H2020 Grant Agreement amendment in 5 steps
The Grant Agreement (GA) is the most important document of your H2020 project. It includes all legal and financial rules, as well as the detailed plan for project execution and budget estimation.
You did your best to plan your project in detail, but everyone is aware that in such innovative activities there are many unexpected factors that may impact project implementation. If this happens, keep calm! Here is some useful information on amendments to the H2020 Grant Agreement.
What happens if something is not going according to plan?
The good news is that your GA can be amended. The European Commission understands the dynamic nature of your H2020 project and foresees the possibility of changing some details of the original plan. You can request a GA amendment as long as the change proposed is reasonable for your project and does not call into question the decision awarding the grant. This means that you should not change the general idea or objectives of your project, nor its innovative nature.
Some examples of situations when amendments may be required include:
- Project extension,
- Change in subcontractor(s),
- Significant budget transfers, updates in project acronym and title or bank account for payments.
Always remember to consult all significant project changes with the EC Project Officer to check if they are acceptable!
Step-by-step guide to proceed with H2020 amendments:
- First of all, your Project Officer should be informed about the proposed changes – s/he will decide if an official amendment is needed and if the updates that you want to introduce are acceptable.
- If you have the go-ahead from your Project Officer, you should open the amendment process in the Funding & Tenders Opportunities portal. As in the case of the GA preparation, the whole process is paperless – everything is done online.
- In the next step, the amendment justification must be prepared together with all Grant Agreement updates (project plan, project duration changes, etc.)
- Once ready, all the documents are submitted for your Project Officer review. If the documents are correct, the EC will make the amendment available for your signature.
- After your signature, the EC has 45 days to take the final decision on your amendment approval or rejection.
If you are still uncertain whether a given change requires an amendment, do not hesitate to contact us at: hello@getpolite.eu