On receipt, all proposals will be subject to a validation process, to ensure they conform to the requirements of the Call, of the submission procedure and of the rules for participation. Only proposals that conform to these requirements will be subject to evaluation. Evaluation Proposals will be evaluated according to criteria grouped into five categories, as laid down in the Work Programme applicable to the relevant Call. The content and the respective weighting of the criteria are described in the Evaluation Manual. Programme specific information on evaluation may also be explained if appropriate in Part 2 of this Guide.
Ethical aspects have to be taken into account in the process.
The experts examine proposals individually, then meet as a panel to agree a ranking. At this stage, they may recommend, that certain proposals should be combined into larger projects or linked together such as clusters . Following the evaluation, and in accordance with the interests of the Community, the Commission will establish a list of proposals in order of priority. This information, with the main reason for non-retention, will be communicated to the proposers concerned. Proposal selection The co-ordinators of proposals, which have been retained, will be notified in writing.