Author: KULCSAR Agnes (ERCEA)
Company: European Commission

Print on paper bearing the official letterhead of the institution. Each host institution is required to provide a separate support letter listing the PI(s) who will be engaged by them.
Commitment of the Host Institution for the
 ERC Synergy Call 2023^, ^, 

A scanned copy of the signed statement should be uploaded electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission Service in PDF format.

The statement of commitment of the Host Institution refers to most of the Host Institution obligations, stated in the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) used for ERC actions. The MGA is available on the Funding & Tenders portal. The reference to the time commitment of the Principal Investigator(s) is stated in the ERC Work Programme 2023.

This statement (on letterhead paper) shall be signed (blue ink or digitally) by the institution’s legal representative indicating their name, function, email address, address and, in case of blue ink signature, along with the stamp of the institution.

The <<please fill in here the name of the legal entity that is associated to the proposal and may host the Principal Investigator(s) and the project (action) in case the application is successful>>, which is the applicant legal entity (Host Institution), confirms its intention to sign a supplementary agreement with

<< please fill in here the name of the Principal Investigator(s) who will be engaged by the Host Institution >>  ,

Please insert the names only of those Principal Investigators that will be engaged by the Host Institution.

in which the obligations listed below will be addressed should the proposal submitted by the Principal Investigators listed below be retained.

The applicant legal entity (Host Institution) confirms that it is aware that the Synergy project will involve the following Principal Investigators (PIs):
<<Please enter below the names of all Principal Investigators participating in the project.>>
Corresponding PI:  ……………………………………………………….……..	
PI 2:                          ………………………………………………….…………..
PI 3 (if applicable): …………………………………….………………………..
PI 4 (if applicable): ………………………………………………….…………..
The fact that the applicant legal entity confirms its awareness of the group's Synergy project does not imply an obligation to contractually engage all of the Principal Investigators.

Performance obligations of the applicant legal entity (Host Institution) that will become the beneficiary of the HE ERC Grant Agreement (hereafter referred to as the Agreement), should the proposal be retained and the preparation of the Agreement be successfully concluded:

The following obligations apply only to the Principal Investigators, hereinafter referred as the PI(s), who will be engaged by the applicant legal entity (Host Institution) signing this letter.

The applicant legal entity (Host Institution) commits itself to ensure that the action tasks described in Annex 1 of the Agreement are performed under the guidance of the PI(s) who is/are expected to: 
-	devote at least 30% of their working time to the ERC funded project (action); 
-	spend at least 50% of their working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country (except for a PI hosted or engaged by an institution outside of the EU or Associated Country).
The applicant legal entity (Host Institution) commits itself to respect the following conditions for the PI(s) and their team:
a)	host and engage the PI(s) for the whole duration of the action;
b)	take all measures to implement the principles set out in the Commission recommendation on the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers - in particular regarding working conditions, transparent recruitment processes based on merit and career development – and ensure that the PI(s), researchers and third parties involved in the project (action) are aware of them.

Commission Recommendation 2005/251/EC  of 11 March 2005 on the European Charter for Researchers and on a Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (OJ L 75, 22.3.2005, p. 67).

c)	enter — before grant signature — into a Supplementary Agreement with the PI(s), that specifies the obligation of the applicant legal entity to meet its obligations under the Agreement;
d)	provide the PI(s) with a copy of the signed Agreement;
e)	guarantee the PI(s) scientific independence, in particular for the:
i)	use of the budget to achieve the scientific objectives;
ii)	authority to publish as senior author and invite as co-authors those who have contributed substantially to the work;
iii)	preparation of scientific reports for the project (action);
iv)	selection and supervision of the other team members, in line with the profiles needed to conduct the research and in accordance with the beneficiary’s usual management practices;
v)	possibility to apply independently for funding;
vi)	access to appropriate space and facilities for conducting the research;
f)	provide — during the implementation of the project (action) — research support to the PI(s) and the team members (regarding infrastructure, equipment, access rights, products and other services necessary for conducting the research); 
g)	support the PI(s) and provide administrative assistance, in particular for the:
i)	general management of the work and their team;
ii)	scientific reporting, especially ensuring that the team members send their scientific results to the PI(s);
iii)	financial reporting, especially providing timely and clear financial information;
iv)	application of the beneficiary’s usual management practices;
v)	general logistics of the project (action);
vi)	access to the electronic exchange system;
h)	inform the PI(s) immediately (in writing) of any events or circumstances likely to affect the Agreement;
i)	ensure that the PI(s) enjoys adequate:
i)	conditions for annual, sickness and parental leave;
ii)	occupational health and safety standards;
iii)	insurance under the general social security scheme, such as pension rights;
j)	allow the transfer of the Agreement to a new beneficiary, if requested by the P(s) and provided that the objectives of the action remain achievable (portability; see Article 41 of the Agreement);
k)	respect the fundamental principle of research integrity and ensure that persons carrying out research tasks under the action follow the good research practices and refrain from the research integrity violations described in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. If any such violations or allegations occur, verify and pursue them and bring them to the attention of the Agency.

The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity of ALLEA (All European Academies, Berlin 2017)

For the applicant legal entity (Host institution)
Date
…………..…………..
Name and Function
………………..………………. ; …………....………..……….
Email and Signature (blue ink or digitally signed) of legal representative

The digital signature must have the same legal value (i.e. must be the electronic equivalent) of a handwritten signature and a stamped seal.

…………………………………. ; ……………….……………….

Stamp of the applicant legal entity (Host Institution)

No need to stamp this letter of support when it is digitally signed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to be complete all the above mentioned points are mandatory and shall be included in the commitment of the applicant legal entity (Host Institution). The highlighted fields should be filled in.