ExpectedOutcome:The Hop On Facility allows for legal entities from low R&I performing countries to join already selected collaborative R&I actions, subject to the agreement of the respective consortium and provided that legal entities from such countries are not yet participating in it. The scheme aims to improve the inclusiveness of Horizon Europe by involving more research institutions from Widening countries under Horizon Europe Pillar 2 and EIC Pathfinder actions.

Main selection criteria are excellence and added value of the new partner performing a relevant additional task in the project. All consortium partners need to agree on the accession of the new partner whereas the R&I relevance and complementarity needs to be demonstrated. The accepted application will trigger a GA amendment with the service in charge of the related topic.

Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

At system level, it mobilises excellence in the Widening countries, increases visibility of the participants from the Widening countries, improves knowledge circulation, and reduces lack of participation of the Widening countries in specific thematic domains;At organisation level, it opens up silos of established closed consortia, improves research excellence of the Widening country’s institutions in specific fields, enlarges outreach of the participants’ R&I actions and provides access to new talent pools;At the level of the beneficiary, new competencies and skills for working in transnational projects including research management and dissemination and exploitation are acquired.
Scope:The Hop On Facility integrates one additional participant from a Widening country to an ongoing project under Pillar 2 or the EIC pathfinder scheme while topping up a relevant task or work package and the cost incurred by the additional participant. This will happen on a voluntary basis without affecting the freedom of choice for the consortium and the principle of excellence. The Hop On Facility is open to all topics under Pillar 2 and the EIC pathfinder. Applications with activities that contribute to the policy objective of the transition towards a green and digital economy are especially encouraged.

The action will be part of an existing project with a valid Grant Agreement. Applications must demonstrate the R&I added value of the new partner and present a visible and distinct work package for the acceding partner. The proposal should include a detailed description of the profile of the new partner and its role in the existing project. The additional partner and task should be presented in a dedicated proposal template with the Description of the Action (DOA) of the ongoing action uploaded as an annex. Selected consortia will be invited to submit an amendment request for accession of a new partner, modification of the description of the action and upgrade of the budget.

The budget increase must be exclusively for the benefit of the new partner with the exception of a coordination fee of up to 10% of the increased budget to be allocated to the coordinator of the consortium. The coordinator may request the coordination fee and provide an explanation on the additional integration efforts for the new partner.