Fostering cooperation between Horizon Europe cluster 5 National Contact Points (NCPs)

The project should:

• Aim to facilitate trans-national co-operation between National Contact Points (NCPs) with a view to identifying and sharing good practices and raising the general standard of support to programme applicants;
• Give special attention to enhancing the competence of NCPs, including helping less experienced NCPs rapidly acquire the know-how built up in other countries;
• Have a good representation of experienced and less experienced NCPs and reflect the diversity of the areas covered under cluster 5. Countries not participating as beneficiaries of the action may benefit from the activities carried out by the network.
• Establish close cooperation and exploit synergies with other relevant NCP support structures;
• Aim to facilitate trans-cluster cooperation in the areas covered by Pillar 2, with a view to identifying synergies, to make possible to share good practices and tools. A close coordination and cooperation will be essential to achieve the objectives and impact of the NCPs networks.
• Include a work package to implement matchmaking activities to link up potential participants from widening countries with emerging consortia in the domain of Cluster 5. Matchmaking should take place by means of online tools, brokerage events, info days and bilateral meetings between project initiators and candidate participants from widening countries. Other matchmaking instruments may be used as appropriate. Where relevant, synergies should be sought with the Enterprise Europe Network to organise matchmaking activities in accordance with Annex IV of the NCP Minimum Standards and Guiding Principles;
• Built on the knowledge and tools generated by the NCP networks developed under Horizon 2020;
• Cover the whole duration of Horizon Europe.