FAQs: BIC membership for CBE JU calls

There is no need to be a BIC member to participate in CBE JU projects. Calls are ‘open’, the same as they were under the BBI JU.

However, for the CBE JU calls, a new ‘award criterion’ has been integrated into the evaluation process under ‘Impact’: it has to be ensured that the level of in-kind contribution to operational activities (IKOP) defined in the project proposal (as a % of total eligible cost of the project) is a minimum of 15% for IA-demo projects and 20% for IA-Flagship projects.

IKOP are contributions by BIC and its members, consisting of the eligible costs incurred by them in implementing indirect actions, less the contribution from the CBE JU to those costs (grant received by the BIC member).
Only the in-kind contribution contributed by BIC members will be officially recognised as IKOP.

Consequently, a majority, and by preference all, of the participating companies in Innovation Actions (including Demo and Flagship projects) should be, or should become, a BIC Industry member and hold/request a valid BIC membership certificate before the closing date of the CBE JU call 2024 (18 September 2024, 17:00 Brussels time).

Companies in project consortia for IA-Demo and IA-Flag projects that wish to contribute with IKOP and that are not BIC members can become an ‘Industry/Full’ member or an ‘Industry/Project’ member. 

‘Industry/Project member’ is a temporary status, which starts, at the earliest, from the opening of an annual call until the results of the evaluation are known and/or the Grant Agreement has to be signed.

Companies that became an ‘Industry/Project Member’ before the closing date of the call of the AWP, and for whom the project proposal is successful (in case of a positive evaluation) automatically become a BIC “Industry/Full member” after signing the Grant Agreement for the CBE JU project, and have to remain a ‘Full member’ for the duration of the project (1).

In case of a negative evaluation of the project proposal (no grant received), ‘Industry/Project Members can choose to become a BIC Full member anyway, or to resign at no cost.

More information on how to join BIC.

_{(1) So that in-kind contributions are ‘recognised’ as IKOP as mentioned in the project proposal. This will be checked by the CBE Programme Office.}

The level of “in-kind contribution to operational activities” (IKOP) will be taken into account during the evaluation of Innovation Action project proposals (please see CBE JU FAQs).

Certificates of BIC membership should be requested from BIC. These certificates need to be uploaded/attached to the IA-Demo and IA-FLAG proposal as an Annex (one document combining all membership certificates). This means that for Innovation Actions (Demo and Flagship projects), if organisations want their IKOP to be counted towards the thresholds established for Innovation Actions, they should be a BIC “Industry/Full” Member or become a (temporary) “Industry/Project” Member before the call closure date of 18 September 2024, 17:00 Brussels time.

To be valid for the CBE JU call for proposal 2024, the BIC membership certificate must have been issued in 2024. BIC membership certificates issued in past years are not valid. If you already have one from a previous call for proposals, you must request an updated one. This applies to both existing BIC members and new (“Project”) members.
 

The BIC membership certificates can be obtained at: 

• https://bic.elisca.app/membership/certificate/registration

• https://bic.elisca.app/membership/certificate/application/new

• If you are already a BIC (Industry) member: click here and log in with your credentials. Go to "My Certificates" and "Request New Certificate". Please make sure that the legal entity name and the PIC number correspond exactly to those used in the proposal. When approved by BIC, the certificate is sent to the requester (and will be downloadable from the Members Area of the requester in “My certificates”).

• If you are NOT yet a BIC member but still want to contribute with IKOP in your proposal, you can apply for temporary (and free) “Industry/Project” membership. When this is done and you have uploaded the signed Project Membership commitment form, you can request a membership certificate.

• Step 1: Sign up to our web platform by creating your personal account to access the BIC platform ("user registration"/Register), fill in all fields and click on the SAVE button - you will receive a user registration confirmation with which you can log into the system (“one time login & change your password). If you already have an account on the BIC platform, please go directly to step 2.

• Step 2: Apply for Industry (Project) Membership, fill in all the fields and click on the SAVE button.

• Step 3: You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your membership application and asking you to download, sign and upload the membership commitment form in the system. Once this is done, you can request the membership certificate.

• Step 4: Request a membership certificate. When approved by BIC, the certificate is sent to the requester (and will be downloadable from the Members Area in the requester’s account in “My certificates”).

Yes. Only contributions from BIC members are recognised as IKOP. While BIC membership extends to all legal entities within a group of companies, the name and PIC number of the legal entity appearing in the proposal need to match the one on the BIC membership certificate. Hence, each legal entity appearing in a proposal and wishing to contribute IKOP must possess a unique BIC membership certificate.
 

Legal entities linked to existing BIC Industry Members have torequest a unique BIC membership certificate following these steps:

• Step 1: Sign up to our web platform by creating your personal account to access the platform ("user registration"/Register), fill in all fields (field "Organisation": include your company name AND the link to the existing BIC member (e.g. Company X, part of Parent Company group Y), then click on the SAVE button - you will receive a user registration confirmation with which you can log into the system (“one time login” link & change your password).

• Step 2: While logged into the platform, request a certificate. Fill in the certificate request form with the name of the legal entity that will send in the proposal (e.g. Company X, part of Parent Company group Y) and add the PIC Number. When approved by BIC, you will receive your membership certificate (it will also be downloadable from the system in “My certificates”).

Similarly, legal entities linked to an existing BIC Associate Member can apply for a BIC Associate Member certificate using the same procedure,  also mentioning the link to the existing Associate Member (only needed if they contribute with IKOP).

Please note that BIC Industry Members in (a) successful proposal(s) commit to remaining a member until the end of the related project(s). The effects of membership are extended to the whole group of companies (only one membership fee will need to be paid for the whole group of companies).

Yes to both questions. 

Only contributions from BIC members contribute to IKOP. While BIC membership extends to all legal entities within a group of companies or institution, the name and PIC number of the legal entity appearing in the proposal need to match the one on the BIC membership certificate. Hence, each legal entity appearing in a proposal and wishing to contribute IKOP must possess a unique BIC membership certificate.

If one of the two entities is already a BIC member: please apply the procedure described in the answer to the question above: "My company/department is not a BIC member but is linked to a different legal entity that is a BIC Member. Do I need a separate BIC membership certificate to provide IKOP in an IA proposal?"

If none of the two entities is a BIC member yet, you first need to apply for temporary “Project Membership”  to get your certificates (see above for a step-by-step guide to apply for Industry (Project) Membership).

Industry (Project) membership is free. After evaluation of the proposals one of the two following situations can happen:

• The proposal is successful. Industry (Project) membership is automatically converted into permanent Full membership.
• The proposal is not successful. The company can decide to stay a BIC Full Member or to resign at no cost.

Please note that BIC Industry Members in (a) successful proposal(s) commit to remain a member until the end of the related project(s).

Similarly, two different legal entities in a not-for-profit institution (e.g. different departments in a university) can apply for two separate, but linked, BIC Associate Member certificates following the same procedure explained above.

Universities, research institutes, not-for-profit organisations or consultancy companies that want to contribute with IKOP, and that are not yet an ‘Associate Member’ of BIC, can become an Associate Member before the closure date of the annual call.

In case the project proposal is successful (= high score and invited to Grant Agreement Preparation – GAP), they have to stay a BIC Associate Member after signing the Grant Agreement for the CBE JU project for the duration of the project (1).

In case of a negative evaluation of the project proposal and when no grant will be received, they can choose to stay a BIC Associate Member or to resign as a BIC member.

More information on how to join BIC.

As per Council Regulation (EU) No 2021/0048 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Horizon Europe joint undertakings, and in particular the CBE Joint Undertaking (the Single Basic Act), the CBE Programme Office is to be financed equally by the European Commission and BIC.

BIC’s financial contribution to the administrative costs of the CBE JU will be partially funded via a ‘Programme (project) contribution’. This ‘Programme (project) contribution’ is an essential resource for contributing the private sector part of the administrative cost of the CBE JU Programme Office. 

For the CBE JU, these Programme (project) contributions will be collected fully and duly from the BIC industry beneficiaries: a Programme (project) contribution must be paid by BIC industry members  (1) (existing and new) participating in Innovation Actions (IA), the so-called Demo and Flagship projects.

The ‘Programme (project) contribution’ shall not be considered an eligible cost for the projects, and, as such, is not part of the grants.

The ‘Programme (project) contribution’ is used solely and fully as a contribution to BIC’s payment for the running costs of the CBE JU Programme Office, and a specific PPCA (Protected Programme Contribution Account) has been put in place by BIC to finance the CBE Programme Office.

_{(1) With exception of ‘non-for-profit’ organisations}

A Programme (project) contribution of 6.5% will have to be paid by the Industry /Members participating in an Innovation Action (demo and flagship projects). This Programme (project) contribution is a fixed fee (so not part of the grant and not an eligible cost), calculated as a percentage of the grant received by the Industry Member (as mentioned in the Grant Agreement), so not on the total grant received by the consortium.

A first installment of 4% shall be paid at the start of the project. The second installment of 2.5% shall be paid halfway the project (ideally upon receipt of any additional funds released by the CBE JU Programme Office).