A project is defined as any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively (consortia) involving research, innovation or design. Projects are created through a grant agreement between the beneficiary (individual or a consortium) and the European Commission and includes funding from the 7th Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration activities (FP7), Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe.
A Project Group is defined as a collaboration of several projects with certain commonalities that allow for joint dissemination.
Services are free of charge for single project or project groups from which at least one project was funded under FP7, H2020 or HE, ongoing or closed.
The European Commission will be responsible for the evaluation of all application received.
For more information contact: booster@meta-group.com
The Horizon Results Booster services are all delivered through the support of the on-line platform, from the application phase up to the end of the service. This does not mean that physical meetings will not be part of the service delivery when needed.
The platform allows you to:
- prepare and submit your application to the HRB services
- share documents and files with experts during the service delivery
- always monitor the progresses of your service delivery
- visualize your Service Delivery Plan
- interact with experts through topics
All people which will be involved during the service delivery should be registered on the platform.
Personal data will be managed according to the GDPR. All experts and users other than project partners have signed a Confidentiality Agreement protecting the disclosure of confidential information on the projects.
Yes, it is the average duration of the service. Please note that it does not correspond to the efforts required by the beneficiaries.
HRB services can be requested until May 2024
It is the project (not only the coordinator)
The services are available for all ongoing and closed projects or project groups under any area of FP7, H2020 or Horizon Europe.
Projects funded by other Programmes than FP7, H2020 and HE are eligible too, provided that they join a Project Group led by a project funded under FP7 and H2020. Only projects funded under FP7, H2020 and HE can submit the application to request the Horizon Results Booster services.
Geographical residence of the applicants (i.e. applicants from UK) is not evaluated when checking eligibility. It is the project which will be evaluated, not the organisation.
When checking their eligibility, the European Commission will also evaluate motivation, commitment and maturity of results of applying projects/project groups based on the services they requested.
Applications can be sent by anyone within an eligible project by filling in the application form available at the following link:
The online application form is the only way to officially request the Horizon Results Booster services.
To fill in the application form, you will be asked to register to the platform. This will allow you to log off, log on and complete the application at your convenience.
Please note that the following information will be also required to register to the platform before accessing the application form:
Project consortia can benefit from a typology of the Horizon Results Booster services only once. They can request more than one typology of services, which can be requested altogether or in different moments.
Once applications are submitted, they are verified by the European Commission for eligibility. If they are considered eligible, the Horizon Results Booster Team proposes experts for the service delivery, which have to be approved by the European Commission. During this period, you can always see your applications by entering the HRB platform.
When experts are approved by the European Commission, the Horizon Results Boster platform sends an automatic notification to both the appointed experts and the applicants. Your applications become Services. From this moment, the service delivery can start.
From the date of the automatic notification, the expert generally sends an e-mail to the applicants in 7-10 working days to schedule a "preliminary call", which is used to better introduce the services and agree on a more detailed Service Delivery Plan (scheduling all activities to be implemented).
It is preferable to start the HRB service delivery once there is a clear idea of the results of the project. This is not connected to TRL but to the readiness of the involved partners in carrying on dissemination/exploitation activities.
We suggest for example PDES-A and PDES-C (entry point services) to be started around M6.
Applications can be submitted by anyone in the consortium. It is suggested anyway to inform the Project Coordinator and the other partners about the application.
You can apply to each HRB service once. Please note that if you request a Module C and/or a BPD you are not allowed to ask immediately for a G2M service, but you will be allowed when Module C and/or BPD delivery will be completed.
If your project is ready (you have an exploitation plan/draft business plan), you can request G2M services directly.
Yes, you can apply to Horizon Results Booster at any time, there is no application deadline. HRB will be up and running until 2024, or until there is budget available.
Yes. All ongoing and closed FP7 and H2020 can apply.
It is not a competitive type of programme. Each application is checked as stand-alone.
Applications can be sent by anyone within an eligible project by filling in the application form available at the following link:
The online application form is the only way to officially request the Horizon Results Booster services.
No, it is not necessary to be constituted as a company. As a MSCA-IF, you can apply as a single project. Please note that you will need to indicate the project number/reference.
To apply for Module A, it is not necessary to be an already created Project Group. You can apply both as an individual project and as a Project Group. In case you are an individual project, you will be supported in creating a Project Group during Module A.
Anyway, Project Groups can be formed by an initiative of beneficiaries without the support of HRB services and can apply as a Group to Module A. In this case, HRB services help in adding more projects to the Group and finalizing the Portfolio of Research Results.
Yes, you can apply. It is suggested to inform your partners that you would like to submit an application to HRB services. Please note the Module A and Module B will not support you with your individual dissemination plan. These services will support you with joint dissemination with other projects.
A project in reserve list is not funded officially yet. So it is not eligible for HRB services
Yes of course they are eligible. They are funded by FP7, H2020 and HE
As far as funding of NEB projects comes from the Horizon Europe programme, they are eligible.
As far as the EIT HEI initiative is co-funded by FP7, H2020, projects are eligible.
Only those that do not respect the eligibility criteria. Timing of application is not a criterion for declining it.
Yes. HRB services are available to already funded projects under FP7, H2020 or HE. So once the project has been awarded by the EC, you can request the HRB services.
RFCS is not related to FP7, H2020 or HE unfortunately, so projects can not apply to HRB services. Anyway, you could join a Project Group which already requested an HRB service.
The eligiblity check is on the project as a whole (not at partner level). A project can request the same service only once.
But the different services can be requested by the same project, even if different partners from the same project will participate to the different services
Yes, you can!
There is not any priority. All eligible projects have the same priority.
Yes, they are eligible projects, since they are funded by H2020 or HE.
No time limit! SME Instrument funded project are eligible regardless from the date of its conclusion
Yes, you can request exploitation services but only as an individual project
This is useful for the experts to better get to know the project.
Please note that there is not any reason for not sharing the DoA. All experts signed a Confidentiality Agreement and they have the same level of confidentiality as the European Commission has
Yes, Project proposal (Part B)
No, you can apply even after the end of the project. All ongoing and closed FP7, H2020 and HE projects can apply.
The application has to be submitted on behalf of the project as a whole. Then, you can decide with the experts to focus just on one (or few) results during the service delivery, with the involvement of a small number of partners (participation of all partners is not mandatory).
All partners are encouraged to participate to the HRB services, especially those directly involved in dissemination/exploitation activities.
PDES-A refers to dissemination services and is generally preparatory for PDES-B (not for PDES_C). PDES-A and PDES-B are targeting Project Groups.
PDES-C can be accessed only as an individual project (not as a Project Group).
As an individual project you do not have to start necessarily with PDES-A. In parallel you can request a PDES-C (which has completely different objectives than PDES-A)
The services are available for all ongoing and closed projects or project groups under any area of FP7, H2020 or Horizon Europe (not only EIC).
Projects funded by other Programmes than FP7, H2020 and HE are eligible too, provided that they join a Project Group led by a project funded under FP7 and H2020. Only projects funded under FP7, H2020 and HE can submit the application to request the Horizon Results Booster services.
Geographical residence of the applicants (i.e. applicants from UK) is not evaluated when checking eligibility. It is the project which will be evaluated, not the organisation.
When checking their eligibility, the European Commission will also evaluate motivation, commitment and maturity of results of applying projects/project groups based on the services they requested.
Yes Phase 1 SME instrument are eligible.
Each project can request an HRB service only once. Obviously a project can request more than one typology of HRB service. Only under very particular circumstancies the EC can allow a project requesting the same HRB service more than once.
If your project includes EU-Restricted issues, they can not be shared. Anyway the limitation generally refers to the project deliverables and not the DoA itself. You may check with your PO.
However, to avoid any kind of possible breach of the restrictions, during the service you may focus on a project result that does not have the “restricted” label, learn how tools and methodologies should be applied and then apply the same methodology and tool by yourself to the restricted results.
There are not particular requirements to access entry services of the HRB (Service 1 - Module A and Module C). As far as your project started dealing with exploitation and dissemination, it can be considered ready for HRB services.
We generally suggest not to wait too much with the request of HRB services because they provide support to design the right exploitation and joint dissemination strategies. To access PDES B you need to have a Project Group already created and a joint portfolio of results or you need to come from a completed PDES A.
To access BPD you need to have at least a draft business plan/exploitation plan or to come from a completed PDES C.
First, we would recommend you to visit the Horizon Results Booster website to read more about the different packages: https://www.horizonresultsbooster.eu/about.
Upon evaluation of your application, if needed, the HRB team may recommend you to switch to another Module of services.
This can be done also by the experts, once the service started and they had a more precise assessment of your project.
The level of TRL is not part of recommendation and/or requirement condition to receive the HRB services. The services can be helpful for project with low TRLs as well as for those with high TRL levels.
All typologies of FP7/H2020/HE projects are supposed to achieve an impact (the ones indicated in the call and in the Work Programme).
The HRB services provide support in better addressing the achievement of such impact through exploitation and joint dissemination. Depending on the scope of your project, you can have a look and apply to one or more of the different types of services.
Yes, HRB services can help you. You can use them to improve your exploitation strategy and to join forces with other projects for dissemination activities.
The HRB services support all typologies of Key Exploitable Results. Scientific & societal results are KERs as well as those with market focus.
The HRB experience is meant to be a learning process. The beneficiary learns new skills and competencies with the experts which they can then replicate on other KERs on their own.
Yes, grouping KERs could be a good way to build a more attractive offer, and this could be discussed during the (e.g. PDES C) service delivery.
HRB can support your activities whichever is the aim. Experts support your action in achieving your impact whichever is the impact that you identified for your project.
You do not have necessarily to have gone through the BPD or PDES-C. You can receive G2M service as a stand alone, provided that you are "ready" for it. In case the expert realizes that your project is not ready for a G2M immediately, they will suggest you to go through a PDES-C or BPD first.
After the first consortium meeting. Services can be "spread" during the project's life according to how you organised project's activities
The Horizon Results Booster services are delivered on line.
A dedicated workspace is created in the HRB platform accessible only to registered users (applicant + colleagues interested in joining the service delivery).
All partners can participate to the service delivery, but it is not mandatory. It is recommended that the partners involved in exploitation/dissemination participate and/or Key Exploitable Results leading partners.
The level of commitment depends on many factors (availability of information, level of collaboration with the experts, etc.) and on the HRB service and could go from 1 full day (8 hours spread over more days) for the PDES A to 10 full days for a BPD It generally does not exceed 10 full working days.
It is not possible. The Horizon Results Booster services are free of charge and they help projects to pursue dissemination and exploitation strategy and implement dissemination and exploitation activities.
As such, the Booster is a support service for projects and not an obligation. Time devoted to collaborate with experts during the service delivery would be reported in timesheets.
Templates and tools used during the service delivery can be accessed only by beneficiaries of the HRB services and afterwards used in other activities.
The first step of Service 1 - Module A deals with the creation of the Project Group. Appointed experts will support you in finding other similar ongoing projects from any other EU, national and regional funding initiatives to group with.
They are selected according to similarities/complementarity of activities, stakeholders, results to create critical mass. This service lasts generally 1 month.
Such limitations must be taken into account, indeed. That's why there are different eligibility criteria (Project Groups or single projects) that can apply for the different types of services. For example, to service 2 (Business Plan Development) only an individual project that can apply. Anyway, Project Groups are always created upon consensus of all members. If a risk of potential competition is perceived, members can decide to not take part to the Project Group.
Yes, it is the expert who organises the seminar in agreement with the beneficiaries. The Seminar is held on line.
Dissemination training sessions are available only to the beneficiaries of the HRB services.
Early stage financing (business angels, VC, etc.), ERDF (regional financing), etc
It provides basics on IPR and a guidance towards a more in-depth IPR support. In fact there are many IPR support services publicly available and funded by the EC. To avoid any overlap, the HRB service offers mainly a guidance on the IPR landscape
There is not a specific dimension. On average they include 3-4 projects, but they can be even larger.
The definition of the joint visual identity is discussed and agreed by all members of the Project Group, together with the expert. Individual visual identities of single projects can be taken into account. The joint visual identity can be obviously used for/by all members of the Project Group.
As far as the NCP is a partner of a project which applied to an HRB service, the Capacity Building is open to them (as it is to any other project partner)
If you have not received any HRB service (PDES-A or PDES-B), you can benefit from them to connect with other projects.
KERs are generally identified in advance (before the start of the service) by the beneficiaries. Anyway, experts can support you in better identifying them. Methodologies used by experts for the provision of such support will be shared once the service is running.
The support will contribute to the creation of the visual identity (generally Project Groups do not have an existing joint logo)
The experts (senior and junior) providing the services cover various scientific and technological domains but they are first of all vertical experts on dissemination and exploitation. They are assigned to projects according to their domain/field.
Anyway, it is important to know that experts act as facilitators of a process and do not replace beneficiaries in the provision of contents ((they are not consultants) during the delivery of the services.
You are encouraged to mention in the proposal if you plan to apply for one or more HRB services, but we would like to highlight the use of HRB services is not part of the evaluation process. So, it will not automatically increase the rating of your proposal.
EC Project Officers are automatically notified by the HRB platform when you submit your application and when the final report of the HRB service is produced. They can participate also during the service delivery, but it is not mandatory.
They have different scopes. Innovation Radar is a policy tool that helps to identify innovation potential in a project. Horizon Results Booster helps to further uptake research results, including innovations, but also other types of results. In a nutshell, Horizon Results Booster is a support service implemented by experts, while Innovation Radar is a tool that helps to assess innovation potential in a project.
Please note that an announcement of follow-up services (if any) will be issued in due time. We invite you to regularly consult the Funding & Tenders Portal for updates.
DO not confuse Horizon Results Booster with EIC Booster Grant. In HRB, it is up to project partners to decide to apply.
EC Project Officers are automatically notified by the HRB platform when you submit your application and when the final report of the HRB service is produced. They can participate also during the service delivery, but it is not mandatory.
There is not any conflict of interest. As far as people currently working for the EC are involved in an EU-funded project, they can participate.
You have probably read the information about the EIC Booster Grant, which is a different action from Horizon Results Booster. Please note that the Horizon Results Booster does not provide any funding to beneficiaries.
All experts (senior and junior) are verified by the EC on the basis of their experience in dissemination and exploitation activities. Their expertise covers various scientific and technological domains but they are first of all vertical experts on dissemination and exploitation. They are assigned to projects according to their domain/field.
Anyway, it is important to know that experts act as facilitators of a process and do not replace beneficiaries in the provision of contents ((they are not consultants) during the delivery of the services.