The assignment supports the European Commission (DG RTD) in assessing the performance and impact of European Partnerships under Horizon Europe (co-funded, co-programmed, and institutionalised partnerships). The core objective is to provide robust, evidence-based monitoring of how these partnerships contribute to key EU priorities, including competitiveness, resilience, and the green and digital transitions. A central challenge the project addresses is the need to move beyond descriptive reporting towards more rigorous longitudinal analysis: establishing reliable baselines, reducing data inconsistencies accumulated across previous monitoring cycles, and developing new indicators, notably around competitiveness, that can meaningfully isolate the added value of the partnership instrument compared to regular Horizon Europe calls.
The project is implemented in two cycles (BMR 2026 and BMR 2028) and combines large-scale primary data collection with advanced quantitative and qualitative analysis:
- Review and refinement of the Common Indicator Framework (CIF): Building on the BMR 2022 and 2024 experience, the team is systematically reviewing existing indicators to sharpen definitions, reduce reporting burden, improve data quality, and establish a dedicated competitiveness monitoring framework.
- Data collection at scale and support: The project manages a multi-stream data collection effort involving a Common Indicators Survey administered to partnerships, pre-filled country and partnership fiches, and data extraction from Commission databases (CORDA, Horizon Europe Dashboard, ERA-LEARN). A three-pillar support system — proactive guidance, a responsive helpdesk, and continuous feedback loops is in place to assist partnerships and national authorities throughout.
- Analytical framework: Analysis covers seven CIF criteria (including additionality, directionality, and transparency), nine Horizon Europe Key Impact Pathways, and thematic contributions to EU policy priorities. A dedicated competitiveness framework introduces new indicators on technological leadership, innovation and market creation, human capital, and sustainable competitiveness, drawing on patent databases, TRL data, and CORDA project-level evidence.
- Production and dissemination: The project delivers two full Biennial Monitoring Reports, including partnership and country fiches, 20 thematic factsheets, press releases, official presentations, and an interactive Power BI dashboard - providing stakeholders across EU institutions, national authorities, and the research and innovation community with accessible, dynamic access to partnership performance data.