[HORIZON EUROPE] Horizon Insights – Unlocking your network: how to join a consortium as partner
The prepublication of the Horizon Europe calls for collaborative projects on April 25th is the trigger for many researchers, not only at Ghent University but in all EU Member States and Associated Countries, to consider participation in one or several project proposals.
Do you have ambitions to participate as a partner in a Horizon Europe project proposal? This is the time for action if you would still like to participate in the Horizon Europe Pillar 2 calls for 2025, as deadlines are in September this year. To join a consortium as a partner, there are several proactive steps you can take instead of waiting for an invitation. This article provides insights into the art of identifying relevant project consortia, helps you find the optimal way of presenting your expertise, leads you towards being an attractive partner for a Horizon Europe research project and introduces the kind of support you can get at Ghent University.
Identify a topic that matches with your research interest
The Keymatch topic sorting tool is a machine learning system available to all Ghent University staff, that automatically ranks the Horizon Europe topics from both published and draft Work Programmes, based on their Biblio record. This way, you can focus on reading the topic text of the highest-ranked topics instead of browsing all the Cluster Work Programmes separately.
Call topics typically address a core challenge in one research area, but ask for an interdisciplinary approach to address it. At first glance, the Keymatch system may suggest topics that seem distant from your work, but upon closer inspection, you may find that some of these topics require participation from groups with flanking expertise (psychology for a cybersecurity topic, toxicology for a material sciences topic, energy expertise for an agricultural topic, etc). These are excellent opportunities for participating in a European project, as a partner.
Identifying topics of interest is thus an easy game, as Keymatch allows you to find call topics for which your expertise might be peripheral yet indispensable.
Clearly define the role you could play in a project for a specific topic
Identify your unique expertise or added value (e.g., database management, infrastructure) that you can contribute to the project. Use our template as guidance tool.
Reach out to your (European) network
Consider who in your network might be interested in the topic you've identified and who could be a strong project leader with complementary expertise. Remember, your network is likely larger than you think: former collaborators, partners from previous projects, (co-) authors of relevant recent publications, and contacts from conferences are all potential leads. Approach them with a proactive and positive message.
Broaden the scope of your search for a consortium beyond your current network
You can use the “predicting partners” function in Keymatch for this. Use the “find researchers” tab in Keymatch, and the custom dataset “- Predicting partners” for the topic you have chosen. Keymatch will list the partners that best match with the topic based on their track record of Horizon Europe projects. Maybe you have contacts yourself in the organizations that are listed on top? If not, the EU Team can help you reaching out through the network of the account managers.
Once the call is officially launched on the Funding & Tender portal, add an expression of interest in the call to the portal
This is a short paragraph where you can advertise your expertise. The workload is minimal, and this approach has proven to be successful in some cases. Get in contact with us via eu-team@ugent.be to help you upload this section.
Have the steps above not lead to success? Feel free to reach out to the EU Team to help you refine your strategy, either for the 2025 calls or the future calls.
We specifically focused in this Horizon Insights article on tips to bring your expertise into a consortium. Of course, you can also take up the task of coordinating a proposal. On our European Support Sharepoint you can find an infosheet with guidance on expectations and benefits of the different roles to take in a consortia. You can also contact the EU-team for tailored support on project coordination.
More information
Are you inspired by this article and wondering how we can help you ?
Ask for individual guidance.
- Consult our support activities when you are thinking about applying.
- Link to more Call information
- Contact the EU-team
About Horizon Insights
Horizon Insights is a feature in the BOZI newsletter where the EU team wishes to share own insights, going beyond information.
April 29, 2025, 11:05 a.m.