The contract between the Commission and the beneficiaries that turns a winning proposal into a funded project.
The grant agreement turns a winning proposal into a funded project. It is a contract between the granting authority and every beneficiary, built on a model text that is essentially non-negotiable. What varies is the annexes, not the terms.
Two annexes carry the substance. Annex 1, the description of the action, is your proposal converted into contractual obligations: work packages, deliverables, milestones, the role of each partner. Annex 2 is the budget. Everything in them is enforceable, which is why the sloppy sentence written at midnight during proposal writing becomes something you have promised to deliver.
Preparation runs to a deadline of its own. The programme works to a time to grant of around eight months from the call deadline to signature, and the grant preparation phase inside it is short and busy: validating entities, appointing signatories, correcting the budget, adjusting Annex 1 to reflect the evaluators' comments, clearing ethics requirements.
Signature happens in the portal by an authorised representative of each beneficiary. Every partner must sign before the agreement enters into force, so one organisation whose signatory is on holiday delays the whole consortium, and the start date, and the pre-financing.
The start date is normally the first day of the month after entry into force, and costs incurred before it are not eligible. Consortia that begin work early to keep momentum are spending their own money, whatever the informal understanding with the project officer.
| Beneficiary | The organisation that signs the grant agreement and receives EU money. If you win, this is what you become. | |
| Consortium agreement | The private contract between partners covering money, decisions, liability and intellectual property, mandatory in most actions, and not drafted by the Commission. | |
| Pre-financing | An advance paid shortly after the grant agreement is signed, so the project can start before any costs are reported. | |
| Amendment | A formal change to the grant agreement: partners, budget, duration, work plan. | |
| Ethics review | A screening every proposal goes through, and a full review for projects touching people, personal data, animals or dual-use concerns. |
Also mentioned under Lump sum grant, Interim and final payments, Deliverable and milestone, Period of performance.
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