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Strategic Analysis
This HORIZON-INFRA-2026-DEV-01-04 CSA call demands a pan-European, inclusive training ecosystem for research infrastructure (RI) staff, explicitly targeting skills gaps in governance, sustainability, data management, and international collaboration. The winning angle will combine proven curricula (RAMIRI, RItrain) with innovative, scalable delivery (e.g., micro-credentials, ECTS accreditation) and geopolitical awareness (Ukraine, widening countries, ERICs). Consortiums must demonstrate measurable upskilling (KPIs: ECTS points, staff exchanges, policy alignment) and long-term sustainability via stakeholder engagement (national agencies, ERICs, international organisations).
Support the training of staff managing research infrastructures, and exchanges of staff and best practices. The training may also be offered to students engaged with a research infrastructure or aiming at a research infrastructure career path.
Develop specific education curricula and courses targeting pan-European research infrastructures, taking into account their diverse scientific fields and organisational models; in doing this, engagement with universities is expected.
Offer dedicated scholarships to staff in Ukrainian research infrastructures, while promoting and disseminating training opportunities to widening and candidate countries in particular.
Address training topics such as the socioeconomic impact of research infrastructures, scientific capabilities and capacity, engagement with academic users and industry (including understanding the needs of startups and scaleups), in-depth guidance on State Aid rules, and the long-term financial and environmental sustainability of the infrastructure’s activities.
Address the areas of data management, exploitation and stewardship skills, FAIR principles and data protection rules.
Pay attention to training research infrastructure staff in the different governance models for international research infrastructure collaborations, across different scientific fields, taking stock of the rapidly evolving geopolitical context.
Address training on research security and provide an overview of how research infrastructures need to face these challenges in their operations.
Report on the sustainability of the training activities, and engage with national agencies, ERICs, international organisations, and other relevant stakeholders.
Demonstrate an evolution based on related past activities and the experience gained in projects such as RAMIRI (Realising and Managing International Research Infrastructures) and RItrain (Research Infrastructures Training Programme).
Specialised training provided to the staff managing research infrastructures of European interest, enhancing the skills of RI research infrastructure staff as regards planning future operations and engaging with their various user communities and stakeholder groups (including funding agencies, academia, industry).
Broader understanding of the EU research infrastructures policy, the possibilities for transnational access and the basics of international research infrastructures cooperation, be it via ERIC creation and development or other governance models.
Shared understanding of the possibilities and potential offered by EU policies and funding instruments, improving the impact of research infrastructures and enhancing European scientific capacities. The completion of the training programme should lead to recognised accreditation in ECTS points.
No expected impacts identified for this destination.
EU research infrastructures policy
highThis call is directly tied to the EU RI policy, which aims to strengthen Europe’s RI ecosystem through transnational access, governance harmonisation, and capacity-building. The policy emphasises FAIR data, State Aid compliance, and international collaboration (§SC4, §SC5, §SC6).
Evaluators will expect:
1. Admissibility conditions — Proposal page limit and layout 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.
2. Eligible Countries — 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 .
3. Other Eligibility Conditions — described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion — described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds — are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes — are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual .
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement — described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants — 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 ]]. described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
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 RIA, IA) Standard application form (HE CSA) Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) Standard evaluation form (HE CSA) Guidance HE Programme Guide Model Grant Agreements (MGA) HE MGA Lump Sum MGA Framework Partnership Agreement FPA Call-specific instructions Detailed budget table (HE LS) Information on financial support to third parties (HE) Information on clinical studies (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 – 3. Research Infrastructures HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes HE Programme Guide 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 Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
Evaluators will prioritise:
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 | |||
| SC1Support the training of staff managing research infrastructures, and exchanges of staff and best practices. The training may also be offered to students engaged with a research infrastructure or aiming at a research infrastructure career path. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC2Develop specific education curricula and courses targeting pan-European research infrastructures, taking into account their diverse scientific fields and organisational models; in doing this, engagement with universities is expected. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC3Offer dedicated scholarships to staff in Ukrainian research infrastructures, while promoting and disseminating training opportunities to widening and candidate countries in particular. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC4Address training topics such as the socioeconomic impact of research infrastructures, scientific capabilities and capacity, engagement with academic users and industry (including understanding the needs of startups and scaleups), in-depth guidance on State Aid rules, and the long-term financial and environmental sustainability of the infrastructure’s activities. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC5Address the areas of data management, exploitation and stewardship skills, FAIR principles and data protection rules. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC6Pay attention to training research infrastructure staff in the different governance models for international research infrastructure collaborations, across different scientific fields, taking stock of the rapidly evolving geopolitical context. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC7Address training on research security and provide an overview of how research infrastructures need to face these challenges in their operations. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC8Report on the sustainability of the training activities, and engage with national agencies, ERICs, international organisations, and other relevant stakeholders. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC9Demonstrate an evolution based on related past activities and the experience gained in projects such as RAMIRI (Realising and Managing International Research Infrastructures) and RItrain (Research Infrastructures Training Programme). | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Expected outcomes | |||
| EO1Specialised training provided to the staff managing research infrastructures of European interest, enhancing the skills of RI research infrastructure staff as regards planning future operations and engaging with their various user communities and stakeholder groups (including funding agencies, academia, industry). | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO2Broader understanding of the EU research infrastructures policy, the possibilities for transnational access and the basics of international research infrastructures cooperation, be it via ERIC creation and development or other governance models. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO3Shared understanding of the possibilities and potential offered by EU policies and funding instruments, improving the impact of research infrastructures and enhancing European scientific capacities. The completion of the training programme should lead to recognised accreditation in ECTS points. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Other requirements | |||
| No other requirements in this call. | |||
| Expected impacts | |||
| No expected impacts in this call. | |||
| Underlying policies | |||
| POL1EU research infrastructures policyThis call is directly tied to the EU RI policy , which aims to strengthen Europe’s RI ecosystem through transnational access, governance harmonisation, and capacity-building . The policy emphasises FAIR data, State Aid compliance, and international collaboration (§SC4, §SC5, §SC6). | · | · | 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.
Talk to the Grant Coach to build your concept. The steps below fill in as it takes shape, and your coverage tracks the progress. You can refine everything once your project workspace is created.
Step 1 of 2 · Build your concept
The problems this call frames, and who they affect. Your concept and plan address them.
Primary beneficiaries: staff managing research infrastructures of European interest, including ERICs, national RIs, and international RI consortia. Focus on skills gaps in governance, data management, and sustainability (§SC4, §SC5, §SC6).
Secondary beneficiaries: students engaged with RIs or aiming for RI careers (§SC1). Offer micro-credentials and internships to bridge academia and RI management.
Priority group: staff from Ukrainian RIs (§SC3), requiring scholarships, language support, and trauma-informed training (e.g., research security in conflict zones).
Key stakeholders for sustainability and policy alignment (§SC8). Engage via workshops on EU RI policy and national adaptation strategies.
Beneficiaries of RI-industry engagement training (§SC4), including startups/scaleups needing RI access for innovation.
Step 2 of 2 · Build your concept
The long-term impacts your project should drive — this shapes the objectives next.
Measurable upskilling of RI staff in governance, data management, and sustainability, leading to more efficient RI operations and better alignment with EU policies (§EO1, §EO2).
Improved understanding of EU RI policy, transnational access, and international governance models (§EO2), fostering cross-border RI cooperation (e.g., ERICs, Horizon Europe partnerships).
Targeted training for Ukrainian RI staff and widening/candidate countries (§SC3) reduces innovation divides and strengthens EU cohesion.
Establishment of a self-sustaining training ecosystem (§SC8) with multi-stakeholder engagement (national agencies, ERICs, international organisations) and diversified funding (membership fees, EU co-financing).