Horizon Europe proposals are assessed by independent expert evaluators against the same three headline criteria, whatever the cluster or call: Excellence, Impact, and Quality & Efficiency of Implementation. Understanding how those criteria are actually weighed — and where reviewers habitually dock points — is the difference between a proposal that reads well internally and one that survives an evaluation summary report.
Who this is for
- Coordinators and work package leads preparing an RIA, IA or Coordination and Support Action (CSA) proposal
- Consortium partners who need a second, reviewer-perspective read before a call deadline
- Grant offices and consultancies managing multiple Horizon Europe submissions across clusters
How Horizon Europe proposals are actually scored
Independent experts score each Horizon Europe proposal against three criteria, each on a 0–5 scale:| Criterion | What it evaluates |
|---|---|
| Excellence | Clarity and soundness of the objectives, credibility of the proposed methodology, and ambition — including how convincingly the proposal argues it goes beyond the state of the art. |
| Impact | The magnitude and significance of the project's expected outcomes, the quality of measures to maximise impact (dissemination, exploitation, communication), and credibility of the pathway to those outcomes. |
| Quality and Efficiency of Implementation | Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, appropriateness of the consortium's combined expertise, and soundness of the management structures and resource allocation. |
Where Horizon Europe proposals lose points
Across RIA, IA and CSA calls, the same patterns recur in Horizon Europe evaluation summary reports:
Impact section reads as generic
Dissemination and exploitation plans repeat boilerplate instead of naming concrete target users, adoption pathways and a credible route to market or policy uptake.
“Beyond the state of the art” is asserted, not shown
The proposal claims novelty without engaging with the specific competing approaches an evaluator in that field would expect to see addressed.
Consortium composition isn't justified
Partner roles and effort (person-months) don't map clearly onto the work packages, leaving reviewers unsure why each partner is included.
Risk management is a formality
A generic risk table with no call-specific mitigation strategies signals the team hasn't stress-tested its own plan.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between an RIA and an IA?
A Research and Innovation Action (RIA) funds activities primarily aimed at establishing new knowledge, typically at a lower Technology Readiness Level, and is usually funded at 100% of eligible costs. An Innovation Action (IA) funds activities closer to market, such as prototyping, testing and demonstration, and is typically funded at 70% for for-profit entities (100% for non-profits).
How is the overall Horizon Europe score calculated?
Each criterion score is added together (out of a maximum of 15 across the three criteria), sometimes with Impact weighted more heavily depending on the call. In addition to the 3.0 individual-criterion threshold, the usual overall threshold is 10 out of 15 on the summed score — though some calls set a different individual or overall threshold in their specific conditions, so always check the call text. Proposals that clear every threshold are ranked by total score, and funding is awarded down the ranked list until the call budget is exhausted.
Does GrantGenix replace my proposal writer or consortium's own review?
No. GrantGenix's AI Evaluation gives you a fast, criterion-by-criterion reviewer-perspective read so you can revise before submission. It doesn't write or rewrite your proposal. If you want a GrantGenix advisor to personally review your draft, that's a separate, optional Expert Review booking.
Can GrantGenix evaluate a specific cluster or call topic?
Yes. Upload your draft along with the call identifier and topic text, and the evaluation is calibrated to that call's specific scope and expected impact, on top of the standard Horizon Europe criteria.