1. By way of derogation from the first subparagraph of Article 194(2) of the Financial Regulation, the following periods shall apply:
(a)
for informing all applicants of the outcome of the evaluation of their application, a maximum period of five months from the final date for submission of complete proposals;
(b)
for signing grant agreements with applicants, a maximum period of eight months from the final date for submission of complete proposals.
2. The work programme may establish shorter periods than those provided for in paragraph 1.
3. In addition to the exceptions laid down in the second subparagraph of Article 194(2) of the Financial Regulation, the periods referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article may be exceeded for actions of the ERC, for missions and when actions are submitted to an ethics assessment or security scrutiny.