The National Contact Point (NCP) systems are support structures established by Member States (MS) and Associated Countries (AC) and recognized by the European Commission (EC) in order to help participants access the different EU Programme opportunities. For Horizon 2020 (H2020) there were 21 NCP functions apart from the NCP coordinator, giving support to participants across the different parts of H2020. In order to ensure cooperation among NCPs from different countries, improve mutual learning between them and develop dedicated transnational tools and services for participants, the European Commission has historically funded them through NCP networks CSA projects, in variable geometry of partners, covering typically one NCP “function” per project and renewing it, with a follow-on project, approximately at the middle of each Framework Programme.
Taking advantage that most of the current H2020 NCP network projects finalize at the end of 2020 and that the new NCP network projects will not start at least until Q4 of 2021, this project, under the leadership of the national NCP coordinators aims to lead the effective integration of the NCP systems into a more coherent frame of work for Horizon Europe. This integrative approach does not mean that there will not be function-based NCP network projects in the future but on the contrary, it means that, when they exist, they will benefit from sharing common internal and external tools and, furthermore, from a stable and unique entry to its knowledge and services through a single “Horizon Europe NCP Portal”.
Mirroring the “Funding and Tenders Portal” of the European Commission, where anyone can find all the official framework programme information, this “Horizon Europe NCP Portal” aims to concentrate the NCP offer of knowledge and services for both NCPs and participants into a single place during the whole duration of the programme. While this is one of the ultimate goals of this project, the timeframe when this is occurring, between two Framework programmes, calls for an inclusive approach with all the NCP network projects and also with all H2020 and Horizon Europe nominated NCPs, not only those from the host organizations included in this consortium but also those from other institutions or countries which are not. This implies that the project will also work intensively in supporting both NCPs and participants offering them events, training and tools in this transition period.
