Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP)

A successful evaluation is not yet a grant. After the evaluation summary report the consortium receives an invitation to Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP). This is not a negotiation of the project's content but a technical and legal stage: the proposal is turned into annexes to the agreement, and the granting authority checks the participants themselves.

Timing

Article 31 of Regulation (EU) 2021/695 sets two maximum periods counted from the final date for submission of proposals: 5 months for informing applicants and 8 months for signing grant agreements. The work programme may set shorter periods. They may be exceeded, among other cases, for the ERC, for missions and for actions submitted to an ethics assessment or security scrutiny. The specific dates for your project are given in the invitation letter, and missing them can cost you the grant.

What participants do

• Grant data. The consortium fills them in together in the portal system and the coordinator submits them: participants' legal and financial data, starting date, reporting periods.
• Annex 1 (Description of the Action). Part A consists of structured tables (work packages, deliverables, milestones), Part B is a narrative based on the proposal.
• Annex 2. The estimated budget by participant and cost category.
• Validation of the organisation. The PIC data are checked by the Central Validation Service. Validation is needed for beneficiaries and affiliated entities.
• LEAR. Appointed by a legal representative of the organisation. It is mandatory for all validated participants: without a LEAR no agreement can be signed electronically in the portal. The LEAR designates the persons with signing rights.
• Financial capacity. In Horizon Europe it is verified only for the coordinator and only if the requested funding for the action is EUR 500,000 or more, although anyone may be checked where there are grounds for doubt.
• Declaration of honour. Signed by the authorised signatory (PLSIGN) of each beneficiary.
• Ethics and security. If the ethics review produced requirements, they are fulfilled or written into Annex 1.

What can no longer be changed

According to the Online Manual, the description of the action may differ from the proposal only within the limits stated in the invitation letter: correcting errors, addressing shortcomings identified by the evaluators, making the parts consistent with each other. Revising objectives, replacing key partners or reallocating the budget on your own initiative is not foreseen at this stage; such matters are agreed with the project officer.

Signature and the first payment

The coordinator's PLSIGN signs the agreement in the portal first, followed by the granting authority. The agreement enters into force with the last signature. The other beneficiaries accede through an Accession Form within 30 days after entry into force. Affiliated entities and associated partners sign nothing. The consortium agreement should be concluded before that moment.

Under the default Data Sheet option the initial pre-financing is paid within 30 days from the entry into force of the agreement or 10 days before the starting date, whichever is the latest. The contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism is retained from it (5–8% of the maximum grant amount in the agreement template). For exact amounts and dates, see your own agreement.

Common mistakes

Leaving the LEAR appointment and validation to the final weeks. Having no signatory ready with an EU Login account. Filling in Annex 1 by copying the proposal without checking the tables. Starting the consortium agreement negotiations after the invitation to sign.