ERA-NET

Programme Description

The ERA-NET scheme was launched in 2002 under the 6th Framework Programme to support the coordination and collaboration of thematic national research programmes in the European Research Area (ERA). It aimed at facilitating the exchange of good practices, the strategic planning and the design of joint research programmes as well as the implementation of joint activities, in particular joint calls. ERA-NET is financially supported by the European Commission.

The various ERA-NET fund transnational research projects by three research teams who belong to  at least three different countries participating in the network and the respective call for a period of up to three years.

The applicantions should clearly demonstrate the added value of European cooperation  for the proposed collaborative projects compared to national implementation.

Participating research institutions are funded by their respective national funding institution. Therefore, the relevant national or regional selection criteria and legal / administrative regulations apply.

The ERA LEARN 2020 Platform provides an overview of all active thematic networks and easy access to their current calls: Link

Notes on ERA-NET

Individual Consultation  

• Please contact the EU-Liaison Officer for questions relating to the participation in calls published by ERA-NET or Joint Programming Initiatives and for appointment for individual consultation.
• Please contact the EU-Liaison Officer well in advance to a planned application.

Consortium Agreement / Intellectual Property Rights

• Concluding a Consortium Agreement which regulates the internal governance as well as IPR between the project partners is mandatory in projects funded by ERA-NET.
• The DESCA Model Consortium Agreement provides a reference document and is – in modified form – also used as template for many consortium agreements in ERA-NET projects. You can find the latest version of DESCA here.
• Please send the draft consortium agreement to the EU-Liaison Officer who will forward it for legal review to the Technology Transfer Office of the Freiburg University (ZFT).

Project Implementation

• In contrast to the European Framework Progamme, participants in ERA-NET projects are funded by their national funding institution which participates in the respective network.
• Therefore, the respective national regulations for eligibility of applicants, for cost calculation and reimbursement apply.
• If a transnational research project has been retained for funding, German project partners have to apply for funding by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (through submission of AZA forms) to the DLR Project Management Agency or another responsible project management agency.
• Further information is available at the platform ‘Formularschrank BMBF’.
• Please notice the comment ‚Contact persons for other programmes‘ below.

Contact for your EU project

Other contact persons

For transnational collaborative research projects which are funded by the BMBF or any other German funding institution, please contact the responsible person for the administration of your department’s or institute’s national third-party funded projects in the ‘Drittmittelverwaltung’. The financial department is responsible for submitting AZA Forms and any required additional project-related information to the national project management agency.

This refers to projects funded through ERA-NET, Joint Programming Initiatives and the Eurostars programme.

The latest version of the list of staff and their area of responsibility (PDF) is available through the Medical Center – University of Freiburg’s intranet:

Verwaltung - Geschäftsbereich 1 - Controlling und Finanzen → Abteilung 1.1 – Finanzplanung -  Mitarbeit