H2020 project extension: is time on your side?

Your project duration is established at the proposal stage and confirmed during the Grant preparation before the project starts. Every task and work package has an established lifetime with deliverables to submit at the end to document the progress. However, research projects are complex and may involve unexpected delays and risks that are difficult to foresee (e.g.: Covid-19). Even with great effort, results are not always guaranteed or might not arrive on time – you may need to consider a project extension.

One delay can cause others

Sometimes more time is needed to apply mitigation measures, and eventually it is just not possible to recover the delay anymore.

Short delays in deliverable submissions are generally permitted by the EU Officers. However, if you are unable to deliver the results on time, but chances are high that you can make it in the near future, you can try submitting an official amendment request to extend your project duration.

Extension requests need to be submitted by official amendment procedures. The details need to be discussed and agreed beforehand with your EU Officer. There is no established upper limit of the possible extension period. It depends on the project and is assessed case by case.

More time does not mean more money

Even if the extension request is approved, your project budget will not be increased accordingly. The maximum grant available for your research is the one established in your project contract. The budget cannot be increased due to the extension of your project duration, but it can be decreased if you do not spend and declare it on your Financial Statements entirely by the end of project.

Depending on their length, project extensions can imply the addition of further reporting periods as well.

Do you need to extend your project duration? We can help analyze your case and prepare the official amendment request. Contact us at hello@getpolite.eu