Scope:

The research will focus on bee health and sustainable pollination, taking a transdisciplinary approach and building on and synthesising knowledge from previous EU projects, national research and existing networks, and EFSA and EURL initiatives. The projects should address the most critical obstacles to sustainable beekeeping and the provision of bee pollination services, taking account of socio-economic factors and human behaviour, in various regional EU scenarios, and propose measures to mitigate the most critical gaps/stressors/threats. It should be based on a comprehensive mapping of our current understanding, in particular including recent research. The research activities should provide as far as possible model systems for sustainable apiculture in several representative EU settings of environment and beekeeping and a better understanding of the contribution of bees to sustainable pollination for major dependent crops in the EU (with or without managed honeybees). Projects should fall under the concept of the 'multi-actor approach'^[3]. The projects should ensure appropriate dissemination to the breeding and professional sectors and other relevant stakeholders to facilitate uptake of results.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 4.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude the submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Review of the most critical gaps/stressors/threats in achieving bee health, sustainable pollination and sustainable beekeeping in different European. Contribution to the development of mitigation measures for the most critical gaps/stressors/threats. Provision of model systems for sustainable apiculture.

[1]http://www.efsa.europa.eu/

[2]https://eurl-milk.anses.fr/en/minisite/abeilles/eurl-honeybee-health

[3]See definition of the 'multi-actor approach' in the introduction to this Work Programme part.

Topic conditions and documents

Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application.
 

List of countries and applicable rules for funding: described in part A of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme.
Note also that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon 2020 projects (follow the links to China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan).

Eligibility and admissibility conditions: described in part B and C of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme
Proposal page limits and layout: Please refer to Part B of the standard proposal template.

Evaluation

3.1  Evaluation criteria and procedure, scoring and threshold: described in part H of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme [, with the following exceptions]:

3.2 Submission and evaluation process: Guide to the submission and evaluation process

Indicative timetable for evaluation and grant agreement:

Information on the outcome of single-stage evaluation: maximum 5 months from the deadline for submission.
Signature of grant agreements: maximum 8 months from the deadline for submission.

Information on the outcome of two-stage evaluation:
      For stage 1: maximum 3 months from the deadline for submission.
      For stage 2: maximum 5 months from the deadline for submission.
Signature of grant agreements: maximum 8 months from the deadline for submission.

Provisions, proposal templates and evaluation forms for the type(s) of action(s) under this topic:

Research and Innovation Action:

Specific provisions and funding rates
Standard proposal template
Standard evaluation form
H2020 General MGA -Multi-Beneficiary
Annotated Grant Agreement

Additional provisions:

• Horizon 2020 budget flexibility
• Technology readiness levels (TRL) – where a topic description refers to TRL, these definitions apply.
• Financial support to Third Parties – where a topic description foresees financial support to Third Parties, these provisions apply.

Open access must be granted to all scientific publications resulting from Horizon 2020 actions, and proposals must refer to measures envisaged. Where relevant, proposals should also provide information on how the participants will manage the research data generated and/or collected during the project, such as details on what types of data the project will generate, whether and how this data will be exploited or made accessible for verification and re-use, and how it will be curated and preserved.

Additional documents
 

• H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Introduction 
• H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy
• H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Dissemination, Exploitation and Evaluation
• H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: General Annexes
• Legal basis: Horizon 2020 - Regulation of Establishment
• Legal basis: Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation
• Legal basis: Horizon 2020 Specific Programme

The deadline for the second stage is 13 September 2017.