­Who will be your H2020 project’s LEAR?

Don’t worry. This is not Shakespeare, and your LEAR will not go mad by the end… hopefully.

In EU funding vocabulary, LEAR stands for Legal Entity Appointed Representative. Every organization that participates in an EU-funded project must assign a person to this role from the start, during the validation of the entity.

There are no specific requirements, anyone from the organization that the legal representative finds suitable can be assigned.

Understanding the tasks involved will help you choose the best candidate.

The main responsibilities of the LEAR are:

• to manage the legal and financial information about the organisation on the EU Portal
• to manage access rights of persons in the organisation
• to appoint representatives for electronic signature of project contracts, financial statements or amendments

It is not a time-consuming task. We recommend appointing someone who knows the internal organization of the company and the team implementing the project work.

Access to the LEAR Participant Portal account is a must at any moment of project execution and even afterwards, so better to appoint a long-term company employee.

Being the LEAR does not mean that this person cannot fulfill other project roles. Sometimes the legal representative, the LEAR and the primary coordinator contact is the same person.

If for any reason the appointed person cannot fulfill the role anymore, a new person can be assigned in line with the applicable rules.

Still having doubts about whom and how to appoint? We help you find your best candidate! hello@getpolite.eu