Project Implementation
On this page you will find information on legal and financial aspects of the implementation of MSC projects.
Adobe Stock / pressmaster
On this page you will find information on legal and financial aspects of the implementation of MSC projects.
Adobe Stock / pressmaster
The Grant Agreement is the contract between the Research Executive Agency (REA) on behalf of the European Commission and the beneficiary.
The Grant Agreement enters into force as soon as the REA and the beneficiary electronically sign the agreement in the Funding & Tenders Portal. Provided that there is no other agreement between the REA and the beneficiary, the project starts in the month following the signing of the Grant Agreement.
According to the Grant Agreement, a consortium agreement has to be concluded for all consortia projects. In the MSCA, these are Doctoral Networks and Staff Exchanges.
All beneficiaries will conclude the Consortium Agreement and can decide to include the associated partners. The inclusion of the associated partners is not mandatory.
The Consortium Agreement is concluded for the whole duration of the project and contains the beneficiaries’ internal cooperation arrangements.
The beneficiaries may negotiate and conclude the content of the Consortium Agreement freely but infringement upon the provision of the Grant Agreement or upon national law has to be precluded.
DESCA Model Consortium Agreement: The DESCA Core Group (Development of a Simplified Consortium Agreement Core Group) will develop a new model for Horizon Europe that will be available on the DESCA website.
It is encouraged to conclude a Partnership Agreement between the beneficiaries and the associated partners. Associated partners do not sign the Grant Agreement.
Especially important for the Global Fellowships, the Partnership Agreement contains arrangements with regard to financial modalities and commitments between the beneficiary and the associated partner in the Third Country.
Partnership Agreements for MSC projects funded in Horizon 2020 can be found under the headline "Model (employment) contracts".
The National Contact Point MSC has developed model employment contracts for Germany for the Doctoral Networks and Postdoctoral Fellowships in cooperation with representatives from the European Liaison Office of the German Research Organizations (KoWi), the Fraunhofer Society, the German Aerospace Center, University Duisburg-Essen, University Freiburg, and the National Working Group (Bundesarbeitskreis) of EU Funding Advisors at German Universities and Colleges (BAK).
These model contracts serve as a sample only. Their use is at the user's own responsibility and does not release the user from reviewing them in order to protect their own interests and rights.
For the German model employment contracts, there is an English reading version available:
For Horizon 2020, model employment contracts are also available. The National Contact Point MSC had developed those contracts for Germany in cooperation with representatives from the European Liaison Office of the German Research Organizations (KoWi), the Max-Planck-Society, the Helmholtz Association, the Fraunhofer Society, the German Aerospace Center, University Duisburg-Essen, Bonn University as well as the National Working Group (Bundesarbeitskreis) of EU Funding Advisors at German Universities and Colleges (BAK).
The model employment contracts aim at supporting German institutions in establishing individual contracts in accordance with the provisions of the Research Executive Agency. Each institution has to check the use and content of the model employment contract against internal obligations and liabilities.
Financial contributions in the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions are always effected as unit cost contributions.
In the Doctoral Networks and Postdoctoral Fellowships, the European Commission provides a living allowance (with country correction coefficient), a mobility allowance and, if applicable, a family allowance, which usually constitute the employers’ gross amount for the salary of the researcher. The host institutions receive unit costs for the research, training and networking of the researcher as well as unit costs for management and indirect contributions.
In Staff Exchanges, the host institution receives unit costs for the seconded staff and for covering research, training and networking, as well as unit costs for management and indirect contributions.
In COFUND, a fixed financial contribution covers (part of) the living expenses of the fellow and / or costs related to the training, research expenses, transfer of knowledge and networking activities of researchers, costs of managing the action and indirect costs. COFUND can be co-financed by the Structural Funds or other third-party funds, but not by other Horizon Europe programmes.
For Doctoral Networks, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Staff Exchanges and COFUND, the longterm leave allowance covers the beneficiaries’ costs in case the researcher is absent for more than 30 consecutive days due to illness or parental leave.
The special needs allowance covers additional costs for researchers with handicaps.
The action "MSCA and Citizens" covers direct and indirect costs for the implementation of "European Researchers’ Night" events.
Information on how to apply on the European Commission's website