Library FAQ
What is the overall aim of the Advanced Materials Challenge?
To scale SMEs across the full value chain of advanced materials (design to production), and accelerate market uptake in four key application areas while addressing EU strategic autonomy and industrial dependency risks.
What outcomes are expected from the Advanced Materials Challenge?
Strengthened European value chains in the four application areas, a more diversified and digitally driven value chain, accelerated market uptake of advanced materials, and reduced dependence on imports of critical resources.
What problems in current GenAI does the challenge seek to address?
Unexplained inaccuracies (hallucinations), lack of transparency and accountability, and issues undermining trust, safety and reliability—especially in sensitive or safety-critical applications.
What specific activities does GenAI4EU support?
Further development and validation of new GenAI models; adapting existing models to sectors or data types for smaller/faster/energy-efficient deployment; and integrating and testing GenAI solutions in workflows, regulatory sandboxes and real-life settings incl...
What specific mitigation approaches does the biotechnology challenge prioritise?
Replacing fossil fuels in pesticide and fertiliser production; improving resource-use efficiency and climate-smart agriculture; mitigating ruminant enteric methane emissions; and expanding conventional food and feed production.
What specific technologies and activities are supported under the Advanced Materials Challenge?
Technologies for design, synthesis, characterisation, up-scaling and production of advanced materials, and scaling up processes to reach targeted functionalities or improved performance (e.g., surface functionalisation of nanoparticles, additive manufacturing...
What support and safeguards are provided under GenAI4EU?
Selected beneficiaries may receive favourable access to European supercomputing resources for training large models (AI Factories/EuroHPC), potential strategic partnerships and capital attraction, and access to or integration with European Open Science Cloud r...
What sustainability requirements apply to projects under the Advanced Materials Challenge?
Projects must minimise use of resources, particularly critical raw materials, and measure environmental footprint via life-cycle analysis that includes cost and social impact, following the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework.
What types of biotechnology solutions are start-ups and SMEs expected to focus on?
Biopesticides, bio-stimulants and microbial fertilisers; biotech supporting precision crop and livestock farming including new breeding technologies; ruminant methane mitigation (novel feeds, processing, additives, selective breeding compliant with EU welfare...
Which application areas does the Advanced Materials Challenge target?
Energy, mobility, electronics, and construction.
Which sectors and applications are priority focus areas for GenAI4EU models?
Healthcare (notably radiology), energy (power grid and renewables management), security (critical infrastructure), public sector, cultural and creative sectors, manufacturing, education, and science.
Why does the Work Programme target biotechnology for low emission food and feed production systems?
Because agriculture is a major source of EU greenhouse gas, methane and ammonia emissions and current practices harm biodiversity; supporting novel biotechnology solutions can substantially mitigate GHGs and environmental impacts.
Are EIC Awardees required to promote gender balance in projects?
Relevant EIC Awardees must take measures to promote equal opportunities and aim for gender balance at all levels of personnel assigned to the action, including supervisory and managerial levels where possible.
Can security-sensitive but unclassified results be restricted?
Yes. Security-sensitive but unclassified results may require restricted disclosure or limited dissemination for security reasons, and disclosure is subject to prior written approval by the European Commission.
Can tasks involving EU-classified information be subcontracted?
Subcontracting tasks involving EU-classified information requires prior written approval by the European Commission and is only possible to entities established in an EU Member State or in a non-EU country with a security of information agreement with the EU.
Can the granting authority object to transfers or exclusive licensing of results?
Yes. For Horizon Europe EIC actions the granting authority may object, up to 4 years after the end of the action, to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results.
Does the GEP eligibility requirement apply to private companies and NGOs?
No. The GEP eligibility criterion does not apply to other legal entity categories such as private for-profit organisations (including SMEs), non-governmental or civil society organisations.
Do projects need any specific facility security clearance before grant signature?
Depending on the activity, an FSC may need to be provided before grant signature. The Agency will assess the need and establish delivery dates during grant preparation; a grant cannot be signed until at least one beneficiary in the consortium has an FSC if req...
How are projects with classified or security-sensitive information handled?
Such projects undergo a Security Appraisal, may be subject to specific security rules in the grant agreement, and must follow applicable rules for EU-classified information; projects involving TRES SECRET UE/EU TOP SECRET cannot be funded.
How must personal data be managed in EIC projects?
Personal data must be managed in line with the GDPR and relevant legal frameworks and must not be made public unless explicitly agreed by the data subjects.
What are the conditions for financial support to third parties?
Where allowed, projects must publish open calls widely, follow EU standards of transparency, equal treatment, conflict of interest and confidentiality, publish calls on the Funding and Tenders Portal and beneficiaries’ websites, keep calls open at least 2 mont...
What are the minimum requirements of a Gender Equality Plan?
Minimum requirements are publication of a formal document signed by top management, dedicated resources for implementation, sex/gender-disaggregated data collection and annual monitoring, and awareness-raising/training on gender equality and unconscious bias....
What ethical standards must EIC projects follow?
Projects must comply with ethical principles and the highest standards of research integrity and applicable EU, international and national law, with attention to proportionality, privacy, data protection, physical and mental integrity, non-discrimination, envi...
What is the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle for EIC?
Innovations that significantly harm the environment, social welfare or are primarily designed for military applications will not be funded, as this would contravene the DNSH principle of the EU Taxonomy Regulation.