European Partnership Help Center

The focus is on planning for potential future scenarios, not on undoing past commitments. The defined lifetime of current European Partnerships will not be shortened. Therefore, the projects kicked off or foreseen will not see their scope reduced due to the decision of not renewing the partnership in the next Framework Programme. The goal is to proactively reflect on how to sustain the added value and benefits of your partnership beyond the current funding. The strategies should explore alternative pathways, how the partnership could transition into a new form, sustain part of its activities, or leverage its assets through alternative structures or funding sources. Essential activities and results should attract interest in being maintained and developed beyond Framework Programme support. The scope of activities will indeed be proportionate to the support expected to be secured. The focus is however on maintaining relevance and value, rather than describing contraction.

European Partnership have a defined and limited duration. Not renewing a partnership does not constitute a budget cut to the currently existing partnership. Phasing out strategies are not about describing reactions to non-renewal, but about identifying proactive, solution-oriented ways to preserve what has been achieved: how to make the most of what was built together. It is a strategic exercise to define how the partnership can evolve beyond FP funding, maintain collaboration, and secure its legacy and impact.

Alternative implementation modalities are models or mechanisms, other than the European Partnership as it stands today, that would allow partners to sustain, build on, and further develop their joint assets and results. These may also involve transformations, growth, or shifts in form or focus. Examples include a self-sustained network, a national co-funding model, integration into another initiative, creation of a legal entity, or a private-public financing model. This reflection should be led by the partnership itself, as it holds the best understanding of its results, assets, and strategic context.

The phasing out strategy put forward by the partnership must be fully compliant with the mandatory elements of the guidelines (one scenario without FP funding incl. a timeline and indicators for assessing the progress towards phasing out; each scenario constitutes an alternative implementation modality; and an alignment of each scenario with the overall strategic orientation of the partnership and the policy context).

Developing a phasing out strategy is a legal obligation under the Horizon Europe Regulation. When assessing the performance of partnerships funded under Horizon Europe, the absence of a credible phasing out strategy constitutes noncompliance with one of the implementation criteria set out in the legal framework (annex III). Such noncompliance will be reflected accordingly in monitoring and evaluation exercises, and may be (pending the final legislative framework that will be adopted) considered in the future selection of partnerships under FP10 (e.g. as part of the legacy criterion under the proposal for a Specific Programme implementing Horizon Europe 2028-2034 ).

As Moonshots feature in the proposal for the next Framework Programme, transitioning into one could constitute a potential scenario, though it would not qualify as a "scenario without FP funding". Negotiations on the next MFF are ongoing, so the detailed selection and implementation modalities of moonshots will evolve. Strategies should be treated as living documents and may be updated as new opportunities, including Moonshots, become clearer.