Answer given by Ms Gabriel on behalf of the European Commission

26.1.2021

1. The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is a beneficiary in two Horizon 2020 grants supporting the European Virus Archive (EVA): ‘EVAg’ running from 1 April 2015 to 31 July 2020 and ‘EVA Global’ running from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023. Under grant ‘EVAg’, WIV has received an advance payment of EUR 31.384,87. It also claimed costs of EUR 9.437,50 that were accepted but did not lead to additional payment. The total maximum amount that could be claimed by WIV under this grant is EUR 130.576,80. However, as the project has not yet delivered its final report, the total amount claimed by WIV under this grant is not known yet. Partner WIV delivered the first SARS-Cov2 genome sequence, which enabled partners of the European Virus Archive to design the widely used polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) diagnostic test for COVID-19. Under grant ‘EVA Global’ WIV has received an advance payment of EUR 34.194,39. The maximum amount that could be claimed by WIV under this grant is EUR 88.433,75.

2. In all Horizon 2020 grants at the start of the project beneficiaries receive an advance payment. At regular intervals (usually every 18 months) beneficiaries provide a periodic report (i.e. technical report with the overview of the work done and financial report with financial statements and a use of resources report) which are systematically checked against a pre-defined set of standard criteria by the Commission services. Payments are made only if the costs claimed by the beneficiary can be accepted. Constant monitoring is ensured until the end of any project. In addition, even after the end of the project, the Commission may check its proper implementation and compliance with the obligations laid down in the grant agreement.