Complementarity of the BMR approach

As highlighted in the introduction of the Biennial Monitoring Report 2022 on partnerships (section 1.3.2) the added value of partnerships surely goes beyond individual projects and is better reflected in the monitoring frameworks that the partnerships have developed to monitor the progress towards their general, specific and operational objectives. At the same time, the partnership-supported projects, as all Horizon Europe projects, are subject to the so-called Key Impact Pathway indicators. These are addressed in detail in section 2.3 of the Biennial Monitoring Report 2022 on partnerships. As a result, the partnership-specific dimension at both the project level and the partnership/instrument levels are well covered.

What was missing, and thus constitutes the primary focus of the Biennial Monitoring Reports, is the horizontal level, cutting across all partnership types and addressing the perspective of partnerships as a policy/instrument approach. As a result, the Commission – with the support of the Expert Group – has developed a set of common indicators on the functioning of all European Partnerships. These are closely linked to the new policy approach and added value generated by partnerships, as compared to other Horizon Europe modalities such as traditional calls. The common indicators also capture other aspects of the European Research Area, such as the structuring effect, improvements in the national R&I systems/fabric, etc.

This complementary and systemic approach to the monitoring and evaluation of the partnerships under Horizon Europe is illustrated below in Figure 1.