How to find the right call for proposals?
The Victorious EU Funding Guide ™
1. Where to look for them?
With different types of EU Funding available out there, direct, shared and indirect, you will be looking for calls for proposals in different places.
Check out where to look for your perfect proposal depending on the type of funding you want to get!
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Direct Funding is managed by the European Commission. You will be searching for open calls and submitting proposals directly to the institution. It is mostly done through the Funding&Tenders Portal.
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Shared Funding is co-managed by the European Commission and the national governments. To get general information on available programs you can visit the website of the European Commission, however, to look for specific funding opportunities and open calls, check out national websites for EU Funding, operated by your country's government.
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Indirect Funding is managed by national and regional authorities. To find more information about these funding opportunities and open calls you should refer to a national EU Funding website operated by your country's government or one of the national EU Funding contact points.
2. What are the most important aspects?
While reading the call for a proposal that you may think is relevant for your company and its project, always try to compare the most important aspects of the call to aspects of your project. The most important aspects to pay attention to are:
Requested activity and results: particularly “specific challenge”, “scope”, expected impacts”. Look exactly at what outcomes the EU wants to achieve by giving companies money under the specific Funding Program. If they are not defined it the call itself, you can always find them in the overall program description. Most of the time it is to be found in the attachments section of the call.
Grant amount for your project. As much as the total amounts offered by the program look impressive, you must check the amount offered per applicant. Once you see the amount brackets per applicant (let’s say between 10,000€ and 1,000,000€ depending on project’s need) check if that is the amount that your project will be able to use and if that would be enough, as you will have to account for and declare all of the expenses later on.
Funding rate: many funding schemes require companies to contribute to the costs of the projects, and they can tie the release of funds to some milestones. That is why clearly check those requirements (often they are given in the call description, or the annexes in the attachment section of the call) and make sure you will be able to provide this amount of money, either through your own financing or a loan.
Consortium criteria: there might be a minimum number of partners and a minimum number of countries allowed. Note that some non-EU countries such as Norway, Israel and Switzerland, can be eligible to participate in EU proposals. There may also be criteria related to company size.
TRL (Technology Readiness Level) may be requested. This means how advanced and validated your technology is. We discuss this further on this page.
Duration: minimum and maximum duration, possibility to apply for longer timeframes for some fields (for example health). Make sure your project fits into the duration requirements!
Single stage or two-stage proposal process: Most calls are one stage, meaning you submit a complete application and await the results. In some cases, especially in calls for more complex proposals, there are two stages of application. Make sure to check exactly what you have to submit for both of them and don’t mess up the documents.
Deadlines: by when you need to fill forms/upload and submit documents. Keep in mind that almost all of the deadlines are given in Brussels time (CET). Ask yourself if you have enough time to prepare the proposal, rushing it may cause you missing some important points!
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3. What is the Technology Readiness Level (TRL)?
TRL stands for Technology Readiness Level, which is a measure used to assess the maturity level of a technology. The higher the TRL level, the closer the technology is to being fully developed and ready for commercial use.
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: To reach this TRL level, you need to have the basic principles of technology observed and reported, but applied research or development has not been initiated.
Medical research: The basic principles of technology are observed and reported, but applied research or development has not been initiated.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Pathfinder of Horizon Europe
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: To reach this TRL level you have some basic principles observed and you have started R&D, but applications are still speculative.
Medical research: Some basic principles were observed and R&D has started, but applications are still speculative.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Pathfinder of Horizon Europe
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: To reach this TRL level you need to have experimental and analytical studies conducted to validate the predictions on the technology. These studies provide a preliminary technology proof of concept, performed in the laboratory.
Medical research: Experimental and analytical studies were conducted to validate the predictions on the technology. These studies provide a preliminary technology proof of concept, performed in the laboratory. In biomedical technologies, ’in vitro’ tests fit in this stage.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Pathfinder of Horizon Europe
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: At this stage, the basic technological components are designed, developed and integrated to verify that they work together. In the case of software products, this is the stage of ‘alpha tests’.
Medical research: At this stage, the basic technological components are designed, developed and integrated to verify that they work together.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition of Horizon Europe
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: Integration of the technological components and testing of their applications in a realistic environment. This step corresponds to the validation of system or process components in software products.
Medical research: Integration of the technological components and testing of their applications in a realistic environment. This step corresponds to the pre-clinical trials in the pharma sector.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Transition of Horizon Europe
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: Evaluation of the prototype or representative model in a relevant environment. This step corresponds to a ’beta’ version.
Medical research: Evaluation of the prototype or representative model in a relevant environment. In the pharmaceutical sector, this step corresponds to the first phase of clinical trials, while in the medical devices sector, it corresponds to the safety demonstration of the device.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator, Clusters’ and Partnership’s RIA calls, IA calls, KDT calls, CBE calls of Horizon Europe
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: Evaluation of the prototype in a operating environment, similar to the real one. The final prototype product design and testing.
Medical research: Evaluation of the prototype in an operating environment, similar to the real one. The second phase of clinical trials fits in this TRL as well as the final prototype product design and testing in medical device
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Accelerator, Clusters’ and Partnership’s IA calls, KDT calls, CBE calls of Horizon Europe
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: In a real system, the technology proved to be in accordance with the conditions specified. In software, it corresponds to a pre-commercial demonstration.
Medical research: In a real system, the technology proved to be in accordance with the conditions specified. In biomedical projects, this stage corresponds to the third phase of clinical trials.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: EIC Accelerator, Clusters’ and Partnership’s IA calls, KDT calls, CBE calls of Horizon Europe, Innovation Fund
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Definition of this TRL level:
Software: The system incorporates the new technology in its final form and had applied it in actual application conditions. It is ready for commercialization.
Medical research: The system incorporates the new technology in its final form and had applied it in actual application conditions. It is ready for commercialization.
Examples of possible EU funding programs: Innovation Fund
4. What types of deadlines are there?
Single Stage
For most topics, you must submit a full proposal by the call deadline.
Two Stage
Some topics have a 2-stage submission procedure, which means that you have to submit a short outline proposal for stage 1 and then a full proposal only if you are invited to stage 2 (meaning that your project looks promising).
Multiple Cut off
Some topics are continuously open, where you can submit a proposal at any time, and cut-off dates mean that all proposals received by a given cut-off date will be evaluated after that deadline.
