On August 8, specialists of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine department of the NRFU held an online consultation for representatives of the GoGlobal organization, which is a part of the consortium preparing a project application for the HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-10: «The role of civic and citizenship education for strengthening civic and democratic participation and support for common European values» call.

At the beginning of the meeting the parties introduced those involved in the consultation, after which the participants were focused on key issues related to the financial planning and submitting an application for the Horizon Europe Programme.

Among the topics discussed were:

• Budget issues: distribution of the budget among the main categories of expenditure (personnel, subcontracts, equipment, etc.), the ratio of expenditure depending on the role in the work packages, the application of a fixed rate for indirect costs and requirements for documentary evidence, as well as procedures for calculating the hourly rate of employees.
• Subcontracting and procurement procedures: subcontracting at the time of application, permissible share of subcontracting in the total budget, equipment procurement process.
• Application structure and compliance with the call for proposals: comparison of the budget with work packages and deliverables, compliance of the project with the standard budget structure within the specified call for proposals, as well as requests for examples of budgets for successful start-up projects.
• Audit and financial reporting: the level of audit – at the level of the organization or the entire consortium.

As a result of the consultation, participants received comprehensive answers to all their questions, recommendations on budget structuring and practical advice on further steps in preparing the financial part of the application.

The office provides ongoing advice. The office’s experts remain ready to support Ukrainian participants in the process of submitting project applications to the Horizon Europe Programme.

On July 31, Kropyvnytskyi city hosted the second day of the information event ‘Grant opportunities of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine and support tools within the Horizon Europe Programme’ organized by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU). The event was a logical continuation of an active dialogue between representatives of the Ukrainian scientific community, government, research and innovation sectors on the effective use of available domestic and international funding opportunities.

Specialists of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine department of the NRFU provided detailed information on current calls of the Horizon Europe Programme, paying special attention to the priority research areas and typical challenges faced by Ukrainian applicants. In particular, a practical tour of the Funding and Tenders Portal was conducted, which is the main tool for searching for calls for proposals and submitting project applications under the Programme. Participants received step-by-step recommendations on how to navigate the platform, search for relevant calls, prepare project proposals and form consortia.

The speakers paid special attention to the substantive analysis of the key areas of the Horizon Europe Programme, such as Cluster 1 Health, Cluster 4 Digitalization, Industry and Space, Cluster 5 Climate, Energy and Mobility, as well as EU Missions such as Cancer, Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, Restore our Ocean and Waters, and Adaptation to Climate Change.

In the second part of the event, experts of the NRFU were focused on the national opportunities for researchers, in particular, they were informed about the peculiarities of participating in calls for proposals of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine. They discussed the organizational and legal aspects of applying, the stages of competitive selection, project evaluation criteria, and grant support during the implementation phase.

The event aroused great interest among the participants, who actively participated in the discussions, asked numerous questions and received comprehensive and professional answers. Such interest demonstrates the growing need of Ukrainian researchers for quality information and methodological support in attracting grant funding.

At the end of the event, Igor Taranov, Head of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine, thanked all participants for their activity and wished them success in preparing and submitting project applications and winning the grants.

Informal networking took place at the end of the meeting, during which participants had the opportunity to discuss specific challenges in grant management, establish professional contacts, and share their own experience of participating in calls for proposals.

On July 30-31, 2025, the National Research Foundation of Ukraine held an on-site information event ‘Grant opportunities of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine and support tools within the Horizon Europe Programme’. This time, the event took place in the Kropyvnytskyi city and gathered about 150 participants who joined both in person and online.

The event was opened by Olga Polotska, Executive Director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, who welcomed the audience and thanked everyone for their interest in the programs supporting research and innovation. Serhiy Sheremet, Deputy Head of the Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration, also made a welcoming speech. He emphasized the importance of such events for Ukrainian scientists, researchers, and innovators who continue to work and develop their ideas despite the difficult circumstances. Yehor Pyvovarov, Policy Officer for Research and Innovation at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, concluded the welcoming remarks by wishing participants an productive work, new acquaintances and joint projects.

The Agenda of the first day was rich and informative. In the first part, the participants were introduced to the main aspects of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, the opportunities offered by the Horizon Europe Programme for Ukrainian researchers, as well as the activities of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine at the NRFU. The European Research Council (ERC), an important instrument for supporting basic research under the Programme, was presented separately.

In the second part of the event, the speakers focused on topical issues, including the NRFU’s strategy for open science, legal and financial aspects of participation in the Horizon Europe Programme, the WIDERA component, Cluster 3 “‘Civil Security for Society’, and grant opportunities for business. Representatives of the NRFU’s Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine presented in detail the mechanisms for attracting Ukrainian participants to the Programme, drawing attention to the practical aspects of project submission and partnerships.

The event was aimed at a wide audience: representatives of higher education institutions, research institutions, small and medium-sized businesses, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. At the end of the day, an active Q&A session and networking between the participants and Office’s specialists took place, which created additional opportunities for sharing experiences and establishing new contacts.

On July 24, 2025, an online training webinar was held on the opportunities for participating in Horizon Europe calls for proposals in the context of the Hop-On Facility call. The event was organized by Olga Sulema, head of the national contact point for the Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA), together with the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine.

Nataliia Didenko, Deputy Head of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. She noted that Hop-On is an effective tool for expanding the participation of Ukrainian organizations in international projects, and the webinar is a great opportunity to learn more about its mechanisms and practical application.

During the webinar, participants were provided with detailed information about the Hop-On Facility call, which allows institutions from widening countries, including Ukraine, to join already funded projects under the Horizon Europe Programme. The speaker talked about the conditions for participation, the application procedure, the evaluation criteria, and the potential benefits for Ukrainian participants. Particular attention was paid to the scientific or innovative contribution that a new consortium member must demonstrate in order to become a full partner in an existing project.

The webinar aroused interest among representatives of the scientific community and became another step towards Ukraine’s more active integration into the European research area.