PES – Support for Project Establishment Aimed at Horizon Europe

Norwegian actors with a formal role in an EU application can apply for funding. 

Research organisations with a framework grant for 2025-27 may not submit individual applications for this call, unless the EU application concerns the European Defence Fund (EDF) or additional funding for EU applications that are coordinated by Norway and include participants from one or more African countries. 

Research organisations without a framework grant can receive a maximum of NOK 500,000 in support from the scheme per year. When several Norwegian applicants participate in the same project proposal, only those applicants who do not receive a framework grant must submit a joint application for project establishment support. 

Requirements relating to the Project Owner 

The Project Owner organisation listed as the Project Owner in the application form must have approved the submission of the application. The Project Owner is required to meet the formal requirements for participation in EU project proposals. 

If the application is a collaboration between several organisations, the Project Owner must submit the application on behalf of all the partners. 

Requirements relating to the project manager 

The project manager's professional competence and suitability to carry out the project will be assessed. There are no formal requirements for the project manager's qualifications. 

The allocation of funding under this call will be based on the type of project, the applicant's role and the budget in the planned EU application. The amount of support is also based on the number of Norwegian actors applying for support. 

See "Relevant thematic areas" below for a more detailed description of the funding rates and conditions for support for various EU calls. 

The funds can, for example, be used to cover costs related to travel, participation in meeting places, positioning and hours, and the purchase of services to prepare project proposals. All support amounts are maximum limits. The support is paid as a fixed price per submitted EU application. 

Funding will be awarded if the submitted EU project proposal achieves a score  corresponding to the threshold or better in the given call. For EU applications that are made in two stages, our support will only be disbursed if the EU application exceeds the threshold value after stage two, which means that support will not be awarded for stage one. Separate rules apply for the EIC Accelerator (see more under "Relevant thematic areas" further down). 

Resubmit an application 

Only applications directed to Women TechEU can receive support for a new submission if the EU application was assessed as equal to or above the threshold value at the time of initial submission. 

Conditions for funding 

Support for a research organisation goes to the organisation's non-economic activity. It therefore does not constitute state aid. The Research Council assumes that the necessary accounting separation is in place. 

De minimis aid 

Enterprises will receive the aid as "de minimis aid". This means that the company can receive a maximum of EUR 300,000 over a three-year period. Prior to any payment of de minimis aid, we will ask for a written confirmation and an overview of all other de minimis aid that the company has received during the last three financial years. For enterprises that are part of a group, the maximum limit generally applies to the group as such. See also the EU de minimis aid regulation (Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 of 13 December 2023). 

Read more about de minimis aid here. 

The state aid regulations impose special requirements on companies that receive project funding from Eurostars. Companies that fall under the definition of "enterprises in difficulty" cannot expect to receive support to write Eurostars applications. 

The Research Council's prerequisites for the allocation and disbursement of funding for the first year, and any commitments and disbursements for subsequent years, are set out in our general terms and conditions for R&D projects, which you can find in full on the information page What the contract involves.  

If you are granted the project, the following must be in place before you enter into a contract with us: 

• Grant recipients that are research organisations and entities in the public sector (Project Owners and partners) must have action plans for gender equality (GEPs) available on their websites. The requirement does not apply to the private sector, interest groups or the voluntary sector.  

The final report for the project must be submitted via My RCN Web, and must be submitted to the Research Council when the applicant has received an evaluation from the EU. The final report must include an Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) or an equivalent application assessment. With the exception of the EIC Accelerator, the condition for disbursement of our funding is that the submitted EU application achieves a threshold value or better for the call in question. Exceptions to the absolute threshold value requirement may be considered if the applicant is a first-time applicant to Horizon Europe. 

If the EU application receives a score that is equal to the threshold value or better in the given call, you must send the EHF invoice without VAT to us at the same time as the final report. 

Send invoice electronically to the Research Council (forskningsradet.no) 

We pay the support as a lump sum. If necessary, we can request specification of costs for the project. 

Please note that you can only submit the application once. If you submit the application before the deadline and subsequently see that it still needs to be changed, you can create a new application – e.g. as a copy of the one you have already submitted – and in this way submit a new version before the deadline expires. 

General requirements 

• The applicant/Project Owner must be in the correct category for the relevant EU call 
• The applicant has not been awarded a framework grant for the current year (exception for EDF and additional support to include applicants from African countries) 
• The application must be within the topic/purpose specified in the EU call. 
• The amount of the application and the type applied for must correspond to the framework for the call. 
• The requested attachments must be attached and in the correct template. 
• The application and all attachments must be written in Norwegian or English. 

Mandatory attachments 

• Project description: a standard template must be used, you can download this at the bottom of the call. 
• Self-declaration for de minimis aid. Applies to businesses. Download the template at the bottom of the call. 
• Eurostars applications: Companies that are going to participate in a Eurostars project must attach documentation confirming that the company has at least NOK 500,000 in equity at the time of application. Documentation requirements: Publicly approved annual accounts. Alternatively, in the case of a capital increase, there must be a declaration from an auditor, lawyer, financial institution/bank or accountant. 
• Accelerator: application assessment for step 1. 

Applications that do not meet the requirements above will be rejected. 

All attachments to the application must be submitted with the application. We do not accept attachments submitted after the application deadline unless we have requested additional documentation. 

We will not consider documents and websites linked to in the application, or attachments other than those specified above. Be careful to upload the correct attachment type, as there are no technical restrictions on what kind of templates it is possible to upload in the application form. 

We assess the applications in light of the purpose of the call and according to these criteria:

Applications are processed administratively. We usually send a response letter no later than four weeks after the application has been received. 

See also: How we process applications.