Commission follow-up

The European Commission ranks the proposals on the basis of the expert evaluation. The ranking list is divided into three categories: (1) proposals recommended for funding (main list), (2) proposals put on the reserve list and (3) proposals that do not pass – either because they do not reach the official threshold or are below the (usually higher) unofficial 'cut-off'. The 'cut-off' resp. the number of proposals that will be funded finally depends on the overall budget available for the call.
 
The European Commission eventually submits the provisional results of the evaluation to the Programme Committee. The latter consists of delegates representing the governments of the EU member states. The Programme Committee then provides the Commission with the mandate to start contract negotiations with the successful applicants.