Consortium Matching – Terms and Conditions
1. Scope and acceptance
1.1 These terms apply between DEEP Ecosystems 500 UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Westendstraße 125, 80339 Munich, Germany, registered with the District Court of Munich under HRB 262046, VAT ID DE337754921 ("DEEP") and every user of the Consortium Matching service ("Service") on the DEEP Public Funding Monitor, whether acting as a Call Writer or as a Consortium Member.
1.2 A user accepts these terms when they first use the Service, in particular when they:
- mark a funding call as "Looking for consortium";
- start an application for a funding call and offer participation to other members; or
- confirm their participation in a Call Writer's consortium.
Before each of these actions, the Service shows a link to these terms and asks the user to confirm them.
1.3 The Service is offered only to companies, research organisations, public bodies, associations and self-employed professionals acting in their professional capacity (business users within the meaning of § 14 BGB). It is not offered to consumers.
1.4 These terms apply in addition to the general terms of DEEP's membership. Where they conflict, these terms prevail for the Service. A user's own general terms do not apply, even if DEEP does not object to them.
2. Definitions
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Call | A public funding opportunity listed in the DEEP Public Funding Monitor, e.g. an EU, national or regional grant, loan or tender. |
| Application | The proposal a consortium submits to the funding body for a Call. |
| Call Writer | A DEEP member who prepares and submits an Application and invites other members to join it as partners. |
| Consortium Member | A DEEP member who joins a Call Writer's consortium for an Application. The Call Writer's own organisation is not a Consortium Member. |
| Participation | A Consortium Member's confirmed place in a Call Writer's consortium for one Application. |
| Participation Fee | EUR 500 (net) per Consortium Member and Application, for the Call Writer's work on the Application (section 4). |
| Service Charge | 20% of the Participation Fee, i.e. EUR 100 (net), which DEEP keeps for providing the Service. |
| Writer Payout | The remaining 80%, i.e. EUR 400 (net), which DEEP pays to the Call Writer. |
| Funding Body | The authority or agency that runs the Call and decides on the Application, e.g. the European Commission or one of its executive agencies. |
3. DEEP's role
3.1 DEEP connects members who want to apply for the same Call. DEEP lists who is looking for a consortium, informs interested members once enough partners are listed, lets a Call Writer offer Participation to them, and collects and pays out the Participation Fee.
3.2 DEEP does not write, review or submit Applications, does not act as coordinator or partner, and is not a party to any consortium agreement, grant agreement or other contract between the consortium partners or with the Funding Body.
3.3 DEEP does not check whether a Call Writer or Consortium Member is eligible for a Call, qualified, or financially sound. Profiles and statements on the platform are the responsibility of the member who made them.
3.4 DEEP does not guarantee that a consortium forms, that an Application is submitted, or that it is funded.
3.5 DEEP may refuse, pause or remove a consortium offer or a user's access to the Service if it breaches these terms, the rules of the Call, or applicable law.
4. Fees and payment
4.1 Each Consortium Member pays a Participation Fee of EUR 500 per Application it joins. The fee covers the Call Writer's preparation of the Application, including the consortium's share of the proposal text, and DEEP's matching service.
| Per Consortium Member and Application | Amount (EUR, net) | Goes to |
|---|---|---|
| Participation Fee | 500 | paid to DEEP |
| Service Charge (20%) | 100 | kept by DEEP |
| Writer Payout (80%) | 400 | paid by DEEP to the Call Writer |
4.2 DEEP invoices the Participation Fee to the Consortium Member in its own name when the member confirms its Participation. Payment is due within 14 days of the invoice date, by bank transfer to the account stated on the invoice or by credit card.
4.3 DEEP holds the Participation Fee until the Application is submitted. It pays the Writer Payout within 14 days after the Call Writer has shared the submission confirmation (section 5, point 6) and invoiced DEEP. DEEP pays only for fees it has actually received.
4.4 All amounts are net. VAT is added where applicable; for business users in other EU member states the reverse-charge procedure applies. The Call Writer invoices DEEP for the Writer Payout with any VAT it owes.
4.5 The Participation Fee is a fixed fee. It does not depend on whether the Application is funded, and no further fee is due if it is.
4.6 A Call Writer must not ask Consortium Members for any additional payment for the same Application outside the Service, unless both sides agree in writing on a separate service (for example project management after funding).
4.7 If a Consortium Member does not pay on time, DEEP may remove its Participation after a reminder with a 7-day deadline and inform the Call Writer.
5. Obligations of Call Writers
A Call Writer who offers Participation through the Service must:
- describe the Application truthfully before members join: the Call, the planned project, the roles open to partners, the expected budget per partner, and the timeline to the Call deadline;
- have the expertise and capacity to prepare a complete, compliant Application on time;
- prepare the Application with due care and submit it to the Funding Body before the Call deadline, unless the consortium jointly decides not to apply;
- include every Consortium Member who has paid the Participation Fee, unless the member is ineligible under the Call rules or withdraws;
- tell Consortium Members early what input it needs from them (e.g. PIC number, organisation details, CVs, budget figures, letters of commitment) and by when;
- share the final submitted Application and the submission confirmation with all Consortium Members within 5 working days of submission;
- inform DEEP and the Consortium Members without delay if the Application will not be submitted;
- comply with the Call rules, in particular those on conflicts of interest, and not present itself as acting for DEEP or the Funding Body.
6. Obligations of Consortium Members
A Consortium Member who confirms its Participation must:
- check its own eligibility for the Call (legal form, country, size, any exclusion criteria) before confirming;
- pay the Participation Fee on time (section 4);
- provide the input the Call Writer requests, accurately and by the agreed dates;
- confirm that it has authority to commit its organisation to the Application;
- negotiate and sign any consortium agreement, partnership declaration or grant agreement directly with the other partners; these are not part of the Service;
- inform the Call Writer and DEEP without delay if it can no longer take part.
7. Funding outcome and eligible costs
7.1 The Funding Body alone decides whether an Application is funded. Neither DEEP nor the Call Writer promises a positive result, a score, or a funding amount.
7.2 The Participation Fee is paid for the preparation of the Application, not for its success. It is not refunded if the Application is rejected, placed on a reserve list, or funded with a smaller budget.
7.3 Proposal preparation costs are usually not eligible costs under EU grants, because they arise before the project starts. Each Consortium Member pays the Participation Fee from its own funds and is responsible for checking whether it may include the fee in any budget. DEEP gives no advice on eligible costs.
8. Withdrawal, cancellation and refunds
8.1 What happens to the Participation Fee depends on why a Participation ends:
| Situation | Refund to Consortium Member | Writer Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Member withdraws within 7 days of confirming, and at least 30 days before the Call deadline | EUR 500 (full) | none |
| Member withdraws later | none | EUR 400, once the Application is submitted |
| Call Writer does not submit the Application, or drops the member, for reasons it is responsible for | EUR 500 (full) | none |
| Member turns out to be ineligible under the Call rules | EUR 400; DEEP keeps the Service Charge | none |
| Funding Body cancels or postpones the Call before the deadline | member chooses: Participation moves to the next deadline, or EUR 500 (full) | only once an Application is submitted |
| Application is submitted and rejected, or funded with less | none (section 7.2) | EUR 400 |
8.2 A Call Writer that does not submit for reasons it is responsible for may be excluded from offering further consortia through the Service.
8.3 Refunds are paid within 14 days of the event that triggers them, to the account the payment came from.
9. Confidentiality and intellectual property
9.1 Users keep confidential all non-public information they receive from other users through the Service, in particular project ideas, draft Applications, budgets and know-how. They use it only for the Application concerned. This duty continues for 3 years after the Participation ends.
9.2 Each partner keeps the rights to the content and know-how it contributes. The Call Writer grants every Consortium Member a non-exclusive, free right to use the submitted Application for that project, including a resubmission by the same consortium.
9.3 Rights to project results after funding are governed by the grant agreement and the consortium agreement, not by these terms.
10. Data protection
10.1 When a user marks a Call as "Looking for consortium", DEEP stores the user's community profile ID with that Call. Other users see only how many members are looking, not who they are.
10.2 Once enough partners are listed, DEEP shares the name, organisation and contact details of the interested members with each other and with the Call Writer who offers Participation. This is necessary to perform the Service (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). A user can remove their mark at any time; data already shared stays with the recipients.
10.3 Recipients use these contact details only to form a consortium for that Call, and must not use them for unrelated marketing.
10.4 Details are set out in DEEP's privacy policy.
11. Liability
11.1 DEEP is liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, for injury to life, body or health, and under the Product Liability Act.
11.2 For slight negligence, DEEP is liable only for breach of an essential contractual obligation, i.e. one whose fulfilment makes the Service possible and on which users may rely. This liability is limited to the typical, foreseeable damage, and at most to the Service Charges the user paid in the 12 months before the damage.
11.3 DEEP is not liable for the content, quality or timely submission of an Application, for the conduct of other users, or for decisions of the Funding Body.
11.4 The Call Writer is responsible to the Consortium Members for preparing and submitting the Application (section 5). Claims about that work are settled between the Call Writer and the Consortium Member; section 8 governs refunds of the Participation Fee.
11.5 These limits also apply to DEEP's employees and agents.
12. Term, changes and final provisions
12.1 These terms apply for as long as a user uses the Service. Sections 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11 continue to apply to Participations already confirmed.
12.2 DEEP may change these terms for future use of the Service. It announces changes by email or on the platform at least 30 days in advance. Participations confirmed before the change remain under the version that applied when they were confirmed.
12.3 German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
12.4 The exclusive place of jurisdiction is Munich, to the extent permitted by law.
12.5 If a provision is invalid, the remaining provisions stay in force.
12.6 The English version of these terms is binding.
