The DESCA Model Consortium Agreement has been updated to incorporate options for Horizon Europe (HE) lump sum projects.
The new DESCA HE 2.0 template is now addressing features of both, HE actual cost grants and lump sum grants. The relevant options and sub-sections are indicated using different colours, which makes the document easy to navigate. Useful remarks and comments on all clauses are provided in the PDF version with elucidations.
Key solutions proposed for lump sum projects include:
- Specific responsibilities regarding reporting (Internal Progress Report)
- New governance feature (Work Package Leaders Group)
- New control mechanisms (Excess payment clause & further pre-financing based on performance)
- Payment in instalments (a means to limit financial risk and to help ensure better control of Work Package implementation)
A set of slides summarising all novelties is available on the DESCA website.
UKRO recommends that consortia adapt the DESCA Model Consortium Agreement to suit the specific needs of each project.
Background
DESCA (Development of a Simplified Consortium Agreement), is one of the most popular models used by consortia to set out the rights and obligations among themselves. It takes into account requirements stemming from the rules of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement and the experiences of the user community.