Support to programme execution framework on performance

This EU funding opportunity falls under the Horizon Europe program, specifically the Digital European Sky Industrial Research 02 call (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02). Its primary aim is to support the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking in improving the performance and architecture of Europe's Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. The call invites proposals that will enhance coordination and performance in line with the SESAR program, focusing on achieving a consolidated view of performance impacts at the European Civil Aviation Conference network level.

Eligible applicants include research organizations, universities, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and stakeholders from the ATM sector. The grant operates under a lump sum funding model, simplifying financial management by providing a fixed amount based on achieving outlined objectives. The estimated funding for various actions typically ranges from €1 million to €31 million, depending on project complexity and category.

The project encourages collaboration, though the consortium requirement is not explicitly mandated. Open to entities in EU member states and associated countries, the call spans various geographic territories, facilitating participation from potentially non-associated countries under specific provisions. All projects are expected to focus on execution and support rather than early-stage research.

Applications must be submitted through a single-stage open call process, with a deadline of September 15, 2025. The funding rate is set at 70% of eligible costs, with no co-funding required. Although the precise success rates of applications are not detailed, typical rates for Horizon Europe projects range from 10% to 39%.

In terms of evaluation, the criteria prioritize excellence, impact, and implementation, accounting for 40%, 40%, and 20% of the assessment, respectively. The project duration can extend up to 36 months.

Overall, the call encourages innovative proposals that consolidate performance contributions across the SESAR program and focuses on supporting performance methodologies, maintaining effective performance frameworks, and monitoring the initiatives geared towards sustainable and digitalized air traffic management systems.

Those interested in applying should carefully navigate the provided documents and consult relevant resources for guidance on the process, ensuring familiarization with the detailed budget and expectations set forth in the call.

This EU funding opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the Digital European Sky Industrial Research 02 call (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02). It aims to support the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking (JU) in enhancing the performance, architecture, and overall execution framework of the European ATM (Air Traffic Management) system. The call encompasses various types of actions, including Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA).

The primary goal is to consolidate and achieve agreement on Expected Performance Contributions (EPC) across the SESAR program and provide a yearly consolidated view of the performance impact of future ATM concepts and SESAR solutions at the ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference) network level. This involves bringing together individual SESAR solution performance benefits and the integrated network performance of all available SESAR solutions.

The scope of the call includes support for SESAR performance-related activities, architecture activities (such as architecture modeling framework and support), and performance activities. A key aspect is the SESAR performance management process, which guides the overall R&I work by referencing the SESAR performance ambitions and associated benefits outlined in the European ATM Master Plan. This process relies on the application of the baselined SESAR performance framework (SPF). The SESAR performance management process reconciles and maps performance assessments and results from R&I projects with the SESAR Master Plan's performance ambitions. It also aggregates these results through simulations of relevant SESAR Solutions to deliver an ECAC-wide performance view and consolidate performance results of ongoing development activities.

Activities to be performed under the leadership of the SESAR 3 JU will focus on:

Maintenance of performance framework: This includes maintaining reference performance methodologies (such as human performance assessment, security assessment, environmental impact assessment, and safety assessment) and the performance framework itself (e.g., U-space performance framework, digitalisation, automation levels, passenger experience). This maintenance is driven by updates to the ATM Master Plan, Single European Sky (SES) reference period (RP), needs expressed by SESAR solutions, or observations during R&I activities. It also involves reviewing and consolidating SESAR templates and assessment criteria for deliverable assessment and maturity gates, supporting R&I project staff in applying performance methodologies and the performance framework, and contributing to solutions maturity gates to confirm a robust performance approach.

Support to performance assessment and consolidation of network impact assessment: This involves monitoring the implementation of the SESAR performance workflow, from initial consolidation and agreement on expected performance contributions (EPC) to final performance result consolidation, including extrapolation at the ECAC level. It also includes capturing and aggregating performance assessments and expected performance contributions from R&I projects to deliver a yearly program performance report and a final PAGAR (Programme level performance assessment and reporting) campaign at the end of the action. Furthermore, it involves running integrated simulations on multiple SESAR Solutions to consolidate a yearly program performance report and assess trade-offs between key performance areas (KPAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). It also includes supporting SESAR 3 JU in monitoring the progress of the R&I program on environmental sustainability and digitalisation.

The call specifies that a funding rate of 70% applies to all beneficiaries, regardless of their legal status. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. Beneficiaries are subject to additional dissemination and exploitation obligations, including sharing results with other grants awarded under the same call, making results available for reuse under fair conditions, granting non-exclusive licenses for standardisation-related results, and ensuring mutual access to background information and results for linked actions.

Grants awarded under this topic will be linked to calls HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-IR-01 and HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-ER-01. A collaboration agreement is required. The maximum project duration is 36 months.

The evaluation criteria include Excellence (40%), Impact (40%), and Implementation (20%).

The call provides a detailed budget overview for various actions, with opening dates in April 1, 2025 and deadlines on September 16, 2025. The actions include:

HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA1-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 20,000,000, Contribution: EUR 4,000,000 to 10,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA2-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 14,000,000, Contribution: EUR 2,000,000 to 7,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA3-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 93,000,000, Contribution: EUR 9,000,000 to 31,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 3
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA3-2: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 20,000,000, Contribution: EUR 5,000,000 to 10,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-1: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 24,000,000, Contribution: EUR 5,000,000 to 12,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA4-2: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 6,000,000, Contribution: EUR 1,000,000 to 3,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-1, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-3: HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 30,000,000, Contribution: EUR 3,000,000 to 6,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA6-1, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA6-2, HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA6-3: HORIZON JU Innovation Actions, Budget: EUR 20,000,000, Contribution: EUR 2,000,000 to 5,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA7-1: HORIZON JU Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: EUR 2,000,000, Contribution: EUR 1,000,000 to 2,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA7-2: HORIZON JU Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: EUR 1,000,000, Contribution: EUR 500,000 to 1,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1

The call aims to improve the European air traffic management system by supporting research, innovation, coordination, and support actions. It seeks to consolidate performance contributions, provide a comprehensive view of the impact of ATM concepts, and promote environmental sustainability and digitalisation in the aviation sector. Applicants are expected to form collaborations and address the specific requirements outlined in the call documents and annexes. The funding is provided as a lump sum, with a 70% funding rate for all beneficiaries.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on enhancing the SESAR program's performance and architecture to meet the ambitions of the European ATM Master Plan. It supports activities ranging from maintaining performance frameworks and methodologies to assessing network impacts and promoting sustainability. The call is structured around various action types with specific budget allocations and aims to foster collaboration and innovation in the air traffic management sector.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe and SESAR Joint Undertaking funding, eligible applicants are likely to include a mix of research organizations, universities, industry (including SMEs and large enterprises), and other relevant stakeholders in the air traffic management (ATM) sector.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. There are also Research and Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions, and Coordination and Support Actions.

Consortium Requirement: A collaboration agreement is required, suggesting that a consortium is necessary.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU and associated countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if they have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects. The European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) region is specifically mentioned in the context of performance assessment.

Target Sector: The program targets the air traffic management (ATM) sector, with a focus on performance, architecture, environmental sustainability, digitalisation, automation, security, and passenger experience. Specific areas include U-space, cybersecurity, and the Single European Sky (SES).

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference) region is referenced, implying that the program is relevant to ECAC member states. The ECAC region includes 48 countries, including almost all European countries and some non-European countries.

Project Stage: The project stages range from research and innovation to innovation actions and coordination and support actions. This suggests that the program supports projects at various stages of maturity, from early-stage research to more mature development and deployment activities.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action. The following ranges are specified:
HORIZON-JU-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions):
EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000
EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 7,000,000
EUR 9,000,000 to EUR 31,000,000
EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000
EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 12,000,000
EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 3,000,000
EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000
HORIZON-JU-IA (Innovation Actions):
EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 5,000,000
HORIZON-JU-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions):
EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000
EUR 500,000 to EUR 1,000,000

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: Success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned, but the funding rate is 70%, implying that beneficiaries need to cover the remaining 30% of the eligible costs.

Summary:
This opportunity is a Horizon Europe funding call under the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking (JU) aimed at supporting research, innovation, coordination, and support actions in the air traffic management (ATM) sector. The call, titled "Support to programme execution framework on performance," seeks proposals that contribute to consolidating performance contributions across the SESAR program and providing a yearly consolidated view of the performance impact of future ATM concepts and SESAR solutions at the ECAC network level.

The scope of the call includes activities related to SESAR performance, architecture, and overall program execution. Projects should focus on maintaining the performance framework, reviewing SESAR templates and assessment criteria, supporting R&I project staff in applying performance methodologies, and contributing to solutions maturity gates. Additionally, projects should monitor the implementation of the SESAR performance workflow, capture and aggregate performance assessments, and support the SESAR 3 JU in monitoring progress on environmental sustainability and digitalisation.

The call is structured around several specific topics, each with its own budget and expected number of grants. These topics cover Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). The funding rate is 70% of eligible costs, with beneficiaries receiving lump sum grants. A collaboration agreement is required, indicating that consortia are expected. The maximum project duration is 36 months.

The call is open to a range of applicants, including research organizations, universities, industry (SMEs and large enterprises), and other stakeholders in the ATM sector. While specific countries are not mentioned, the program is relevant to EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions. The ECAC region is a key geographic focus for performance assessment.

Applicants should carefully review the call documents, including the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking Bi-Annual Work Programme (BAWP) 2024-2025, application form templates, model grant agreements, and additional documents related to Horizon Europe and SESAR. They should also consult the SESAR 3 JU Call Helpdesk and other support resources for guidance on the application process.