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Strategic Analysis
A winning proposal must position the consortium as a transformative pan-European orchestrator that bridges previous Cluster 2 R&I results, the EIT Culture & Creativity ecosystem, and the Pact for Skills into a unified, market-viable innovation architecture. The strategic core lies in moving beyond fragmented cultural subsidies toward innovative investment models, notably portfolio de-risking frameworks and novel IPR valuation tools tailored to micro-enterprises. Furthermore, integrating a well-structured cascade funding mechanism (FSTP) of up to €60,000 per third party will directly empower grassroots regional actors while validating long-term self-sustaining revenue and economic models.
Everything the call asks for, seen from the call's point of view. Each line shows what answers it, and which partner carries it.
This matrix lists everything the call asks for: outcomes, impacts, scope, the requirements buried in the call text, and policy alignment. Sign up free and GrantForge tracks each line against the concept you build.
| Requirement | Covered by | Carried | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope activities | |||
| SC1Build on, consolidate and complement, as appropriate, key results such as technologies, solutions, methods, networks and platforms developed by relevant R&I projects and initiatives (including Horizon Europe Cluster 2 projects, EIT Culture & Creativity, and the Large-Scale Partnership under the EU Pact for Skills) to achieve long-term impact in terms of thriving CCIs. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC2Build on and improve existing innovation ecosystems to make them effective for the CCIs, overcoming difficulties linked to small and micro enterprises fitting into commonly applied support models, valuation of IPR, policy inconsistencies, and particularities of CCI entrepreneurs. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC3Go beyond common practice in innovation support by deploying novel solutions, such as portfolio approaches that make clusters of organisations investable entities. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC4Allow for taking local contexts into account without requiring standardised approaches across all CCIs and countries, while seeking to establish common principles and active knowledge exchange across Europe. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC5Develop suitable Key Performance Indicators and assessment frameworks, including a baseline for the initial situation, to properly follow up results. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC6Ensure long-term economically sustainable ecosystems that build on existing networks and/or platforms and involve key stakeholders covering most EU Member States and Associated Countries across a wide range of CCIs, including an outline of the envisaged sustainable and adaptable economic model. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC7Optionally award financial support to third parties (in the form of grants) to engage entities not part of the project consortium, such as important innovation support actors or CCIs. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Expected outcomes | |||
| EO1The number and impact of CCI [1] -driven innovations in Europe are increased thanks to a wide uptake of evidence-based measures stemming from EU-funded research. These results are followed up with appropriate assessments and Key Performance Indicators. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO2Innovation driven by the cultural and creative industries continues to be boosted beyond project funding through a long-term economically sustainable ecosystem. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO3A vision of European CCIs as an essential engine of sustainable innovation and competitiveness is broadly established, making CCIs a natural part of European, national, regional and local innovation efforts. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Other requirements | |||
| REQ1Consolidate results from Cluster 2, EIT Culture & Creativity, and Pact for SkillsProjects should build on, consolidate, and complement key results developed by Horizon Europe Cluster 2 projects, the EIT Culture & Creativity KIC, and the Large-Scale Partnership under the EU Pact for Skills. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ2Coverage of most EU Member States and Associated CountriesThe long-term sustainable ecosystems established should involve key stakeholders covering most EU Member States and Associated Countries as well as a wide range of CCIs. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ3Integration with EOSC, ESFRI infrastructures, and European Data SpacesWhere appropriate, actions should leverage data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under EOSC or ESFRI roadmap initiatives, as well as relevant European Data Spaces. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ4Links with the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH)Projects producing data or digital tools of interest to cultural heritage institutions or researchers should establish links to and/or consider integrating results into the ECCCH. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ5Implementation of FAIR data principlesParticular efforts should be made to ensure that data produced in the context of actions under this Destination is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable (FAIR). | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ6International cooperation encouraged whenever relevantTo maximise the impacts of R&I under this Destination in line with EU priorities, international cooperation is encouraged whenever relevant in the proposed topics. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Expected impacts | |||
| EI1The full potential of cultural heritage, arts and cultural and creative industries and sectors as drivers of both sustainable innovation and a European sense of belonging is realised through a continuous engagement with society, citizens and economic sectors. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Underlying policies | |||
| POL1coherent eu policy for cultural and creative industriesThis European Parliament resolution calls for a comprehensive, cross-sectoral EU industrial policy framework tailored to the specific characteristics of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). It emphasizes strengthening intellectual property rights, improving access to finance, and fostering integration with digital innovation and education to maximize the sector's contribution to European growth and jobs. | · | · | Sign up to track |
The binding rules of this call. Items marked auto are verified by GrantForge from the call and the template. The others are yours to confirm.
LMIC entities auto-eligible
Low/middle-income country entities are automatically eligible for funding.
Topic-specific consortium
Many CSA topics require a broader consortium than the general-annex minimum. The call-specific Eligibility and admissibility conditions override the general annex.
Restricted beneficiary type
Many CSA calls are reserved for specific beneficiary types (national funding agencies, research infrastructures, standards bodies). Check the call.
Coordination/support activities only
CSA funds coordination, networking, policy support, dissemination, training. Not research activities per se.
Gender Equality Plan
GEP eligibility criterion applies to public bodies, research organisations, higher education institutions from MS/AC.
4 key insights you must internalise before writing. Each is grounded in the call text and tells you what evaluators will actually look for. Share these with your consortium before drafting.
A winning consortium must act as a pan-European orchestrator rather than building a network from scratch. Under Excellence, evaluators explicitly require operational continuity that aggregates outcomes from previous Cluster 2 projects, the EIT Culture & Creativity ecosystem, and the EU Pact for Skills. Proposals that propose isolated networking without structurally integrating these specific legacy assets will be heavily penalized.
Source: Evaluation criteria (pre-award)
The mandated 60-month project duration is not merely a timeline but a runway to establish a self-sustaining entity. To score highly under Impact, the proposal must detail an airtight economic exit strategy that guarantees the ecosystem's operations survive beyond the grant period. Evaluators expect a concrete outline of this adaptable economic model rather than vague promises of future sustainability.
Source: Evaluation criteria (pre-award)
Standard fast-growth startup support models are explicitly flagged as inadequate for the micro-enterprise nature of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). The proposal must deploy novel financial mechanisms, specifically portfolio de-risking frameworks and tailored IPR valuation tools, to make clusters of CCI organisations investable entities. Failing to provide realistic methodologies for cluster-level investment readiness will critically undermine the Excellence score.
Source: Scope
Because this is a Lump Sum grant that includes Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP), the financial architecture must perfectly align with operational milestones. Evaluators will rigorously scrutinize the Lump Sum work package cost breakdowns alongside a highly transparent governance framework for distributing the €60,000 sub-grants. A proposal lacking a clear, milestone-driven mechanism for this FSTP cascade funding will fail the Implementation criterion.
Source: Evaluation criteria (pre-award)
Specific requirements
Topic-specific consortium
Many CSA topics require a broader consortium than the general-annex minimum. The call-specific Eligibility and admissibility conditions override the general annex.
Restricted beneficiary type
Many CSA calls are reserved for specific beneficiary types (national funding agencies, research infrastructures, standards bodies). Check the call.
Coordination/support activities only
CSA funds coordination, networking, policy support, dissemination, training. Not research activities per se.
Gender Equality Plan
GEP eligibility criterion applies to public bodies, research organisations, higher education institutions from MS/AC.
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As described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
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 Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
As described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60 000
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
In addition, as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
As described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE CSA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Information on financial support to third parties (HE)
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 5. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Evaluators will rigorously examine whether this proposal delivers a truly pan-European structural shift rather than mere networking or standard academic workshops. Under Excellence, they will look for clear operational continuity that explicitly builds upon and aggregates outcomes from previous Cluster 2 projects, the Large-Scale Partnership under the EU Pact for Skills, and EIT Culture & Creativity, along with realistic methodologies for IPR valuation and cluster-level investment readiness. Under Impact, evaluators will scrutinize the quantitative baseline and measurable KPIs (@SC5, @EO1) alongside an airtight economic exit strategy ensuring ecosystem operations survive beyond the 60-month grant (@EO2). Under Implementation, key focus areas will include the robustness of the Lump Sum work package cost breakdowns, pan-European geographic coverage across Member States and Associated Countries, and clear, transparent governance for Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP).
Build on, consolidate and complement, as appropriate, key results such as technologies, solutions, methods, networks and platforms developed by relevant R&I projects and initiatives (including Horizon Europe Cluster 2 projects, EIT Culture & Creativity, and the Large-Scale Partnership under the EU Pact for Skills) to achieve long-term impact in terms of thriving CCIs.
Build on and improve existing innovation ecosystems to make them effective for the CCIs, overcoming difficulties linked to small and micro enterprises fitting into commonly applied support models, valuation of IPR, policy inconsistencies, and particularities of CCI entrepreneurs.
Go beyond common practice in innovation support by deploying novel solutions, such as portfolio approaches that make clusters of organisations investable entities.
Allow for taking local contexts into account without requiring standardised approaches across all CCIs and countries, while seeking to establish common principles and active knowledge exchange across Europe.
Develop suitable Key Performance Indicators and assessment frameworks, including a baseline for the initial situation, to properly follow up results.
Ensure long-term economically sustainable ecosystems that build on existing networks and/or platforms and involve key stakeholders covering most EU Member States and Associated Countries across a wide range of CCIs, including an outline of the envisaged sustainable and adaptable economic model.
Optionally award financial support to third parties (in the form of grants) to engage entities not part of the project consortium, such as important innovation support actors or CCIs.
The number and impact of CCI [1] -driven innovations in Europe are increased thanks to a wide uptake of evidence-based measures stemming from EU-funded research. These results are followed up with appropriate assessments and Key Performance Indicators.
Innovation driven by the cultural and creative industries continues to be boosted beyond project funding through a long-term economically sustainable ecosystem.
A vision of European CCIs as an essential engine of sustainable innovation and competitiveness is broadly established, making CCIs a natural part of European, national, regional and local innovation efforts.
The full potential of cultural heritage, arts and cultural and creative industries and sectors as drivers of both sustainable innovation and a European sense of belonging is realised through a continuous engagement with society, citizens and economic sectors.
European Parliament Resolution ‘A coherent EU policy for cultural and creative industries’ (2016/2125(INI))
highThis European Parliament resolution calls for a comprehensive, cross-sectoral EU industrial policy framework tailored to the specific characteristics of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). It emphasizes strengthening intellectual property rights, improving access to finance, and fostering integration with digital innovation and education to maximize the sector's contribution to European growth and jobs.
Evaluators expect proposals to address structural challenges faced by CCIs, such as cross-sectoral collaboration, intellectual property valorisation, and sustainable business models within innovation ecosystems. Demonstrating how project activities bridge cultural creativity with wider industrial, technological, and economic value chains is critical.
EU Pact for Skills
mediumLaunched under the European Skills Agenda, the EU Pact for Skills is a shared engagement model aimed at upskilling and reskilling Europe's workforce to support green and digital transitions. It mobilizes public and private stakeholders through large-scale skills partnerships across key industrial ecosystems, including the cultural and creative sectors.
Evaluators look for concrete plans to address skills gaps and capacity-building needs within the creative and cultural innovation ecosystem. Proposals should demonstrate alignment with or engagement in sectoral skills alliances, detailing actionable methodologies for equipping creative professionals and innovators with relevant digital, managerial, and multidisciplinary skills.
Council conclusions of 21 May 2014 on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe (2014/C 183/08)
mediumThese Council conclusions recognize cultural heritage as an irreplaceable cross-cutting strategic resource for smart, sustainable, and inclusive European development. The conclusions advocate for integrating heritage aspects into national and EU development policies, emphasizing its positive socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental spillovers.
Evaluators expect proposals to demonstrate how tangible, intangible, or digital cultural heritage assets act as catalysts for sustainable innovation, regional regeneration, and social cohesion. Consortia should clearly articulate measurable multi-dimensional impacts that go beyond conservation to leverage heritage for broader ecosystem development.
Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (CETS 199)
mediumKnown as the Faro Convention, this treaty frames cultural heritage around human rights, participatory governance, and democratic participation in society. It highlights the rights of individuals and communities to engage with, define, and benefit from cultural heritage as an engine of sustainable economic and human development.
Evaluators expect a human-centred and participatory approach in research and innovation designs, actively engaging diverse communities and civil society in co-creation processes. Proposals should demonstrate clear alignment with democratic governance, social inclusion, and the collective right to participate in cultural and innovation ecosystems.
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