Digital European Sky Exploratory Research 01

Overview

Objectives

The Knowledge Transfer Network is one of three Work Areas (WA) under this call. This WA provides support to the SEARS 3 Joint Undertaking to continue providing a space for coordinated exchange of research knowledge across a wide range of relevant themes, and, within the context of this networking, help to further stimulate the future Air Traffic Management (ATM) skilled work-force.

Activities/actions supported

The selected consortium will be responsible for the following activities:

• Air traffic management concepts roadmap
• Take-up of exploratory research results to air traffic management industrial research
• Creation of a one-stop knowledge hub/wiki to host a research repository and a mapping of European university programmes
• Launching calls for catalyst research projects
• Supporting the SESAR Digital Academy initiative
• Supporting SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking in events, publications and website

Anticipated outcomes

Through the Knowledge Transfer Network, the call aims to foster:

• Support for the execution of, and contributions to improving, the SESAR Digital Academy initiative, to increase professional/learning opportunities for up-and-coming researchers and the future aviation/ATM workforce, and to foster equal opportunities.
• Cross-fertilisation of knowledge to encourage innovative and unconventional ideas and research directions in ATM;
• The establishment and strengthening of strong links between cutting-edge research, the operational challenges faced by industry and Europe’s policy agenda on transport, digitalisation and sustainability;
• The identification of ‘thematic challenges’;
• The maintenance and continual updating of the knowledge hub (i.e. wiki) set up by the SESAR 2020 ER project Engage, representing a one-stop, go-to source for information and a single European point of entry for ATM knowledge.

Institution providing the funding

SESAR Joint Undertaking

Size of funding

€3.75 million

Conditions

Overview of eligibility criteria

Eligibility criteria include the following:

• Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic. 
• A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
• Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register before submitting their application, in order to get a participant identification code (PIC) and be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation) before signing the grant agreement. For the validation, they will be asked to upload the necessary documents showing their legal status and origin during the grant preparation stage. A validated PIC is not a prerequisite for submitting an application.

Overview of award criteria

Award criteria include:

• Excellence
• Impact
• Quality and efficiency of the implementation

Procedures

Application procedures

Applicants must submit their proposal via the Funding and Tenders Portal (please see the link to the funding opportunity below). The application form will have two parts:

• Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions; 
• Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.

Application support available

For additional support, please check the following documents:

• Online Manual providing guidance on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/om_en.pdf
• Horizon Europe Programme Guide with  detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/programme-guide_horizon_en.pdf

Link to funding opportunity

Link to the programme for more info