The specific challenge of TWINNING action is to address networking gaps and deficiencies between the research institutions of the low performing Member States and regions and internationally-leading counterparts at EU level. Driven by the quest for excellence, research intensive institutions tend to collaborate increasingly in closed groups, producing a crowding-out effect for a large number of promising institutions.

a. Objective

Twinning aims at significantly strengthening a defined field of research in a particular knowledge institution (a research active university or a public or private non-profit research organisation) by creating a link between this institution and at least two internationally-leading research institutions in other Member States. Twinning will:

Enhance the S&T capacity of the linked institutions;

Help raise staff’s research profile as well as the one of the institutions involved.

b. Activities

Successful Twinning proposals will have to clearly outline the scientific strategy for stepping up and stimulating scientific excellence and innovation capacity in a defined area of research as well as the scientific quality of the partners involved in the twinning exercise. They are also encouraged to explain how the Twinning activity will contribute to the overall Smart Specialisation Strategy of the specific location of the initiating institution.

Such a strategy should include a comprehensive set of measures to be supported. These should include at least a number of the following: short term staff exchanges; expert visits and short-term on-site or virtual training; workshops; conference attendance; organisation of joint summer school type activities; dissemination and outreach activities. Twinning activities will provide no support to infrastructure and equipment and no support for hiring new permanent research staff.

c. Specific Eligible conditions

Applicant organisation

The applicant organisation should be established in a Member State that is ranked below 70% of the EU27 average of the composite indicator on Research Excellence.

The selected corrective threshold of 70% of the EU average has been chosen in line with the particular policy requirements of the measure, to ensure the greatest possible impact through targeting only the lowest performing Member States, and thereby maximising the real value of these actions.

Based on the above threshold, applicant organisations from the following Member States will be eligible to submit proposals: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Number of participants

Twinning proposals must involve a minimum of three participants:

a. The applicant organisation must satisfy the condition set out in point 1 above, and must be the coordinator of the proposal.

b. At least two internationally-leading research intensive counterparts established in at least two different Member States other than that of the applicant organisation.

Budget and project duration

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of EUR 1 million, would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

A Twinning project is foreseen to last for up to 3 years.

e. Deadlines

- VHIR's deadline: April 30th, 2015

- Official deadline: May 7th, 2015 at 17:00 Brussels time

f. Further information

Call information: HERE

Access to submission system: HERE