This section should be presented as a narrative. The detailed tasks and work packages are described below under ‘Implementation’.
   Where relevant, include how the project methodology complies with the ‘do no significant harm’ principle as per Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment (i.e. the so-called 'EU Taxonomy Regulation'). This means that the methodology is designed in a way it is not significantly harming any of the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy Regulation.
   If you plan to use, develop and/or deploy artificial intellingence (AI) based systems and/or techniques you must demonstrate their technical robustness. AI-based systems or techniques should be, or be developed to become:
technically robust, accurate and reproducible, and able to deal with and inform about possible failures, inaccuracies and errors, proportionate to the assessed risk they pose
• socially robust, in that they duly consider the context and environment in which they operate
• reliable and function as intended, minimizing unintentional and unexpected harm, preventing unacceptable harm and safeguarding the physical and mental integrity of humans
• able to provide a suitable explanation of their decision-making processes, whenever they can have a significant impact on people’s lives.
• Describe any national or international research and innovation activities whose results will feed into the project, and how that link will be established; [e.g. 1 page]
• Explain how expertise and methods from different disciplines will be brought together and integrated in pursuit of your objectives. If you consider that an inter-disciplinary approach is unnecessary in the context of the proposed work, please provide a justification. [e.g. 1/2 page]
• For topics where the work programme indicates the need for the integration of social sciences and humanities, show the role of these disciplines in the project or provide a justification if you consider that these disciplines are not relevant to your proposed project. [e.g. 1/2 page]
• Describe how the gender dimension (i.e. sex and/or gender analysis) is taken into account in the project’s research and innovation content [e.g. 1 page]. If you do not consider such a gender dimension to be relevant in your project, please provide a justification. Note: This section is mandatory except for topics which have been identified in the work programme as not requiring the integration of the gender dimension into R&I content. Remember that that this question relates to the content of the planned research and innovation activities, and not to gender balance in the teams in charge of carrying out the project. Sex and gender analysis refers to biological characteristics and social/cultural factors respectively. For guidance on methods of sex / gender analysis and the issues to be taken into account, please refer to https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/gendered-innovations-2-2020-nov-24_en
• Describe how appropriate open science practices are implemented as an integral part of the proposed methodology. Show how the choice of practices and their implementation are adapted to the nature of your work, in a way that will increase the chances of the project delivering on its objectives [e.g. 1 page]. If you believe that none of these practices are appropriate for your project, please provide a justification here. Open science is an approach based on open cooperative work and systematic sharing of knowledge and tools as early and widely as possible in the process. Open science practices include early and open sharing of research (for example through preregistration, registered reports, pre-prints, or crowd-sourcing); research output management; measures to ensure reproducibility of research outputs; providing open access to research outputs (such as publications, data, software, models, algorithms, and workflows); participation in open peer-review; and involving all relevant knowledge actors including citizens, civil society and end users in the co-creation of R&I agendas and contents (such as citizen science). Please note that this question does not refer to outreach actions that may be planned as part of communication, dissemination and exploitation activities. These aspects should instead be described below under ‘Impact’.
• Research data management and management of other research outputs: Applicants generating/collecting data and/or other research outputs (except for publications) during the project must provide maximum 1 page on how the data/ research outputs will be managed in line with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), addressing the following (the description should be specific to your project): [1 page]
Types of data/research outputs (e.g. experimental, observational, images, text, numerical) and their estimated size; if applicable, combination with, and provenance of, existing data.
Findability of data/research outputs: Types of persistent and unique identifiers (e.g. digital object identifiers) and trusted repositories that will be used.
Accessibility of data/research outputs: IPR considerations and timeline for open access (if open access not provided, explain why); provisions for access to restricted data for verification purposes.
Interoperability of data/research outputs: Standards, formats and vocabularies for data and metadata.
Reusability of data/research outputs: Licenses for data sharing and re-use (e.g. Creative Commons, Open Data Commons); availability of tools/software/models for data generation and validation/interpretation /re-use.
Curation and storage/preservation costs; person/team responsible for data management and quality assurance. Proposals selected for funding under Horizon Europe will need to develop a detailed data management plan (DMP) for making their data/research outputs findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) as a deliverable by month 6 and revised towards the end of a project’s lifetime. For guidance on open science practices and research data management, please refer to the relevant section of the HE Programme Guide on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. Impact Your estimate must relate to this project only - the effect of other initiatives should not be taken into account.
(c) Describe any requirements and potential barriers - arising from factors beyond the scope and duration of the project - that may determine whether the desired outcomes and impacts are achieved. These may include, for example, other R&I work within and beyond Horizon Europe; regulatory environment; targeted markets; user behaviour. Indicate if these factors might evolve over time. Describe any mitigating measures you propose, within or beyond your project, that could be needed should your assumptions prove to be wrong, or to address identified barriers. Note that this does not include the critical risks inherent to the management of the project itself , which should be described below under ‘Implementation’.
2.2 Measures to maximise impact - Dissemination, exploitation and communication #@COM-DIS-VIS-CDV@# [e.g. 5 pages, including section 2.3]
• Describe the planned measures to maximise the impact of your project by providing a first version of your ‘plan for the dissemination and exploitation including communication activities’. Describe the dissemination, exploitation and communication measures that are planned, and the target group(s) addressed (e.g. scientific community, end users, financial actors, public at large). Please remember that this plan is an admissibility condition, unless the work programme topic explicitly states otherwise. In case your proposal is selected for funding, a more detailed ‘plan for dissemination and exploitation including communication activities’ will need to be provided as a mandatory project deliverable within 6 months after signature date. This plan shall be periodically updated in alignment with the project’s progress. Communication1 measures should promote the project throughout the full lifespan of the project. The aim is to inform and reach out to society and show the activities performed, and the use and the benefits the project will have for citizens. Activities must be strategically planned, with clear objectives, start at the outset and continue through the lifetime of the project. The description of the communication activities needs to state the main messages as well as the tools and channels that will be used to reach out to each of the chosen target groups. All measures should be proportionate to the scale of the project, and should contain concrete actions to be implemented both during and after the end of the project, e.g. standardisation activities. Your plan should give due consideration to the possible follow-up of your project, once it is finished. In the justification, explain why each measure chosen is best suited to reach the target group addressed. Where relevant, and for innovation actions, in particular, describe the measures for a plausible path to commercialise the innovations. If exploitation is expected primarily in non-associated third countries, justify by explaining how that exploitation is still in the Union’s interest. Describe possible feedback to policy measures generated by the project that will contribute to designing, monitoring, reviewing and rectifying (if necessary) existing policy and programmatic measures or shaping and supporting the implementation of new policy initiatives and decisions.
• Outline your strategy for the management of intellectual property, foreseen protection measures, such as patents, design rights, copyright, trade secrets, etc., and how these would be used to support exploitation. If your project is selected, you will need an appropriate consortium agreement to manage (amongst other things) the ownership and access to key knowledge (IPR, research data etc.). Where relevant, these will allow you, collectively and individually, to pursue market opportunities arising from the project. If your project is selected, you must indicate the owner(s) of the results (results ownership list) in the final periodic report.
2.3 Summary
Provide a summary of this section by presenting in the canvas below the key elements of your project impact pathway and of the measures to maximise its impact.
3. Quality and efficiency of the implementation #@QUA-LIT-QL@# #@WRK-PLA-WP@#
Quality and efficiency of the implementation – aspects to be taken into account
‒ Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, assessment of risks, and appropriateness of the effort assigned to work packages, and the resources overall
‒ Capacity and role of each participant, and extent to which the consortium as a whole brings together the necessary expertise.
3.1 Work plan and resources [e.g. 14 pages (19 pages for topics using lump sum funding) – including tables]
Please provide the following:
• brief presentation of the overall structure of the work plan;
• timing of the different work packages and their components (Gantt chart or similar);
• graphical presentation of the components showing how they inter-relate (Pert chart or similar).
• detailed work description, i.e.:
o a list of work packages (table 3.1a);
o a description of each work package (table 3.1b);
o a list of deliverables (table 3.1c); Give full details. Base your account on the logical structure of the project and the stages in which it is to be carried out. The number of work packages should be proportionate to the scale and complexity of the project. You should give enough detail in each work package to justify the proposed resources to be allocated and also quantified information so that progress can be monitored, including by the Commission Resources assigned to work packages should be in line with their objectives and deliverables. You are advised to include a distinct work package on ‘project management’, and to give due visibility in the work plan to ‘data management’ ‘dissemination and exploitation’ and ‘communication activities’, either with distinct tasks or distinct work packages. You will be required to update the ‘plan for the dissemination and exploitation of results including communication activities’, and a ‘data management plan’, (this does not apply to topics where a plan was not required.) This should include a record of activities related to dissemination and exploitation that have been undertaken and those still planned. Please make sure the information in this section matches the costs as stated in the budget table in section 3 of the application forms, and the number of person months, shown in the detailed work package descriptions.
• a list of milestones (table 3.1d);
• a list of critical risks, relating to project implementation, that the stated project's objectives may not be achieved. Detail any risk mitigation measures. You will be able to update the list of critical risks and mitigation measures as the project progresses (table 3.1e);
a table showing number of person months required (table 3.1f);
• a table showing description and justification of subcontracting costs for each participant (table 3.1g);
• a table showing justifications for ‘purchase costs’ (table 3.1h) for participants where those costs exceed 15% of the personnel costs (according to the budget table in proposal part A);
• if applicable, a table showing justifications for ‘other costs categories’ (table 3.1i);
• if applicable, a table showing in-kind contributions from third parties (table 3.1j)
3.2 Capacity of participants and consortium as a whole [e.g. 3 pages]
The individual participants of the consortium are described in a separate section under Part A. There is no need to repeat that information here.
• Describe the consortium. How does it match the project’s objectives, and bring together the necessary disciplinary and inter-disciplinary knowledge? Show how this includes expertise in social sciences and humanities, open science practices, and gender aspects of R&I, as appropriate. Include in the description affiliated entities and associated partners, if any.
• Show how the partners will have access to critical infrastructure needed to carry out the project activities.
• Describe how the members complement one another (and cover the value chain, where appropriate)
• In what way does each of them contribute to the project? Show that each has a valid role, and adequate resources in the project to fulfil that role.
• If applicable, describe the industrial/commercial involvement in the project to ensure exploitation of the results and explain why this is consistent with and will help to achieve the specific measures which are proposed for exploitation of the results of the project (see section 2.2).
• Other countries and international organisations: If one or more of the participants requesting EU funding is based in a country or is an international organisation that is not automatically eligible for such funding (entities from Member States of the EU, from Associated Countries and from one of the countries in the exhaustive list included in the Work Programme General Annexes B are automatically eligible for EU funding), explain why the participation of the entity in question is essential to successfully carry out the project.