Call for Proposals: HORIZON Programme – Noise and Vibrations

Noise and Vibrations

• Noise
  • The main objective of this work area is to improve EU noise mapping and to define relevant limit values that could potentially serve as a basis for upcoming revisions of the Technical Specifications for Interoperability on Noise.
  • The R&I work of this work area should contribute to/is expected to:
    • Deliver noise mitigation strategies for reprofiling/grinding processes;
    • Facilitate the development and implementation of onboard measurement systems for rail acoustic roughness, by providing a common technical measurements guideline in Europe;
    • Deliver a user-friendly tool making use of open-source data to help optimise future re-profiling processes to minimise the noise impact of railways;
    • Deliver track LCC analyses based on the knowledge of acoustic and track experts from a holistic approach and deliver a user-friendly tool making use of open-source data to support the minimisation of Noise externalities during LCC analyses. Such analyses should be made publicly available;
    • Progress towards virtual and cost-effective vehicle certification considering uncertainties of pass-by noise measurement;
    • Improve the prediction of noise in curves for urban and inter-urban railway lines against state of the art.
• Ground Vibrations
  • The main objective of this work area is to improve the prediction tools capabilities for holistic ground vibration impact.
  • The R&I work of this work area is expected to provide tools:
    • with simulation capabilities for ground vibration;
    • for large scale environmental impact studies, making use as much as possible of existing soil databases and Geographic Information System.
  • Additionally, considering that existing TSIs do not cover vibration emissions from rolling stock, and in general there is no standardised procedure for vibration emissions measurement, the R&I work should deliver:
    • A procedure for the track- and site-independent verification of vibration emissions, including an analysis and determination of applicable conditions for its re-use on other sites.
    • An assessment method on how ground-borne vibration emission of rolling stock can be determined.

Funding Information

• The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
  • public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
  • cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (low value grant).

Expected Outcome

• Railway noise is still the main rail externality and according to the EEA’s Outlook to 2030 report, the number of people who are touched by railway noise is projected to increase under both optimistic and conservative scenarios. This has an impact on the political decisions when upgrading existing or building new railway lines.
• The project to be developed under this call shall provide feasible solutions on improvement of prediction tools on vibration impact. It should also provide an assessment method on how vibration emissions can be determined and specified independently of location and track influences in the future to determine the effect of the train alone independent from the track.
• A strong cooperation with standardization and regulation committees through the EU-RAIL SP should enable simplified vibration impact assessment as well as N&V certification procedures.

Eligible Activities

• The following activities are generally eligible for grants under Horizon Europe:
  • Research and innovation actions (RIA) — Activities that aim primarily to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution.
  • Innovation actions (IA) — Activities that aim directly to produce plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services,
  • Coordination and support actions (CSA) — This excludes research and innovation (R&I) activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme (part of ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’).
  • Programme co-fund actions (CoFund) — A programme of activities established or implemented by legal entities managing or funding R&I programmes, other than EU funding bodies.
  • Innovation and market deployment actions (IMDA) — Activities that embed an innovation action and other activities necessary to deploy an innovation on the market. This includes the scaling-up of companies and Horizon Europe blended finance.
  • Training and mobility actions (TMA) — Activities that aim to improve the skills, knowledge and career prospects of researchers, based on mobility between countries and, if relevant, between sectors or disciplines.
  • Pre-commercial procurement actions (PCP) — Activities that aim to help a transnational buyers’ group to strengthen the public procurement of research, development, validation and, possibly, the first deployment of new solutions that can significantly improve quality and efficiency in areas of public interest, while opening market opportunities for industry and researchers active in Europe.
  • Public procurement of innovative solutions actions (PPI) — Activities that aim to strengthen the ability of a transnational buyers’ group to deploy innovative solutions early by overcoming the fragmentation of demand for such solutions and sharing the risks and costs of acting as early adopters, while opening market opportunities for industry.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met.
• A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
• To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions:
    • Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
    • Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe
    • Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
• Specific cases
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call conditions.
  • Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions – To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call conditions provide otherwise. Legal entities established in a non-associated third country may, however, participate in ‘Coordination and support’ actions as associated partners, unless this is explicitly excluded by the specific call conditions.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
  • International organisations — International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. Unless their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority, other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions and when provided for in the specific call conditions.

For more information, visit European Commission.