Impact Monitoring and Assessment Framework for the Chips JU

Coordination and Support Action HORIZON-JU to design, pilot and hand over a durable Impact Monitoring and Assessment Framework (IMAF) for the Chips JU covering the ECS programme and the Chips for Europe Initiative. The action expects to fund one project with an indicative EU contribution of €500,000–€1,000,000 (topic budget €1,000,000) to deliver a validated indicator framework, a multi-user data collection and exploitation monitoring platform, a scalable auditable impact assessment methodology, and a governance architecture with operational handover. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, EEA countries, Horizon-associated countries and specified third countries subject to call rules; exclusions and guarantee requirements apply as specified in the Guide for Applicants. Single-stage submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal, opening 7 July 2026 and deadline 30 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Call HORIZON-JU-CHIPS-2026-IMAF-CSA

High-level summary

This Coordination and Support Action (CSA) will fund the design, piloting and operational handover of a complete Impact Monitoring and Assessment Framework (IMAF) for the Chips JU. Deliverables must include a validated indicator framework, a multi-user data collection and exploitation monitoring platform, a scalable and auditable impact assessment methodology, and a governance architecture with full operational handover to the Chips JU office.

Who can apply:Applicants should form a consortium able to deliver technical, methodological and governance outputs for programme-level monitoring; proposals must follow eligibility rules in the Guide for Applicants and Chips JU Work Programme Appendix 7 (legal entities established in eligible countries per Horizon/JU rules are typically expected). ¹

1. 1Action type: HORIZON JU Coordination and Support Actions (single-stage submission)
2. 2Expected number of grants: 1
3. 3Expected EU contribution per project: around €1 000 000 (min contribution noted €500 000, max €1 000 000)
4. 4Key outputs: indicator framework, monitoring platform, impact assessment methodology, governance and handover

Apply via the Funding & Tenders Portal submission procedure for topic HORIZON-JU. For call-specific questions contact Calls@chips-ju.europa.eu. Full application templates and Guide for Applicants are available on the Chips JU call page Chips JU topic page. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1See the Guide for Applicants and Appendix 7 of the Chips JU Multiannual Work Programme for detailed eligibility, admissibility and submission rules: available on the Chips JU call page and Funding & Tenders Portal.

Call summary and objectives

This Coordination and Support Action (CSA) seeks proposals to design, pilot and hand over a complete, durable Impact Monitoring and Assessment Framework (IMAF) for the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU). The IMAF must provide standardised indicators, a multi-user data collection and exploitation monitoring platform, a scalable and auditable impact assessment methodology, and a governance and operational handover to the Chips JU office at project end. The framework must cover both the Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) programme and the Chips for Europe Initiative and integrate existing Horizon Europe and common JU indicators together with Chips JU-specific indicators.

Call Type and Action:HORIZON-JU is a Horizon JU Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON JU CSA) under the Chips JU work programme for 2026.

Deadline and submission:Single-stage submission. Call opening date 7 July 2026; deadline 30 September 2026. Proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission Service (follow the submission button for this topic) and must respect page limits and layout rules in Part B of the Application Form and the Guide for Applicants.

Expected outcomes and required deliverables

Projects funded under this call are expected to deliver a fully operational and transferable Impact Monitoring and Assessment Framework that includes four integrated components. Each component must be delivered, validated and ready for handover to the Chips JU office.

1. 1Complete Indicator Framework: A validated indicator framework mapping short-term actions, outcomes and long-term impacts for both ECS and Chips for Europe Initiative, integrating Horizon Europe indicators, common JU indicators and Chips JU-specific indicators.
2. 2Data Collection and Exploitation Monitoring Platform: A standardised, multi-user IT platform enabling systematic programme-level monitoring from all Chips JU projects and key external stakeholders. The platform must support periodic tracking of programme indicators and continuous monitoring of exploitation, commercialisation and follow-on progress for active and recently closed projects.
3. 3Scalable Impact Assessment Methodology: A documented, auditable and scalable methodology to perform structured periodic impact assessments of the full Chips JU programme. The methodology must provide analytical frameworks for interpreting monitoring data and produce credible, comparable and externally auditable assessments across all relevant impact dimensions.
4. 4Governance Architecture and Operational Handover: A governance architecture setting roles, responsibilities, oversight mechanisms and data management protocols to ensure independence, credibility and continuity. A full operational handover package and procedures must be provided to the Chips JU office at project end.

Funding and budget

Indicative EU budget for the topic:one expected grant. Expected EU contribution per project: approximately €1 000 000. The budget overview shows a minimum contribution listed as €500 000 and a maximum of €1 000 000; the topic is mapped with an allocation of €1 000 000 for 2026.

Eligibility and applicant types

This is a Horizon JU Coordination and Support Action. Eligibility follows Horizon Europe and Chips JU rules and the specific call documents (Guide for Applicants, Template of Application Form, and Appendix 7 of the Chips JU Work Programme). Legal entity validation, LEAR appointment and financial capacity rules apply as per standard Horizon procedures.

1. 1Eligible applicant types (typical and expected): universities and higher education research organisations, public research institutes, research and technological organisations, SMEs, large enterprises, non-profit organisations, NGOs, public authorities or agencies, and other legal entities established in eligible countries under Horizon rules.
2. 2Recommended composition: multi-disciplinary consortium with demonstrated expertise in programme evaluation and impact assessment, data collection and platform development, exploitation/commercialisation monitoring, metadata and standards integration, governance and data protection, and knowledge transfer/operational handover to institutional bodies.

Consortium requirement and structure

The call description does not reproduce a single mandatory consortium composition in the scraped text. As a Coordination and Support Action intended to aggregate programme-level data and deliver a platform and methodology covering multiple stakeholder types, strong preference is indicated for consortium proposals that aggregate complementary expertise across monitoring & evaluation, IT platform development, data governance and stakeholder engagement. Applicants should consult Appendix 7 and the Guide for Applicants for any mandatory consortium rules or minimum participation requirements.

Consortium requirement (categorisation):Other: the call expects collaborative, multi-actor proposals (consortium), but proposers must check the Guide for Applicants and Appendix 7 for formal participation rules and any explicit minimum number of participants or country coverage requirements.

Geographic eligibility and beneficiary scope

The call follows Horizon Europe and Chips JU eligibility rules. Generally, eligible entities are established in EU Member States and Horizon-associated countries; third-country participation follows the standard Horizon rules and any specific Chips JU provisions. National Contact Points and Chips JU Helpdesk should be consulted for borderline cases and third-country participation.

Mentioned countries/regions:The scraped content explicitly references the EU and the Chips JU programme. No individual Member States or third countries were explicitly named in the raw text provided. Applicants should assume EU and Horizon-associated countries unless the Guide for Applicants or Chips JU call documents specify otherwise.

Target sectors and thematic focus

The IMAF must serve the Chips JU programmes, covering Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) research and the Chips for Europe Initiative. The cross-cutting priority indicated is DigitalAgenda. The framework will therefore be applied across sectors impacted by ECS and chips ecosystems including semiconductors, electronics, photonics, AI hardware, quantum-related components, advanced materials, manufacturing and exploitation/commercialisation activities.

Project stage and expected maturity of applicants' work

Expected project stage:development, validation and pilot/demonstration. The action must deliver tested and operational components (indicator framework, platform prototype or pilot, documented methodology and governance) and ready-for-handover operational procedures by project end. Applicants should propose pilot activities with real project-level data ingestion and validation with Chips JU stakeholders.

Application modality and templates

Submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission Service using the HORIZON Action Grant (HORIZON-AG) model grant agreement path noted on the call page. Proposal must follow Part A and Part B templates. The call provides a Guide for Applicants and Template of Application Form specific to HORIZON-JU and also supplies an evaluation form template.

1. 1Application type: open single-stage call (applicants submit full proposals by the deadline).
2. 2Call documents available: Guide for Applicants, Template of Application Form (Part B), Template of Evaluation Form, Chips JU Multiannual Work Programme Appendix 7, ECS Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, and other general Horizon documents.

Template structure guidance:Use the provided Tpl_Application Form (Part B) (HE CSA) IM A F.docx. Typical Part B structure for a CSA includes: excellence (objectives, relation to work programme, methodology), impact (expected impacts, dissemination, exploitation and communication, sustainability and scaling), implementation (work plan, deliverables, milestones, resources, consortium description, management, risk management), ethics and data management. Applicants must respect page limits and layout as specified in the Guide for Applicants and Appendix 7. The call provides a specific Template of Evaluation Form to understand how proposals will be scored.

Nature of support, co-funding and financial conditions

Funding type:grant (Horizon Action Grant, budget-based). Beneficiaries will receive monetary support in the form of an EU grant contribution. Standard Horizon rules on eligible costs, reimbursement rates, financial reporting and audits apply as specified in the Annotated Model Grant Agreement and the Guide for Applicants.

Co-funding requirement:Describe it: The grant is budget-based under Horizon Action Grant rules. There is no separate explicit co-funding rate listed in the scraped text; applicants must follow Horizon Europe financial rules as set out in the Annotated Model Grant Agreement and the Guide for Applicants. Some Horizon instruments finance up to 100 percent of eligible costs for Coordination and Support Actions, but applicants must verify the exact reimbursable rates in the call-specific documents.

Application stages, evaluation and success rates

Submission and evaluation procedure:single-stage submission. Evaluation and selection follow Chips JU procedures and the Template of Evaluation Form provided. No multi-stage selection is indicated in the scraped content.

Number of application stages:1: single-stage proposal submission and evaluation.

Success rates:Not specified in the call documents provided. As an indicative guide, single-topic CSA calls with limited budget (one expected grant) are highly competitive; success probability depends on the number and quality of applications. Applicants should assume a low-to-moderate success rate and prepare high-quality proposals aligned closely with call outcomes and evaluation criteria.

Evaluation criteria and quality expectations

Proposals will be evaluated using the standard Chips JU/Horizon criteria for CSAs. The call-specific Template of Evaluation Form describes the scoring and criteria. Submissions must clearly demonstrate excellence of the approach, credibility of the methodology for indicators and impact assessment, technical maturity and feasibility of the platform, realistic pilot arrangements with Chips JU project data, strong governance and data management, capacity for independent and auditable assessments, and a credible operational handover plan.

Key risks and required competencies

1. 1Data access and interoperability: proposals must address data protection, confidentiality, access agreements with Chips JU projects and standards for interoperable indicator reporting.
2. 2Methodological credibility: the impact assessment methodology must be auditable, comparable across projects and defensible to external reviewers and stakeholders.
3. 3Platform scalability and security: the data collection and monitoring platform must be multi-user, secure, GDPR-compliant where applicable, and scalable to cover all Chips JU projects.
4. 4Governance and independence: governance architecture must ensure independence and credibility and define oversight, quality assurance and continuity after handover.

Support and contact points

For questions related to the call contact Calls@chips-ju.europa.eu. Additional support resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, IT Helpdesk, National Contact Points and the European IPR Helpdesk. Partner search is allowed and the Portal provides partner search facilities for interested applicants.

Applicants should consult the call page and the following call documents before submission:Guide for Applicants HORIZON-JU, Template of Application Form HORIZON-JU, Template of Evaluation Form, Appendix 7 to the Chips JU Multiannual Work Programme, Annotated Model Grant Agreement, and relevant Horizon guidance documents.

Relevant links and documents:Call details and submission entry are accessible on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page Call Topic. Guide for Applicants and templates are available from the Chips JU call documents section Chips JU Call Documents.

Templates and application structure (detailed outline)

Applicants must use the call-specific application form templates. The Part B template for a Horizon CSA typically includes the following sections and applicants should populate each section precisely and within page limits:

1. 11. Excellence: objectives, relation to the work programme and expected impacts, concept and approach, methodology, integration with existing indicators and data sources.
2. 22. Impact: how the IMAF will enable measurement of short-, medium- and long-term impacts; plans for validation, dissemination, exploitation, sustainability beyond project end and stakeholder engagement (including Chips JU projects and external users).
3. 33. Implementation: detailed work plan and work packages, tasks, deliverables, milestones, Gantt chart, risk register and mitigation, resource and budget breakdown per partner, timeline for pilots and handover activities.
4. 44. Consortium and resources: roles, expertise and track record of each partner, description of the consortium's capacity to collect data from Chips JU projects, to develop and operate IT platforms, and to ensure independent, auditable assessments.
5. 55. Data management and ethics: data management plan, GDPR and confidentiality handling, IP management, data access agreements and archiving strategy.
6. 66. Governance and handover: proposed governance architecture, oversight mechanisms, quality assurance, operational handover plan to the Chips JU office including documentation, training and maintenance arrangements.
7. 77. Annexes: CVs, relevant references and previous projects, letters of support or commitment from stakeholders where appropriate.

Summary and final description

What this opportunity is about and how to explain it:This call finances one Coordination and Support Action to create an Impact Monitoring and Assessment Framework for the Chips JU that will let the JU systematically collect standardised data from all Chips JU projects, monitor exploitation and commercialisation, and run periodic, auditable programme-level impact assessments. The funded project must deliver (1) a validated indicator framework integrating Horizon and JU indicators with Chips JU-specific metrics, (2) a secure, multi-user data collection and exploitation monitoring IT platform, (3) a documented and auditable methodology for conducting scalable impact assessments across the full Chips JU portfolio, and (4) a governance architecture and full operational handover to the Chips JU office. The call is competitive, single-stage, and expected to fund one project at approximately €1 million. Proposers must follow the Guide for Applicants and call-specific templates, demonstrate technical excellence across monitoring, data platforms and evaluation, and present a credible plan for stakeholder engagement, data access and a sustainable handover to the Chips JU office.

For procedural or submission support consult the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, the Guide for Applicants linked on the Chips JU call page and contact Calls@chips-ju.europa.eu for topic-specific queries. Applicants should also review Appendix 7 of the Chips JU Work Programme and the Annotated Model Grant Agreement before preparing their proposal.

This description is based on the Chips JU call page and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal scraped content for topic HORIZON-JU and references the call documents and guidance linked on those pages.

Footnotes

1. 1Guide for Applicants and the Template of Application Form for this call are available on the Chips JU call documents page IMAF Guide and Templates.

Opportunity Overview

This Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funds the design and pilot of a comprehensive framework to systematically monitor, assess, and report the short-, medium-, and long-term impacts of the Chips JU programmes through standardized data, indicators, and methodologies ¹. The call aims to deliver a complete and durable Impact Monitoring and Assessment Framework (IMAF) for both the Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) programme and the Chips for Europe Initiative ².

Key Financial Details:The total indicative EU budget is €1,000,000, with an expected grant of 1 project receiving between €500,000 and €1,000,000 ¹³.

Expected Outcomes and Deliverables

Funded projects must deliver four core components that constitute the full IMAF infrastructure ¹.

1. 1Complete Indicator Framework: A validated set of short-term actions, outcomes, and long-term impacts integrating Horizon Europe, common JU, and Chips JU-specific indicators ¹.
2. 2Data Collection and Exploitation Monitoring Platform: A standardized, multi-user platform for systematic data collection from all Chips JU projects and external stakeholders, tracking both periodic indicators and continuous commercialization progress ¹.
3. 3Scalable Impact Assessment Methodology: An auditable methodology for conducting structured periodic impact assessments to interpret monitoring data and produce credible performance assessments ¹.
4. 4Governance Architecture and Operational Handover: A governance structure defining roles, oversight, and data protocols ensuring independence and continuity, including full operational handover to the Chips JU office at the action's end ¹.

Eligibility and Applicant Profile

Participation is limited to legal entities established in EU Member States, EEA Countries, Associated Countries, OECD countries, and Mercosur countries ³. Entities controlled by non-eligible countries must provide guarantees confirming no negative impact on Union strategic interests ³.

Eligibility Highlights:High-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment or entities owned/controlled by them are explicitly excluded from submitting guarantees ³.

Call Timeline and Procedure

Application Requirements and Support

Applicants must use the specific Template of Application Form (Part B) and adhere to page limits detailed in Part B of the Application Form ¹. The methodology must be validated through independent peer review, and the consortium must complete one full pilot impact assessment as part of the project ³.

Key Documents:Essential documents include the Guide for Applicants HORIZON-JU, the Chips JU Multiannual Work Programme Appendix 7 (ECS 2026), and the Annotated Model Grant Agreement for EU Funding Programmes 2021-2027 ¹.

For call-specific questions, contact Calls@chips-ju.europa.eu; for portal technical issues, use the IT Helpdesk ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official EU Funding & Tenders Portal entry: ec.europa.eu
2. 2Chips JU Call Details: chips-ju.europa.eu
3. 3Funding eligibility and scope summary: fundsforcompanies.fundsforngos.org