Coordination and Support actions

Proposals should focus on one of the two themes below:

a. The objective is to support the creation of European wide networks of procurers (European Public Procurers networks) that define together an innovation procurement roadmap, identifying shared procurement needs in the near term (relevant for PPI) as well as mid-to-long term (relevant for PCP) in areas of common European interest.

European Public Procurers (EPP) networks are expected to engage into an open dialogue with all potential stakeholders, including other procurers and end-users. EPP networks are encouraged to publish their perceived procurement needs online, in a way that enables the research and innovation community to comment and submit ideas to make suggestions for future PCPs or PPIs.. EPP networks should also undertake activities that investigate the feasibility and facilitate the concrete preparation of a cross-border PCP or PPI for at least one shared common procurement need.

EPP networks should contain a critical mass of public procurers responsible for the acquisition and/or regulatory strategy for innovative solutions in areas of public interest that are large potential customers for ICT LEIT technologies. EPP networks should also undertake dissemination activities to share results and raise awareness about PCP and PPI across Europe.

b. The objective is to support the creation of one EU wide network of national competence centers on innovation procurement (PCP and PPI)^[1]. Activities undertaken by the network are expected to include the creation of new national innovation competence centers and the enlarging of the scope of existing competence centers. They should also include experience sharing on PCP/PPI implementation across Europe, promoting Horizon 2020 funding and synergies with ESIF funding for PCP and PPI to ICT procurers in cooperation with NCPs, assisting ICT procurers in starting up such procurements nationally and collaborating cross-border to facilitate also transnational joint procurement.

In cooperation with policy makers, the network should also develop and coordinate policy actions to mainstream PCP and PPI across Europe such as setting targets and developing financial incentive schemes for procurers to undertake PCP and PPI.

The network is expected to maximize synergies with national and ESIF funding and focus the budget requested from Horizon 2020 on activities/partners that cannot be funded from ESIF or for which national funding is not available.

The expected duration for the action is 4 years. The minimum participation is 5 existing national innovation procurement competence centers plus 5 public bodies that have the mandate to setup 5 new innovation procurement competence centers (in total from 10 different Member States or associated countries), aiming for EU wide participation of innovation procurement centers in the network by the end of the project.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 2 million would allow these themes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

1. More forward-looking, concerted approach to develop common answers to challenges faced by the public sector in a number of countries. Increased opportunities for the supply side to present the potential of innovative solutions the demand side in order to address concrete public sector challenges. Reduced fragmentation of public sector demand through definition of common specifications and preparation of cross-border procurements.
2. Increased awareness on PCP and PPI among policy makers and procurers. Enhanced capacity of the public sector to carry out PCPs and PPIs. Increased amount of PCPs and PPIs taking place at national and EU level (Horizon 2020 and ESIF funded). Creation of 5 new innovation competence centers and enlarged scope of the support to public procurers provided by 5 existing competence centers, in a way that maximizes synergies with national and ESIF funding.

Cross-cutting Priorities:

Innovation Procurement

Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application.

1. List of countries and applicable rules for funding: described in part A of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme.
   Note also that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon 2020 projects (follow the links to China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan).
    
2. Eligibility and admissibility conditions: described in part B and C of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme.
   - For ICT-33-2017 point b) only: The minimum participation is 5 existing national innovation procurement competence centers plus 5 public bodies that have the mandate to setup 5 new innovation procurement competence centers (in total from 10 different Member States or associated countries).
   
   Proposal page limits and layout: Please refer to Part B of the standard proposal template.
    
3. Evaluation
   
   3.1  Evaluation criteria and procedure, scoring and threshold: described in part H of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme
   
   3.2 Submission and evaluation process: Guide to the submission and evaluation process
        
4. Indicative timetable for evaluation and grant agreement:
   
   Information on the outcome of single-stage evaluation: maximum 5 months from the deadline for submission.
   Signature of grant agreements: maximum 8 months from the deadline for submission.
    
5. Provisions, proposal templates and evaluation forms for the type(s) of action(s) under this topic:
   
   Coordination and Support Action:
   
   Specific provisions and funding rates
   Standard proposal template
   Standard evaluation form
   H2020 General MGA -Multi-Beneficiary
   Annotated Grant Agreement
    
6. Additional provisions:
   
   Horizon 2020 budget flexibility
   
   Classified information
    
7. Open access must be granted to all scientific publications resulting from Horizon 2020 actions, and proposals must refer to measures envisaged. Where relevant, proposals should also provide information on how the participants will manage the research data generated and/or collected during the project, such as details on what types of data the project will generate, whether and how this data will be exploited or made accessible for verification and re-use, and how it will be curated and preserved.
   
   This topic participates per default in the open access to research data pilot which aims to improve and maximise access to and re-use of research data generated by projects:
   
   • The pilot applies to the data needed to validate the results presented in scientific publications. Additionally, projects can choose to make other data available for open access and need to describe their approach in a Data Management Plan (to be provided within six months after the project start).
   
   • Note that the evaluation phase proposals will not be evaluated more favourably because they are part of the Pilot, and will not be penalised for opting out of the Pilot.
   
   • Projects can at any stage opt-out of the pilot.
   
   The legal requirements for projects participating in this pilot are in the article 29.3 of the Model Grant Agreement.
   Further information on the Open Research Data Pilot is made available in the H2020 Online Manual.
    
8. Additional documents:
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Introduction
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Introduction to Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies (LEITs)
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Information and communication technologies (ICT)
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Dissemination, Exploitation and Evaluation
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: General Annexes
   Legal basis: Horizon 2020 - Regulation of Establishment
   Legal basis: Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation
   Legal basis: Horizon 2020 Specific Programme

Source: Participant Portal