Submission deadline Call 2018: Thu 6 Sept 2018, 17:00 CET V3.0 dd. 31 May 2018 1 BBI JU – FAQs for Call 2018 In this document, you will find the most frequently asked questions (and answers) from potential applicants and proposal writers. The information in this document is based on the rules and conditions in the BBI JU General Guide for applicants, which can be found on the Participant Portal, and on the derogation with regards to participants eligible for funding by BBI JU, the BBI JU Model Grant Agreement and the Horizon 2020 Annotated Model Grant Agreement, which are available on the BBI JU website under the section ‘About BBI JU - Reference documents’. This FAQ document complements but does not replace these official guidelines; in the event of different interpretations, the information provided in the official guidelines always has precedence. For additional questions, please contact [email protected]. Version history Version Date Main updates 1.0 12/04/2018 First version 2.0 04/05/2015 Minor textual updates + additional topic-specific Q&A (section 5) for topics R4, R9, R10, D1, D5, F1 and F2. 3.0 31/05/2018 Section 5: cross-topic terminology added + topic-specific Q&A for topics R4-8 & 11 (timing BIC membership), R2, R5, R10, and D3. 4.0 16/10/2018 Addition of section 3.4 (BIC contribution) Table of Contents 0. Overview of information sources .................................................................................... 2 1. BBI JU terminology ........................................................................................................ 3 2. Developing consortia / project ideas............................................................................... 5 2.1 Consortium building ................................................................................................ 5 2.2 From idea to proposal evaluation ............................................................................ 7 3. Financial / budget-related Q&A .................................................................................... 10 3.1 Cost eligibility ........................................................................................................ 10 3.2 Project funding ...................................................................................................... 16 3.3 Project sales & receipts ........................................................................................ 17 3.4 BIC contribution .................................................................................................... 18 4. Project timing & duration .............................................................................................. 19 5. Call 2018 topic-specific Q&A ........................................................................................ 20
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Submission deadline Call 2018: Thu 6 Sept 2018, 17:00 CET
V3.0 dd. 31 May 2018 1
BBI JU – FAQs for Call 2018
In this document, you will find the most frequently asked questions (and answers) from
potential applicants and proposal writers. The information in this document is based on the
rules and conditions in the BBI JU General Guide for applicants, which can be found on the
Participant Portal, and on the derogation with regards to participants eligible for funding by
BBI JU, the BBI JU Model Grant Agreement and the Horizon 2020 Annotated Model Grant
Agreement, which are available on the BBI JU website under the section ‘About BBI JU -
Reference documents’. This FAQ document complements but does not replace these official
guidelines; in the event of different interpretations, the information provided in the official
Submission deadline Call 2018: Thu 6 Sept 2018, 17:00 CET
V3.0 dd. 31 May 2018 3
1. BBI JU terminology Q 1.1: What are the main differences between BBI JU and Horizon 2020?
The BBI JU initiative is a public-private partnership aiming at increasing investment in the
development of a sustainable bio-based industry sector in Europe. This objective should be
achieved by means of funding industry-driven projects in the framework of the Strategic
Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA1) This means that projects will be supported both by
public funding (Horizon 2020) as well as by private contributions (the meaning of this aspect
is explained in Q 1.4 – ‘consortium own contribution’) with the aim to create greater impact by
leveraging private investments.
Q 1.2: What are the differences between BBI JU and Horizon 2020 rules?
Although the BBI JU operates under Horizon 2020 rules, the main differences are:
Large industry is not eligible for funding (reimbursement rate = 0%) in Research and
Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Coordination & Support Actions (CSAs); see also official
derogation and Q 3.2.2;
BBI JU-specific evaluation sub-criteria (e.g. in the 'impact' evaluation criterion, evaluators
will assess if/how ‘the consortium own contribution maximises the impact of the action for
all the types of actions’; see also Q 1.4);
In Call 2018, 6 Research & Innovation (RIA) topics (R4-8 and R11) have an additional
eligibility criterion2: having at least one consortium member that is a large enterprise as
well as a full BIC member on 6 September 2018 (Call closure);
The threshold for the evaluation criterion 'impact' is 4/5 for all types of actions;
BBI JU supports proposals with end-of project TRLs ranging from 3 to 8 (= a wider range
than Horizon 2020); see also Q 1.3.
Q 1.3: What are TRLs (Technology Readiness Levels)?
Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) are a method used to estimate the maturity of a
technology. Using a scale from 1 to 9, technologies are ranked from 1 (basic principles
observed) to 9 (actual system proven in operational environment, e.g. competitive
manufacturing). More info: see heading G of the General Annexes to the Horizon 2020 Work
programme 2018-2020.
For BBI JU Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs), applicants should present projects with
end-of-project TRLs 3 to 5 (in some RIA topic texts, more specific end-of-project TRLs are put
forward). For Innovation Actions (IAs), Demonstration projects are expected to reach end-of-
project TRLs 6 to 7, whereas flagships should reach TRL 8 by the end of the project.
Furthermore, flagship applicants must demonstrate that by the time of the submission of their
application they have been operating relative demonstration scale plants at a significant
1 See https://www.bbi-europe.eu/sites/default/files/sira-2017.pdf 2 “The consortium must contain at least one constituent entity of the Bio-based Industry Consortium that is a
beneficiary not eligible for JU funding as laid down in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 623/2014”
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3.2 Project funding
Q 3.2.1: How many proposals will be funded per topic?
None, 1 or more; this depends on the quality and quantity of submitted proposals per budget
line. In Call 2018, 5 budget lines are defined (R1, R2, R3, R9, R10; R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R11;
D1-5; F1-2; and S1-3), each composed of more than 1 topic. Proposals submitted under the
same budget line all compete for the budget assigned to this budget line. For example: the
budget line for Call 2018 IA-DEMO Actions (topics D1-5) is € 30 million. All submitted DEMO
proposals will compete for this budget. After the evaluations, all D1-5 proposals will be put in
the same ‘ranking list’, and only the highest-scoring proposals will be nominated for funding.
This means that if e.g. a lot of high-quality proposals are submitted for topic D1 and only low-
quality proposals for topic D2, it is possible that one or more D1 proposals but no D2 proposals
will be nominated for funding.
Q 3.2.2: which funding rates are applicable to BBI JU projects?
For Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) and Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs),
the standard (maximum) funding rate 100% of eligible costs. However, taking into account the
derogation from Regulation (EU) No 1290/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council
laying down the rules for participation and dissemination in Horizon 2020 - the Framework
Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020), with regard to the Bio-Based Industries
Joint Undertaking, only the following participants are eligible for funding from the Bio-based
Industries Joint Undertaking for actions in the area of bio-based industries other than
innovation actions:
(a) small and medium-sized enterprises;
(b) secondary and higher education establishments;
(c) non-profit legal entities, including those carrying out research or technological
development as one of their main objectives;
(d) the Joint Research Centre;
(e) international European interest organisations.
This means de facto that Large Enterprises are not eligible for funding for RIAs and CSAs (see
also Q 1.2).
For Innovation Actions (IAs), the standard funding rate is maximum 70% of eligible costs, or
maximum 100% for non-profit organisations. Hence for organisations using the 70% funding
rate, a minimum 30% of the eligible costs are contributed ‘in kind’ (see also Q 1.4).
Q 3.2.3: Why should participants request less than the maximum funding rate?
Participants may use lower funding rate than the maximum applicable funding rate (100% or
70%; see Q 3.2.2), in order to increase their in kind contribution to the project (see Q 1.2 and
1.4). By using this lower funding rate, the consortium will increase its ‘own contribution’, which
can have a positive impact during the evaluation of the subcriterion ‘Extent to which the
proposed consortium own contribution will help maximising the impact of the action’.
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Q 3.2.4: When is the pre-financing paid to the consortium and how much can it be?
There is no standard amount (or percentage) for the pre-financing payment; the amount is
fixed in each Grant Agreement (GA). However, the following standard rules are applicable:
An amount of 5% of the maximum grant amount is retained by the BBI JU from the pre-
financing payment and transferred into the Guarantee Fund.
The pre-financing will be paid to the coordinator within 30 days, either from the entry into
force of the Grant Agreement (GA) or from 10 days before the starting date of the action,
whichever is the latest (See art. 21.2 of the GA).
The total amount of pre-financing and interim payments must not exceed 90% of the
maximum grant amount set out in article 5.1 of the GA.
The pre-financing remains the property of the JU until the payment of the balance (at the
end of the project).
3.3 Project sales & receipts
Q 3.3.1: How should prototype and product sales in a BBI JU project be considered?
Demo plants and some operations of flagship plants will have as purpose the production of
prototypes, also called test lots, which are sold to customers to enable their further testing of
the prototype for their application.
Prototypes to be considered as such should comply with the following rules:
Sale price < production cost => no margin
Invoiced as test lots/prototype
No regular sales (for a given specification of the product)
If these conditions are met, sale of prototypes should be considered as ‘exploiting the results
of the action’ and therefore not as receipts.
Q 3.3.2: How should project receipts be considered when calculating the Final Grant?
In particular for flagship projects, sales of a product may result from operations carried out by
the beneficiary as part of the action, but also from operations occurring outside the action (e.g.
additional activities and marketing and sales operations), whose corresponding costs are not
reimbursed by BBI JU.
The receipts considered for a BBI JU project are therefore the sales price of the product to the
customer, minus the costs incurred by the beneficiary leading to this sale and that are outside
the BBI JU project (provided that such costs are not reimbursed by other EU funding
programmes).
Receipt of the project = sales – relevant costs not included in the BBI JU project budget
(eligible costs).
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3.4 BIC contribution
Q 3.4.1 Do beneficiaries in BBI JU projects who are not members of the "Bio-Based Industries consortium" (BIC) need to contribute to the administrative costs of the BBI JU? Regulation 560/2014 establishing the BBI JU (the "BBI JU regulation") sets out that the
administrative costs of the JU "shall be covered by means of financial contributions … [by] the
Union and the members other than the Union". In the BBI JU, the member other than the
Union is the "Bio-Based Industries consortium" (BIC) and it is therefore BIC that should provide
to the BBI JU the contribution to the JU's administrative costs.
The BBI JU regulation does therefore not provide a legal basis to impose mandatory
contributions on non-BIC members that are beneficiaries of BBI JU projects in order for BIC
to contribute to the JU administrative costs.
Such contributions may not be deducted from any amounts received by the coordinator as
pre-financing either.
In any case, any contributions to the administrative costs of the BBI JU are not eligible costs
because they are not incurred in connection with the project (action) as described in the Grant
Agreement and are not necessary for its implementation.
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4. Project timing & duration Q 4.1: What is the typical project duration of BBI JU projects?
The project duration is defined by the consortium in the proposal and must be in line with the
project objectives. Duration is specified in Article 3 of each Grant Agreement (GA). Typical
durations for types of actions are:
For Coordination & Support Actions (CSAs): 1-3 years
For Research and Innovation actions (RIAs): up to 4 years.
For Innovation Actions (IAs): 4-5 years
Q 4.2: Can a project start before the signature of the Grant Agreement (GA)?
As a general rule, the project starts on the first day of the month following the date when the
GA enters into force (GA Article 3). The GA enters into force when the last party (i.e. BBI JU)
signs it.
Early start date. Exceptionally, BBI JU may agree that the action starts before it enters into
force (i.e. before the grant agreement is signed by both parties), provided that the consortium
requests it in its proposal and can show that there is a need to start the action earlier (e.g. an
action that is dependent on environmental conditions such as a crop planting season).
However, the pre-financing (see Q 3.2.4) will be paid only after entry into force of the GA.
If a fixed start date is requested, the start date of the project can never be before the date of
proposal submission (EC financial regulation – Article 130). If a fixed date prior to the GA
signature is requested, any cost incurred before signature of the GA is incurred at the own risk
of the partner. Costs incurred before the official start date of the project are NOT eligible.
Q 4.3: Can the project duration be extended?
The project proposal has to take into account (‘risk management’) possible causes of delays
in the project and plan sufficient time to carry out the action.
(Only) if unscheduled and exceptional circumstances, in particular force majeure, arise during
the project, the consortium has two options:
Suspension of the action implementation (see Article 49.1 of the AGA): the beneficiaries
may suspend implementation of the action or any part of it, if exceptional circumstances
- in particular force majeure as defined in Article 51 of the GA - make the implementation
impossible or excessively difficult. Usually the whole project is suspended to ensure that
activities of the different partners remain in the same timeline.
Extension. If some activities of the project are delayed, the consortium can request an
extension of the project duration and any related modification (following article 55). This