05 March 2015

IF: How do I prepare the Grant Agreement with SyGMa?

Congratulations on your fellowship! Now it's time to prepare the Grant Agreement with the EC's online tool SyGMa. You have to have an ECAS account to log in to SyGMa. It is the host institution which completes the SyGMa session but the research fellows have access to the system.
This is what the tool looks like:

When a green 'V' appears on the TAB header it means the information within is valid. This means that no mandatory info is missing and that the info follows the basic rules (e.g. maximum 1 reporting period). This does not necessarily mean that the information is correct!

A yellow '!' indicates a warning. It is NOT blocking the system from the IT perspective (meaning that the GA can be submitted) but may require to be solved later on.
A red 'X' signals a blocking issue which prevents the GA from being submitted.
A blue 'i' informes that the data in this TAB has been uploaded automatically (mainly from SEP).

There are a number of frequent issues:
  • There is no need for the host to upload the Part B (Annex I). If you have already uploaded it, it is OK. This is a 'warning' generated everywhere in SyGMa. However, you can submit the Grant Agreement data without this. In theory, all Part B will be uploaded automatically (i.e. initial proposal) later on.
  • There is no need for the host to indicate the commission/agency representative. This is another 'warning' generated everywhere in SyGMa. Of course you can submit the Grant Agreement data without this. 
Start Date Options: 
It is advisable to avoid the option 'first day of the month following the signature of the Grant Agreement' because it's the first time in 2014 that REA uses the system with such a large amount of Grants (more than 1000) so it could cause some technical problems. It could be inconvenient for the fellow if the GA is signed towards the end of the month and the fellow receives notification at the very last minute and has to start immediately.
Fixed start date: If the fellow is sure that the project will start on a precise date it can be put as 'fixed', providing a brief explanation in the comment box (compulsory). For example, 'the researcher's contract will en on..' or 'the researcher is already at the host institution'.
Open start date: This is the most flexible option as it allows to notify REA later on, until 12 months after the signature of the Grant Agreement. Important: you need to provide an indicative start date. Although not compulsory by the system it will really help a lot in the GA signature procedure.

Financial information: 
The pre-financing for H2020 projects should be set to 70%.

Ethics: 
In case your project involves ethical issues, you will be able to find the respective requirements under the 'Ethics' tab. Depending on these requirements it should be decided on a case-by-case basis whether these can be cleared before the GA signature or after.

Declaration of Honour: 
You can proceed to the signature of the declaration. This will be requirement later on in order to be able to sign the GA so have it signed in time.

There are no original documents to be sent to REA at this stage. If documents are necessary REA will inform you accordingly later on.