Amendments
Amendments requested by the consortium
If there are any changes to the Grant Agreement (e.g. data or options specific to that agreement) or its annexes, they must be done through a formal amendment directly in the Portal (electronic signature).
Where? Access to the Grant Management System is available through My Projects > Actions > Manage Project > Launch new interaction with the EU > Request for Amendment .
Who? Amendments can be prepared by the consortium participants together, but only the Coordinator can launch, sign and submit them.
The EU Granting Authority can also propose amendments, but for practical reasons we will often as you to initiate the procedure.
When? Amendments must normally be done before the end of the project, but some amendment clauses are also open afterwards (addition of Beneficiary/Affiliated Entity/Associated Partner, change of Coordinator, change of Annex 1, change of Annex 2, change of bank account, error amendments, etc.)
What? Cases requiring a formal amendment are listed in the AGA — Annotated Grant Agreement, art 39. See also How to prepare an amendment in the HOW TO .
Amendments are normally NOT necessary for:
- budget transfers covered by the budget flexibility
- name or address changes of a participant — done directly in the Participant Register
- universal takeovers (merger/acquisition) of a participant — done directly in the Participant Register
- changes of the banking details — done directly in the Participant Register.
The signed amendment is the legal document containing the changes to the Grant Agreement. It is legally binding and will be incorporated into the Agreement. The consolidated version is only for information.
Amendment process
Get ready > Launch amendment > Amendment preparation > Consult Commission > Sign&Submit > Assessment > Countersign
Amendment request
The amendment request consists of:
- updated structured information on the Grant Management System screens
- amendment request letter: the letter with the request and reasons for the amendment
- amendment core (including new version of GA Annexes 1 and 2, if needed): the legal document with the list of amendment clauses
- supporting documents: documents uploaded by the consortium, consolidated Grant Agreement, etc.
All participants can contribute to the amendment, but it is the Coordinator who will have to launch, finalise, submit and sign the request.
Tasks of the Coordinator:
- Check that the updated information Grant Management System screens is correct.
- Quality check: Check that the Amendment documents are correct and all supporting documents attached.
Actions to be completed before amendment
Make sure new participants are registered and validated (PIC)
New Beneficiaries and Affiliated Entities must be registered and validated in the Participant Register before the amendment can be requested (see section on Registration and validation of your organisation ).
Associated Partners need to be only registered (have a PIC); no validation is needed, because they will not receive any grant money from us.
Make sure that new bank accounts are registered and validated
New banking information must be registered and validated in the Participant Register before an amendment can be requested (see section on Bank account registration and validation ).
Submitting an amendment
Amendments must be prepared in the Portal Grant Management System.
Details are explained in the HOW TO .
Get ready
Before launching your amendment request, prepare the supporting documents and, if needed, discuss the request beforehand with the EU Project Officer (— recommended for more complicated cases).
Launch the amendment
Go to My Projects > Actions > Manage Project > Launch new interaction with the EU > Request for Amendment
Amendment reference number (ID) — Once you have launched the request, the amendment is automatically assigned a reference number. Please use this unique identifier in all contacts with the Granting Authority during the amendment process.
Change the grant data in the system
Go to My Projects > Actions > Manage Project > Amendment > Amendment preparation .
Once the amendment is been launched, you can amend the grant data in the same way as as you did when preparing the Grant Agreement .
Enter the amendment information into the system
a) Justification
Fill out the field to justify the request on the Amendment Information screen.
b) Amendment clauses
On the basis of the changes to the grant data, the system will automatically select the relevant amendment types (automatic clauses) on the Amendment Information screen.
Other types of amendment have to be selected manually by the EU Project Officer, (change of Annex 1, change in the maximum grant amount, resuming the action after suspension, etc.) Contact the Project Officer to activate the clause.
In case a change triggers the need for another change, a prompt will appear.
Upload annexes and supporting documents
You will be prompted to upload mandatory supporting documents. These depend on the type of amendment and the specific case (e.g. a new Beneficiary must provide the DoH and the Accession Form).
Consult Granting Authority
Once ready, the amendment request must be submitted to the Granting Authority for informal assessment.
Informal assessment by the Granting Authority
The Project Officer will check that the amendment request is correct and admissible. If needed, they will send it back to the consortium for changes/additional information (ping-pong).
Coordinator signs & submits the amendment request
Once the request for an amendment is complete and ready to be submitted, the system generates the 2 documents (amendment request letter and amendment core) for signature (PDF document, digitally signed to guarantee its security, reliability and authenticity).
The Coordinator's PLSIGN logs into My Projects > Actions > Manage Project > Amendment > Sign & Submit (same procedure as for Grant Agreement; see Signing the Grant Agreement).
The amendment can be previewed, downloaded or printed (before or after signature) from the Documents screen if desired.
As Coordinator, you cannot alter a request for an amendment once it has been signed and submitted. There are 2 options:
- You withdraw it.
- The Granting Authority rejects it (amendment rejection letter).
Formal assessment by the Granting Authority
The Granting Authority has 45 days to accept or reject the request.
This deadline will be extended if needed (e.g. if the amendment are complex, specific compliance checks are needed for a new participant, or if the project has to be reviewed to assess the changes).
Granting authority signs the amendment
Acceptance: If the Granting Authority accepts the request, they countersign it from their side (same procedure as for Grant Agreement; see Signing the Grant Agreement).
The Coordinator and Beneficiaries will be informed and the countersigned amendment will be available in their Portal Library ( My Projects > Actions > Manage Project > Project Library ).
Rejection: If the request is rejected, the consortium will be informed by amendment rejection letter.
Amendment number — Once the amendment is countersigned, it is automatically assigned a sequential amendment number (1, 2, 3, etc.) For instance, an amendment request with the reference AMD-345622-6 is assigned number 2 if it is the 2nd signed amendment for the grant.
Rejected amendments are assigned a number (R1, R2); but they are saved, so that they can be reused to draw up a new request.
The Coordinator's PLSIGN can withdraw a submitted request until it is countersigned. Withdrawn requests are saved and can be reused to submit a new request.
Entry into force & taking effect
An amendment proposed by a consortium enters into force on the day the Granting Authority signs it.
It takes effect (i.e. the changes to the Grant Agreement start to apply) either:
- on a specific date specified in the amendment or
- on the date of entry into force (last signature = signature by the EU).
Depending on the nature of the amendment, the date on which it takes effect may affect the eligibility of costs (e.g. if a Beneficiary is added, costs are eligible from the accession date specified in the Accession Form).
Coordinator change without their agreement
If the Coordinator is to be replaced without their agreement, another Beneficiary (acting on behalf of the other Beneficiaries in the consortium) must submit the amendment request.
To do this, you will need to contact the EU Project Officer, so that they can give you (exceptional) PCoCo access rights in the system.
Please note you will have to provide proof both of the consortium decision to change the Coordinator, to nominate you to act on their behalf AND the opinion of the changed Coordinator (or at least proof that the opinion was requested) — otherwise the termination will be considered improper.
Amendments initiated by the Granting Authority
If the Granting Authority requests an amendment, the request is also prepared and signed electronically in the Portal Grant Management System.
You will receive an e-mail notification prompting you to accept the request.
To do so, the Coordinator's PLSIGN must countersign the amendment on the consortium's behalf.
Links
- Amendment Guide
- AGA — Annotated Grant Agreement, art 39
- Horizon Europe Coordinators' Day 2022 event page (including recording of the event and presentations)