What is the Negotiation Mandate of the Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator?

EIC Accelerator projects differ from traditional grants in Horizon Europe. The negotiation process builds on the recommendation of the Jury and if concluded positively, the Grant Agreement will be signed. During the negotiation process, adjustments and clarifications on your project can be discussed to facilitate the implementation of the project and its monitoring by EISMEA.

Within four weeks after receiving the negotiation invitation letter, the EIC Project Officer will review your Business Plan. Whenever the Project Officer requests changes that are beyond simple adjustments, a Negotiation Mandate will be issued. The Negotiation Mandate includes a list of comments and questions that your project officer, financial officer and/or investment officer have regarding your Business Plan. This list will be sent via the EIC AI Platform before your kick-off meeting, and you will have time to respond to each comment during this meeting.

For now, only the grant part of your project is addressed in the Negotiation Mandate. The comments vary from project to project, but there a few common topics that are usually addressed:

• Personnel cost: Type of contract for employees, SME owners and freelancers
• Third Parties: Affiliated entities, in-kind contributors, subcontractors
• Start date: Default date or fixed starting date
• Budget: Average monthly personnel cost, category of costs
• Risks: Linkage to work packages
• Work Plan: Order and connection of work packages, tasks, and deliverables
• Milestones: Number of milestones, timing, and linkages

After responding to the Negotiation Mandate during your kick-off meeting, the Project Officer will share the Negotiation Instructions with you. You will have to update your Business Plan on the EIC AI Platform according to these instructions, which are based on what was decided during the meeting. Since this negotiation process is the final discussion on how your project will be carried out, make sure your decisions are in the project’s best interest.

If you are looking for more information about the Negotiation Mandate or need help preparing your kick-off meeting, please contact us at hello@getpolite.eu