Calculation of Personnel Costs in Horizon Europe

Bitkom welcomes the continued efforts of the European Commission to further simplify the procedures in the next research and innovation framework programme, Horizon Europe. Simple procedures are crucial for widespread participation and ultimately for the success of Horizon Europe. However, Bitkom believes that the currently proposed calculation changes in the Model Grant Agreement on personnel costs neither simplify the procedures nor do they reduce the risk of errors. The Model Grant Agreement in its current form would lead to a situation where the calculation of personnel costs in Horizon Europe strongly differs from companies' usual cost accounting practices. Given the administrative costs associated with this, SMEs and startups would suffer particularly from this and might withdraw further from Horizon Europe. In order to avoid administrative burdens for as well as imbalances within Europe, Bitkom believes that the Horizon 2020 approach to personnel costs calculations should be kept.