UKRO would like to remind subscribers about the need to keep their organisation roles on the Funding & Tenders Opportunities Portal (FTOP) up to date.
Horizon 2020/Europe and organisation roles
Several very important organisation roles are necessary to ensure smooth business processes in the Commission’s Horizon 2020/Europe grant management system. These include:
- Legal Entity Appointed Representative (LEAR) – this person is the link between the Commission services and the organisation and is required to keep information about the institution on the FTOP up to date. The LEAR is also responsible for creating a pool of Legal and Financial Signatories (LSIGN/FSIGN) for the institution, as well as nominating Account Administrators (if necessary). As a reminder to subscribers, there can be only one LEAR per organisation. Furthermore, the LEAR cannot assign LSIGNs/FSIGNs to a specific project.
- Account Administrators – these individuals have privileges and access rights similar to those of the LEAR, meaning that Account Administrators can also nominate new LSIGN/FSIGNs, modify organisational data in the Unique Registration Facility (URF) and, most importantly, replace the old LEAR with a new one. However, one Account Administrator cannot appoint another individual to the same position within the organisation – only the LEAR can nominate Account Administrators.
- Legal/Financial Signatories – these individuals are crucial for the successful running of Horizon 2020/Europe grants daily. Legal Signatories are the only individuals who can sign grant agreements (and the Declaration of Honour before that), while Financial Signatories submit financial statements at the end of each reporting period. There is no limit to the number of LSIGNs/FSIGNs that an organisation can have in the system, but these individuals must have the authority to legally commit the organisation to enter into contracts with the Commission or to submit financial statements on behalf of their institution.
It is particularly important to keep these roles up to date and nominate new LSIGNs/FSIGNs without a delay (while also revoking access rights for those who have left the organisation), especially if only one person is appointed to each of these roles on the FTOP.
For a detailed overview of all organisation roles see the H2020 Online Manual.
Ensuring smooth business processes on Horizon 2020/Europe grants
Most LEARs had been appointed during Horizon 2020, and it is easy to forget about replacing the LEAR once they have left the organisation, especially since they are not directly involved in the business processes of Horizon 2020/Europe grants daily. However, it will be difficult to nominate new LSIGNs/FSIGNs without a LEAR with a valid mandate in place, so UKRO recommends that a new LEAR be appointed before the old one leaves the post.
How can I replace the LEAR of my organisation?
The process of replacing the LEAR has been improved over the last few years. Either the current LEAR or an Account Administrator must follow the same procedure as when appointing the original LEAR, as explained in the H2020 Online Manual. However, unlike in the past, it is now necessary to encode the new LEAR’s data in the system first so that the necessary documents (LEAR appointment letter, etc.) can be generated by the system automatically.
To do this, one must go to the ‘My organisation(s)’ section after logging into the F&T Portal with EU Login, click on ‘Actions’ next to the name of the organisations, then select ‘Modify organisation’ and finally click on the ‘Replace LEAR’ button in the ‘LEAR’ section. If the button is not showing and the current LEAR status is showing as ‘Draft’, it means that the original appointment was not processed properly by the EC Validation Services and it is necessary to contact the Commission using the built-in messaging service to rectify this.
After being signed and stamped, these documents need to be uploaded onto the system together with photocopies of the relevant IDs (e.g. passports), as per the Commission’s guidance available in the Online Manual.
What can I do if there is no LEAR or Account Administrator in place to start the procedure?
If the old LEAR left without appointing a new one, and there is no active Account Administrator to start the replacement procedure, it will be necessary to contact the IT Helpdesk to explain the situation and ask for the relevant access rights.
What can I do to prevent problems related to organisation roles within my organisation?
- If you are the LEAR or the Account Administrator, it is a good practice to regularly perform checks of the organisation roles and add/revoke permissions, as necessary.
- If allowed by internal rules of your organisation, it is recommended that there be several LSIGNs/FSIGNs to ensure that the business processes on Horizon 2020/Europe grants can continue during absences.
- UKRO also recommends having at least one individual appointed as an Account Administrator to act as backup for the LEAR and to ensure that the LEAR can be replaced without delay if needed.