The UK agreed a deal to associate to Horizon Europe on 7 September 2023.
UK researchers can now apply for Horizon Europe funding, certain that all successful UK applicants will be covered through the UK’s association (or through the guarantee) for the remainder of the programme.
All calls in Work Programme 2024 will be covered by association, and the UK guarantee scheme will be extended to cover all calls under Work Programme 2023.
The ’Horizon Europe guarantee’ scheme provides funding to researchers and innovators who were unable to receive their Horizon Europe funding while the UK was in the process of associating.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is delivering the funding through its grant systems on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
Who can apply
To be eligible you must:
- be based in the UK
- have been successful at applying for a Horizon Europe grant during the Work Programme 2021, 2022 or 2023
- have been included on the initial grant proposal as a ‘beneficiary’ with an assigned budget
For ‘multi-beneficiary grants’, the coordinator and the European Commission must have signed your grant agreement before you complete the application process.
For ‘mono-beneficiary grants’, the offer of funding from the Commission must have been withdrawn or you must include a letter stating that you have terminated the ‘grant agreement preparation’ process with the Commission.
How to apply for guarantee funding
Follow the specific guidance given in the section for your type of grant.
Guidance and supporting documents are available for:
- European Research Council (ERC) grants
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) grants
- European Institute of Innovation and Technology Knowledge and Innovation Communities (EIT-KICs)
- all other eligible Horizon Europe grants
If needed for your grant type, you will also find a ‘conversion tool template’ to download and use.
Before applying, you should also check the general UKRI guidance for the Horizon Europe guarantee scheme and UK association to Horizon Europe and the UK Horizon Europe guarantee.
There is also specific Researchfish reporting guidance for ERC and MSCA guarantee grants.
ERC and MSCA grants moving to the new Funding Service
Funding applications for future Horizon Europe Guarantee opportunities which are hosted on Je-S (ERC and MSCA grant types) will be managed through UKRI’s new Funding Service from 13 May 2024, beginning with ERC Advanced Grants 2023 and MSCA Doctoral Networks 2024.
All non-ERC and non-MSCA grant types currently hosted on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) will continue to be hosted on IFS.
Applying for new funding opportunities
From May 2024 all future funding opportunities (calls) which would have previously been applied for and administered via the Joint Electronic Submission system (Je-S) will move onto the new UKRI Funding Service.
This change will affect all ERC and MSCA grants which launch from May 2024.
The first two guarantee funding opportunities to launch on the Funding Service will be:
- ERC Advanced Grants 2023
- MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023
These will both launch on 13 May 2024. Guidance on how to apply will be provided here in early May.
Please note that this change only affects new opportunities which would have been hosted on Je-S (ERC and MSCA grant types). All non-ERC and non-MSCA grant types currently hosted on the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) will continue to be hosted on IFS.
Transition for funding opportunities currently in Je-S
Funding opportunities which are currently open in Je-S and will be open for submissions beyond May 2024 will transition over to the UKRI Funding Service for new applications from 17 May.
Funding opportunities which will transition from Je-S to the UKRI Funding Service will be:
- MSCA Staff Exchanges 2022
- MSCA COFUND 2022
- ERC Starting Grants 2023
- ERC Synergy Grants 2023
- ERC Consolidator Grants 2023
- MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023
- MSCA Citizens Grants 2023
The seven funding opportunities noted above will close for Je-S applications at 16:00 on 17 May 2024. After this date applicants will no longer be able to submit applications via the Je-S system.
Any Je-S applications which are currently in development will need to be submitted by 16:00 on 17 May 2024. Otherwise they will not be able to be submitted via Je-S and will need to copied over and submitted to the UKRI Funding Service.
The submission process after 17 May 2024 via the UKRI Funding Service will mirror the applicant experience on Je-S, with all funding opportunities requiring the same attachments and documentation as in Je-S.
Any applications which are submitted to Je-S before 16:00 on 17 May 2024 and are subsequently returned to the applicant for amendment will be able to engage with the UKRI through Je-S as is currently the case.
Management of awards previously made via Je-S
UKRI are in the process of transitioning all Je-S awards onto the UKRI Funding Service during 2024.
To keep up to date with these developments please subscribe to the Simpler and Better Funding newsletter.
Information on the new UKRI Funding Service
See more information on UKRI’s Simpler and Better Funding (SBF) programme.
For more information on ways the application experience is changing, see how applicants use the UKRI Funding Service.
Sign up to the next UKRI Funding Service webinar on 25 April 2024. The webinar will include an update and overview of the UK Research and Innovation Funding Service, followed by a demonstration of the award journey.