Division 3.2 Implementation of BONUS Projects

BONUS projects shall be implemented via multi-partner trans-national projects involving at least three independent eligible legal entities from three different Member States or associated countries, of which at least two shall be from the Participating States.

Legal entities from Member States and associated countries may receive BONUS funding. Any consortium submitting a proposal for a BONUS project may include participants from a third country provided that it can realistically ensure that it has the necessary resources to fully cover the costs for its participation.

Each call for proposals shall clearly indicate the scientific topics. Those topics shall be identified by BONUS EEIG in consultation with the Commission. When identifying the topics, they shall take account of emerging needs, the results and outcomes of the previously implemented projects and of the wide stakeholder consultations undertaken during the strategic phase and throughout BONUS.

BONUS EEIG shall publish the calls for proposals as widely as possible, using specific information support, particularly Internet sites on the Seventh Framework Programme and address all relevant stakeholders through the specialised press and brochures. The calls for proposals shall remain open for at least 3 months. Proposed projects shall be submitted centrally to BONUS EEIG by the applicants in response to the calls and in a single-stage evaluation procedure.

Proposed projects shall be evaluated and selected centrally on the basis of an independent review in the light of defined eligibility and selection and award criteria. The core evaluation criteria shall be scientific excellence, the quality of the implementation and the expected impact of the project. The calls for proposals shall embody the core evaluation criteria. Additional criteria may be introduced on condition that they are published in the call for proposals, are non-discriminatory and do not prevail over the core evaluation criteria.

BONUS EEIG shall ensure that each proposal received is evaluated with the assistance of at least three independent experts appointed by it on the basis of the criteria set out in Regulation (EC) No 1906/2006. A rating shall be given for each project proposal. The independent experts shall examine the projects against the evaluation criteria and score them on a scale from 0 to 5 per criterion according to the rules for submission of proposals, and the related evaluation, selection and award procedures of the Seventh Framework Programme.

BONUS EEIG shall establish a funding list strictly in accordance with the results of the independent evaluation. The ranking list established by the independent experts shall be considered binding for the allocation of BONUS funds.

The administrative management of the grants awarded to the selected BONUS projects shall be handled centrally under the responsibility of BONUS EEIG.