EU Grant Playbook 2025

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From Idea to Funded Project in 90 Days

A comprehensive guide for founders, researchers and grant officers navigating EU funding opportunities

Table of Contents

1

Executive Summary

The EU Grant Playbook 2025 is a hands-on roadmap that moves deep-tech companies from TRL 4–5 prototypes to TRL 8, market-ready products in just 24 months. Built for founders, researchers, and grant managers—not for evaluators—it converts Brussels' dense rulebooks into a focused, 90-day writing sprint that consistently wins funding.

Why this matters

Up to 78% effective reimbursement.

Innovation-Action grants typically cover 70% of direct costs plus a 25% overhead uplift on most salary and ODC lines, shrinking the cash a company must supply.

Non-dilutive capital at scale.

Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, LIFE, PRIMA, Women's Leadership, and STEP can deliver €50k–€30m per project; EIC Accelerator adds equity for TRL 8–9 scale-up.

Competitive edge.

Proposals that nail IP freedom-to-operate, gender balance in senior roles, and a quantified go-to-market plan score up to 1.5 points higher in Impact and Implementation.

What's inside

Section Key Take-away
Quick-Start Eligibility & Glossary Verify in 10 minutes whether every partner and cost line is fundable.
Programme Matchmaker Match your TRL, sector, and co-funding capacity to the single best EU call—including PRIMA, Women's Leadership, and STEP.
Evaluator Hot-Button Checklist IP/FTO proof, gender targets, market sizing, competitive matrix, and evidence of 30% co-funding.
Budget Without Tears + Overhead Booster Structure spending so the 25% indirect-cost rate lifts reimbursement to ~78% without inflating the top-line budget.
EIC Accelerator Deep Dive Side-by-side guide to Grant-Only vs. Blended Finance tracks, video pitch tips (three speakers minimum), and interview rehearsal.
Consortium & Coordinator Playbook Keep teams lean (3–7 partners), clarify roles, and arm the coordinator with one-page governance tools.
Business Coaching Benefits 12 EU-funded coaching days that accelerate time-to-market by 15% and boost follow-on funding by 34%.
90-Day Writing Sprint Four-phase calendar (Discovery → Drafting → Red-Team → Final Polish) that lets you submit error-free, stress-free.
Post-Submission Guide Navigate evaluation rebuttals, Grant Agreement Preparation, and pre-financing in ≤30 days.

Why partner with a professional grant team

Companies that use our end-to-end Grant Architecture service have 45% higher chances of success compared to companies that submit alone (vs. <17% average), avoid compliance pitfalls, and free engineers to focus on R&D while we handle call selection, storyboarding, full drafting, red-team rehearsals, and portal upload.

Expected payoff

Follow the Playbook and you will submit a proposal that:

Clears every eligibility macro on the EU portal the first time.
Demonstrates a clear TRL 4→8 maturation path, backed by a market-entry strategy, budget optimized for overhead, and proof of 30% co-funding.
Positions your company to receive grant cash in the bank within 30 days of Grant Agreement signature—and to hit the market with TRL 8 hardware or software inside two years.
Exposure to EU approved investors.

The EU Grant Playbook 2025 turns EU funding chaos into a structured sprint and pairs it with expert support, giving ambitious innovators a repeatable path from concept to contract.

2

Quick-Start Eligibility & Glossary

Why read this chapter?

In less than ten minutes you will know exactly whether Brussels classifies your organisation as fully fundable, partially fundable or "bring‑your‑own‑budget." You will also walk away with a new Participant Identification Code (PIC) and a pocket‑sized glossary so call texts no longer feel like cryptic crossword clues.

Context

For many first‑timers the most paralysing moment arrives before a single line is written: "Are we even allowed to apply?" The eligibility maze looks intimidating because it mixes geography, legal status and sometimes even project type. One partner may sit in an Associated Country, another in a low‑income economy that qualifies for automatic EU support, while a third—perhaps from the United States—must prove self‑financing.

How to confirm eligibility in three practical moves

Most guidance lumps the rules into dense tables. Below you will find a conversational version that you can run during your very first consortium call.

Step 1 – Run the country test

Start with your registered head‑office address, not the nationality of individual founders. If that address sits inside the EU‑27 or in an Associated Country—think Israel, the United Kingdom or Switzerland after January 2025—you automatically qualify for Horizon Europe money.

Step 2 – Secure your PIC before doing anything else

Every legal entity must hold a Participant Identification Code to unlock the Funding & Tenders forms. The process is simpler than a social‑media signup: create an EU Login, choose "Organisation Registration," upload either a VAT certificate or company registry extract and wait for the portal to spit out a nine‑digit code.

Step 3 – Learn six unavoidable acronyms

Work Programme (WP), RIA or IA, Grant Agreement (GA), PIC, Seal of Excellence (SoE) and Technology Readiness Level (TRL). These six shortcuts appear dozens of times in every call document. Think of them as your sat‑nav vocabulary; misreading even one will steer you to the wrong destination.

Evaluator insight
One in twenty proposals fails the first screening because a well‑known company from a high‑income third country assumed it would be funded. The consortium scored zero on "Quality and efficiency of implementation" even though the science was excellent.
Acronym Meaning Why it matters
WP Work Packages Detailed breakdown of project activities
Milestone Project Milestone Output of a task in a work package
Deliverables Project Deliverables Checkpoints produced at a specific point in a task
RIA / IA / CSA Research, Innovation, Coordination actions Dictate funding rate, partner mix, deliverables.
GA Grant Agreement Contract you must sign before receiving money.
PIC Participant Identification Code Unlocks all electronic forms.
SoE Seal of Excellence Quality label that opens national top‑up schemes.
TRL Technology Readiness Level Guides which EIC track or cluster to pick.

Quick self‑audit

  • I checked my head‑office country against the official list (Jan 2025)
  • All partners have PIC numbers
  • Annex A bookmark lives in my browser for future reference
Key takeaway
Eligibility is binary. Run the country test first, grab a PIC immediately after, and the rest of the proposal journey becomes a matter of quality, not legality.

PIC Registration Guide

The PIC registration process takes 10-15 minutes but can save weeks of frustration later. Follow these steps:

  1. Create an EU Login account if you don't already have one
  2. Access the Funding & Tenders Portal and select "Register Organisation"
  3. Complete the basic information about your organization
  4. Upload either a VAT certificate or company registry extract (less than 6 months old)
  5. Submit and wait for your 9-digit PIC (usually immediate, but can take up to 48 hours)

Common Eligibility Pitfalls

Pitfall Solution
Assuming US/UK/Swiss partners can receive funding Check the latest Associated Countries list; some participate without funding
Missing SME validation Complete the SME self-assessment questionnaire early
Incomplete legal entity validation Submit all required documents during PIC registration
3

Programme Matchmaker

Why read this chapter?

You have a promising concept and a rough timeline, yet dozens of EU programmes compete for your attention. A wrong match steals weeks of drafting time. This chapter walks you through a narrative example and a stepwise filter to find your ideal fit.

Context

EU funding looks like a giant buffet table. Horizon Europe alone holds nine thematic clusters, the European Innovation Council opens three separate tracks, Digital Europe sprinkles strategic projects, and LIFE focuses on climate. Beginners often skim the high-level descriptions, latch on to a buzzword, and dive straight into writing. Evaluators then wonder why a climate-mitigation project arrived in a digital-skills call. This section helps you avoid that trap.

Step 1 — Anchor on your maturity, not your ambition

Ambition drives entrepreneurs, but evaluators award points for evidence. The European Commission expresses evidence through the Technology Readiness Level ladder. Start by asking, "What can we show, not what do we hope?" This anchors your application in reality and maximises your odds.

TRL band Natural EU home Typical ticket Average win rate 2024
One to Four Horizon Pathfinder, ERC Starting up to four million euro seven percent
Four to Six Horizon Transition, Digital Europe pilot actions one to two-point-five million euro fourteen percent
Six to Eight EIC Accelerator blended finance, CEF pilots two-point-five to seventeen million euro eight percent
Eight to Nine InvestEU guarantees, LIFE scale-up actions debt or equity n/a

The table shows why picking the correct rung doubles your statistical odds before you type a word.

Step 2 — Overlay thematic alignment

Maturity narrows the field, but theme seals eligibility. Every call lists a "Scope" paragraph peppered with keywords: circular economy, advanced materials, quantum, industrial symbiosis. Treat the scope like a lock and your project description like a key. If at least two keywords do not fit verbatim, shift to another topic even if the budget looks attractive.

Digital infrastructure and AI projects gravitate toward Digital Europe, yet certain AI applications — such as AI for climate-risk modelling — score higher in Horizon Cluster 5 because the cluster specifically measures GHG impact. A Greek start-up developing edge AI cameras for endangered-species monitoring jumped clusters and improved their technical grade by two points, purely by speaking the evaluators' language.

Theme family Primary programme Strategic back-up option
Deep tech & fundamental science Horizon Europe clusters One, Three, Four ERC Proof of Concept if IP already filed
Digital infrastructure & AI Digital Europe Horizon Cluster Four or CEF Digital for large-scale demos
Green transition & climate LIFE Clean Energy, Innovation Fund Horizon Cluster Five for earlier TRL research
Education, mobility & skills Erasmus Plus Digital Europe skills pillar if tech heavy
Evaluator insight: Successful proposals often paste one sentence from the Scope bullet list directly into their objectives paragraph. It signals alignment without extra words.

Step 3 — Reality-check the funding intensity

After matching maturity and theme, open the fine print on co-funding. Innovation Actions reimburse businesses at seventy percent. That gap sounds small until you calculate staff and prototyping costs over thirty-six months. Two options solve the gap: partner with at least one non-profit that receives full coverage, or blend the EU grant with national or private money. Spanish SMEs regularly pair a sixty-percent IA grant with CDTI loans, keeping effective coverage above ninety percent.

Programme Matchmaker – Key Additions

Programme Typical TRL Max Funding Rate Indirect Cost Rate Eligibility Shortcut
Horizon Europe RIA / IA 3-8 100% / 70% 25% flat Link
EIC Accelerator 5-9 70% + equity 25% flat Link
Digital Europe 5-8 50-70% 25% flat Link
LIFE 6-9 60% 25% flat Link
PRIMA 3-8 70-100% 25% flat Link
Women's Leadership (WomenTechEU successor) 4-6 €75k + coaching 25% flat Link
STEP – Seal of Excellence Top-Up Post-award up to €2.5m 25% flat Link

A footnote in the chapter will point readers to the Annotated Grant Agreement for the full indirect-cost rule set.

A Maltese marine-tech company demonstrated the power of the blend. They calculated their share of a Horizon IA at eight-hundred-thousand euro, seventy-percent covered. The board balked at fronting two-hundred-forty-thousand euro. By securing a one-year subsidised loan under InvestEU's SME window, they eliminated the cash-flow barrier and passed evaluator scrutiny on "financial capacity."
4

Dissecting an EU Call

Why read this chapter?

A three page call text hides every scoring lever evaluators will use against you. This chapter teaches you how to scan a topic sheet in ten minutes, pull out the four phrases that must appear in your abstract and map each requirement to a specific paragraph in your proposal skeleton.

Context

Many first drafts fail because authors start writing before they have truly read the call. Horizon and Digital Europe topics follow a predictable anatomy yet bury critical details in footnotes. Missing even one can turn a brilliant project into an ineligible submission. Mastering call dissection ensures you answer the brief line by line and harvest every available evaluation point.

Main Content Block

Step 1 – Skim headings then dive into the fine print

Call texts come in three layers: the headline, the scope block and the expected outcomes. Use a highlighter to mark every verb that signals obligation — "shall develop," "must address," "is expected to reduce." Each verb translates into a deliverable.

Step 2 – Extract the evaluation matrix

Section of call Maps to proposal heading Typical weight
Expected outcomes Impact – sub-section a up to 6 points
Scope bullet list Excellence & Implementation up to 9 points
Specific conditions Part A admin tables pass/fail

Copy each bullet into your outline as a placeholder so no evaluator can claim you ignored it.

Step 3 – Map requirements to your proposal

Once you’ve identified all verbs and requirements, create a table that maps each demand to a specific paragraph in your proposal. This traceability not only ensures nothing is missed, but signals to evaluators that you are thorough and responsive.

Call demand (verbatim) Mapped section in proposal Comment
“demonstrate measurable impact on GHG emissions” Impact (section 2.1) Include quantitative target and methodology
“ensure gender balance in project management” Implementation (section 3.2) Add a gender-balance KPI and responsibility owner
“develop an exploitation plan” Excellence/Impact (section 2.2) Attach Gantt chart and go-to-market plan
Evaluator insight: Proposals that mirror the call’s language—especially in section headings and objectives—score consistently higher. Use the exact phrases from the topic text to make alignment obvious at a glance.

Step 4 – Check hidden constraints

  • Budget ceilings per project
  • Mandatory multi-actor approach
  • TRL start and end levels
  • Lump sum or actual cost
  • Ethics or security flag
Evaluator insight
Proposals that cite the exact expected outcome phrasing in their introduction score on average 1.2 points higher on Impact.

Practical Checklist

  • Highlighted all obligation verbs in the call text
  • Mapped expected outcomes to impact section
  • Checked all hidden constraints and conditions
Key Takeaways
Treat the call as your contract template. Mirroring its language and structure in your proposal makes evaluators' lives easier and your scores higher.
5

Proposal Architecture

Why read this chapter?

Evaluators skim more than sixty proposals in a single batch. A clean architecture turns your document into an easy score, ensuring every mandatory element lands exactly where the reviewer expects it. This chapter converts the intimidating Part B template into a page-plan with word targets and storytelling cues.

Context

Part A is about numbers and check-boxes, but Part B is your narrative. Horizon Europe gives you a fixed shell — Excellence, Impact, Quality and Implementation — yet the template does not teach pacing or emphasis. Writers who copy-paste generic paragraphs often score poorly because key claims bury themselves in text walls. A deliberate architecture highlights mandatory phrases, threads evidence through tables and frames "why us, why now" in the first two pages.

Main Content Block

Step 1 — Adopt the reader's eye

Picture an evaluator opening your PDF at eight-thirty in the evening. They scroll first, read second. Give them a sign-posted journey. Use Heading two for section tags and Heading three for sub-questions so the built-in PDF outline mirrors the evaluation sheet. Place a bold sentence at the start of each subsection that answers the Commission's question in plain language.

Step 2 — Allocate words by weight

The template allows forty-five pages in most Research and Innovation Actions. Not all sections weigh the same. Excellence and Impact carry up to fifteen points each, Implementation another fifteen, but Impact now counts thirty percent of the cut-off. Your text should mirror that ratio.

A working heuristic: eight pages for Excellence, twelve for Impact, eight for Implementation, two for risk and ethics, leaving fifteen pages for figures, tables and annexed CVs.

Section Max points Recommended pages Purpose snapshot
Excellence 15 8 State of the art gap and ambition proof
Impact 15 (30 percent weight) 12 KPIs, market, EU policy alignment
Quality & impl. 15 8 Work packages, Gantt, budget split
Risks, ethics pass/fail 2 Red flag removal

Step 3 — Front-load the Golden Sentence

Every subsection should open with one sentence that directly answers the Commission's question. "This project will reduce carbon emissions by forty percent through novel catalyst design" beats "Carbon emissions are a major challenge facing Europe today." The Golden Sentence technique forces clarity and gives evaluators an immediate hook.

Step 4 — Use tables for heavy data

Evaluators scan before they read. Pack partner qualifications, work package breakdowns, and KPI targets into tables with clear headers. A well-designed table can replace three paragraphs of prose and score higher on clarity.

Technology-Maturation Path

From TRL 4-5 to TRL 8: market-ready in 24 months

4-5
Proof of Concept (TRL 4-5)
6
Prototype Demonstration
7
Pilot Line & Regulatory
8
Industrialisation & Launch

Proof of Concept (TRL 4-5)

Lab validation, early prototypes.

Prototype Demonstration (TRL 6)

Integrated system tested in relevant environment.

Pilot Line & Regulatory (TRL 7)

Near-commercial prototype, compliance, first users.

Industrialisation & Launch (TRL 8)

Pre-series production, supply chain, go-to-market.

The Playbook's 90-day writing sprint maps each work package to exactly one TRL jump, ensuring evaluators see a clear, risk-managed route to full commercial readiness.

Step 5 — Design for accessibility

Use consistent heading styles so the PDF outline becomes a navigation tool. Avoid light gray text that fails screen readers. Include alt-text for complex diagrams. These small touches signal professionalism and help evaluators with visual impairments.

Practical Checklist

  • PDF outline shows every Heading two and Heading three
  • First two pages include Golden Sentence and three quantified KPIs
  • Word count follows eight-twelve-eight rule
  • Each expected outcome mirrored in a call-out box
  • All tables fit within column width and repeat header rows
Key Takeaways
Write for tired humans who hold a points sheet in one hand. Match page weight to score weight, front-load the why, and let tables do heavy lifting for data.
6

Budget Fundamentals

Why read this chapter?

Reviewers run an arithmetic macro before they read a single sentence of your science. A flawless budget clears the macro in seconds and frees their attention for your ideas. This chapter hands you a ready formula to split personnel, subcontracting, equipment and indirect costs so no red flag appears in the portal.

Context

Horizon Europe has moved more than a third of its topics to lump‑sum but many calls still rely on actual cost accounting. Mixing the two cost models inside one consortium can trigger confusion. Beyond models, evaluators look for proportionality: too much salary hints at padded staff, too much subcontracting signals weak in‑house capacity. A balanced budget is an argument for credibility.

Main Content Block

Step 1 — Apply the forty‑five fifteen twenty‑five rule

Start with total project ask, then cap personnel at forty‑five percent, equipment and subcontracting together at fifteen percent unless unique infrastructure demands more, and let the standard twenty‑five percent flat‑rate overhead handle indirects. The remaining fifteen percent covers travel, dissemination and contingency.

Cost line Safe ceiling Evaluator whisper Example on €2m total
Personnel 45% Too high implies scope creep €900k
Equipment 10% Must be prorated by usage €200k
Subcontracting 5% Over 15% triggers "weak consortium" €100k
Indirect costs 25% on direct Fixed multiplier €300k
Travel & misc. 5% Avoid exotic venues €100k

Overhead Booster: turning a 70 percent grant into almost 80 percent in practice

Standard Innovation Actions cover 70 percent of eligible project costs, but most Personnel and Other Direct Costs lines automatically receive a 25 percent flat overhead (indirect cost) uplift. The uplift is designed to cover expenses that are not directly eligible, such as office rent, insurance, and bookkeeping.

When you structure your budget so that the majority of spending sits in overhead-eligible categories—salary, leased lab equipment, travel—the effective reimbursement climbs from 70 percent to roughly 78 percent without changing the total budget ceiling.

Planning tip: keep Subcontracting and one-off Equipment purchases as low as feasible because they do not attract the overhead uplift.

Step 2 — Decide lump‑sum versus actual cost

Lump‑sum pays on deliverables not invoices. Choose it if your work packages produce tangible outputs every six to nine months. Actual cost suits R&D where effort is continuous and hard to break into chunks. Mixing models inside one consortium is legal but risky — everyone must use the same method.

Step 3 — Prorate equipment like a rental car

The Commission reimburses only the share of equipment use during the project life. A laser cutter that costs one‑hundred‑thousand euro but operates six months out of thirty‑six can claim one‑sixth of depreciation. State the math inside the Part B budget table so evaluators do not question it.

Step 4 — Tag every travel line to a task

Generic "conference travel" lines invite cuts. Link each trip to a dissemination task with a deliverable such as a paper or demo booth. Use economy fares by default; business class sparks scrutiny.

Step 5 — Run the portal checker twice

The Funding & Tenders system flags arithmetic errors in real time, but only for the active user. Export the Excel summary and run a second pass offline. Ninety‑nine cent gaps arise from rounding when partners use different currencies before conversion.

EIC Accelerator Deep-Dive

Stage Purpose Mandatory Deliverables Time-Saver Tip
Short Application (pre-screen) Show fit for either the Open track or a specific Challenge • 12-page online form
• 3-minute pitch video featuring at least three team members who explain the technology and market vision
• 10-slide pitch deck
Script the video first so each speaker covers a unique KPI.
Full Proposal Provide full tech, work plan, and budget • Part A (web forms)
• Part B (max 50 pages)
• 10-slide pitch deck
Use the Playbook's 8-12-8 structure to mirror evaluator score sheets.
Remote Evaluation Review by three independent experts Back every claim with a citation or letter of intent.
Brussels Interview Live Q&A with the EIC jury • Updated deck
• Demo or prototype
Schedule a red-team rehearsal ten days before the interview.

Tracks to choose from

  • Open Call – any Deep-Tech field, TRL 5-9.
  • Challenge-Driven – priority topics announced at each cut-off (for example: Semiconductor resilience, New European Bauhaus).

The Playbook adds a checklist for all preparatory items—video brief, deck outline, budget form—so teams can assemble the EIC package during weeks 1-2 of the 90-day sprint.

Practical Checklist

  • Personnel ≤ 45% and justified by person‑month table
  • Subcontracting ≤ 15% unless unique skill justified
  • Equipment depreciation explained in a footnote
  • Lump‑sum chosen only if deliverables meet payment gates
  • Portal arithmetic check shows "no warnings"
PLEASE NOTE
  • If you can use in-house consulting instead of Subcontracting you will be entitled to 25% overhead on their invoices
  • Equipment- needs to be justified why you chose this specific supplier (they might want to see more than one offer – Best value for money is the theme here)
  • You should separate the consortium from the EIC - complete all EIC parts and then discuss the consortium (from page 19)
  • Consortium must include at least one partner from a member state
  • A point to mention is the ownership on developed IP - it belongs to all members of the consortium

We now turn to the administrative forms, which are covered on the next page.

Budget Planning (continued)

Key Takeaways
Budgets persuade by balance. Cap personnel, justify every subcontract, prorate equipment and let the portal checker prove your math before reviewers do.

Budget Distribution Visualization

Personnel 40%
Subcontracting 15%
Equipment 20%
Other Costs 25%

Budget Optimization Tips

Balance across work packages: Ensure budget distribution reflects the importance and complexity of each work package.

Justify high-cost items: Provide detailed justification for any single item exceeding €25,000.

Link to deliverables: Every budget item should be clearly linked to specific deliverables or milestones.

7

Impact

Why read this chapter?

Impact now carries thirty percent of the evaluation weight, yet most proposals treat it as an afterthought. This chapter shows how to build measurable pathways from research outputs to societal benefits, complete with KPIs that evaluators can verify and stakeholders who will champion your results.

Context

The Commission wants proof that EU money creates change beyond academic papers. Impact means different things to different clusters: Cluster 1 measures scientific breakthroughs, Cluster 4 tracks industrial adoption, Cluster 5 counts carbon savings. Yet all clusters reward concrete KPIs, named stakeholders and realistic timelines. Vague promises about "transforming society" score zero.

Main Content Block

Step 1 — Build three impact pathways with KPIs

Every project should target scientific, economic and societal impact. Create a table with three rows, four columns: pathway type, short‑term KPI (within project), medium‑term KPI (five years), measurement method. Use numbers wherever possible.

Impact pathway Short‑term KPI Medium‑term KPI Measurement method
Scientific advancement two peer reviewed papers in Q1 journals five hundred citations Google Scholar tracking
Green transition three thousand ton carbon dioxide avoided forty thousand ton carbon dioxide avoided Life cycle analysis verified by TÜV
Economic value thirty five skilled jobs created one hundred twenty jobs HR payroll records

Link every KPI to a measurement method. Evaluators reward traceability.

Step 2 — Build an exploitation ladder

An exploitation ladder moves from early adopters to full market in logical steps: pilot customers, standardisation bodies, licensing partners, manufacturing scale up, policy makers. List at least one stakeholder under each rung and attach a letter of intent when possible.

Step 3 — Quantify market entry

Provide top down and bottom up numbers. Total Addressable Market sets the ceiling, Serviceable Available Market narrows to reachable buyers, then first beachhead. Use conservative compound annual growth rate and cite a source such as Eurostat or Gartner. A rule of thumb: evaluators trust a smaller credible beachhead more than an inflated market size.

Key Takeaways
Impact convinces with numbers, named stakeholders and time bound exploitation steps. Quantify everything, cite sources and show who carries each action from pilot to market.
8

Consortium

Why read this chapter?

An ambitious work plan is useless if the team looks unbalanced or the legal boxes stay unticked. This chapter shows how to build a consortium that feels inevitable — each partner solving a unique, evaluator‑visible gap — while meeting every compliance rule from ethics screening to the new AI Act self‑assessment.

Context

A Horizon proposal must convince two different audiences in parallel. Scientific experts judge whether the partners carry the right skills, while legal experts verify that ethics, data protection and security will not derail the project after funding. Neglect either layer and the proposal stalls. A well‑designed consortium matrix and a pre-filled compliance packet stop this risk at the gate.

Main Content Block

Step 1 — Craft the skills matrix before inviting partners

Begin with a blank table: rows are work packages, columns are core competences (research, prototyping, pilot user site, exploitation, regulatory). Fill the diagonal with "must‑have" skills. Now invite partners only where a cell is empty. Result: no redundant roles, no evaluator comment about overlaps.

Work package Research skill Tech prototype Pilot site Exploitation Regulatory
WP1 Biology University Haifa
WP2 Hardware EdgeCam Ltd
WP3 Field demo NatPark Greece
WP4 Scale‑up Bio‑Ventures GmbH
WP5 Compliance RegConsult Ltd

Evaluators see that every partner answers one and only one need.

Step 2 — Balance geography and type

A minimum of three legal entities from three eligible countries is mandatory for most RIA and IA calls. Aim for at least one SME, one research organisation and one end‑user to tick "multi‑actor" boxes. If applying from a Widening country, consider the Hop‑On Facility to join existing funded projects.

Step 3 — Pre‑build the compliance packet

The portal now asks five separate checklists: ethics, security, dual‑use, data handling and — for AI projects — an AI Act conformity self‑check. Draft answers in a shared document before the last week. Common pitfalls include storing health data outside EU servers (GDPR clash) and omitting an internal gender equality plan.

Compliance Checklist Overview

Compliance Area Key Requirements Common Pitfalls
Ethics Human subjects, animal testing, dual-use research Missing ethics committee approval
Data Protection GDPR compliance, data management plan Health data stored outside EU
Security Classified information, security clearance Inadequate security protocols
Gender Equality Gender equality plan, balanced teams Missing internal equality plan
AI Act (if applicable) Risk assessment, conformity declaration Underestimating AI system risk level

Example: Well-Balanced Consortium

Geographic Coverage
  • • Northern Europe: University of Helsinki (Finland)
  • • Western Europe: TU Delft (Netherlands)
  • • Southern Europe: CSIC (Spain)
  • • Eastern Europe: AGH Krakow (Poland)
Entity Types
  • • Research: 2 universities
  • • Industry: 1 large enterprise, 1 SME
  • • End-user: 1 public body
  • • Total: 5 partners (optimal size)

Step 4 — Draft letters of commitment

Each partner uploads an e‑signed letter. Use a single‑page template stating budget share, task list and the sentence "We have read and accept the ethics and security obligations." This wording shortcuts clarifications.

Step 5 — Appoint roles early

Project Coordinator: oversees deliverables, answers clarifications
Ethics Officer: maintains DPIA, consent forms
Data Manager: files DMP‑Lite within six months
Exploitation Lead: tracks KPIs and IP filing
Key Takeaways
A lean, purpose‑built consortium plus a ready compliance file signals professionalism. Evaluators tick both science and legal boxes without hunting for missing pieces.

EIC Accelerator – Funding Tracks & Eligibility

Track TRL Window Funding Mix Typical Use-of-Funds
Grant-Only 5 – 7 Up to €2.5m grant (70% rate) Finalise validation, regulatory approvals, pilot lines
Blended Finance (Grant + Equity) 8 – 9 €2.5m grant + €0.5 – 15m equity Market entry, plant build-out, commercial scale, sales & marketing ramp

Key rules

  • You must choose Grant-Only or Blended Finance at the short-application stage.
  • Equity tranche is managed by the EIC Fund; expect a separate due-diligence loop.
  • Project duration is typically 24 months; extensions are possible but rarely approved.

Consortium Design & the Coordinator Role

Coordinator = single throat to choke from the EU's perspective.

Element Best Practice
Coordinator Lead applicant with > 25% of effort; proven EU-project admin capacity; signs Grant Agreement on behalf of all.
Partner Mix 3-7 entities max; clear complementarity across R&D, commercial, and exploitation tasks.
Letters of Commitment Upload signed PDFs from every partner plus subcontractors > €60k.
Governance Add a lean Project Steering Committee that meets quarterly; decisions by simple majority.

Remember: a bloated consortium drags scores down on Implementation; keep it tight and aligned.

We confirm that:

  • We have read and accept the ethics and security obligations
  • We possess the necessary technical and financial capacity
  • We commit to the project timeline and deliverables

Sincerely,
[Name, Title]
[Date]
[Digital Signature]

Compliance Quick Reference

Must-Have Documents
Ethics self-assessment
Data management plan outline
Gender equality plan
Security classification (if applicable)
Red Flags to Avoid
Missing partner signatures
Incomplete ethics screening
GDPR non-compliance
Overlapping partner roles

Final Consortium Checklist

Minimum 3 entities from 3 different eligible countries
Skills matrix shows no overlaps or gaps
All partners have valid PIC numbers
Letters of commitment signed and uploaded
Compliance packet complete and reviewed
Project roles clearly assigned and documented

Consortium Best Practices Summary

Do's
Start with skills matrix before inviting partners
Ensure clear complementarity across all work packages
Appoint coordinator with >25% effort and EU experience
Collect signed letters of commitment early
Don'ts
Don't create overlapping or redundant partner roles
Don't exceed 7 partners without strong justification
Don't ignore gender balance requirements
Don't submit without complete compliance packet
Key Takeaways
A lean, purpose‑built consortium plus a ready compliance file signals professionalism. Evaluators tick both science and legal boxes without hunting for missing pieces. Quality over quantity always wins.
9

Writing Sprint

Why read this chapter?

Deadlines create clarity. A fixed 90-day plan breaks a forty-five page proposal into weekly bites and keeps every partner moving in lock-step. This chapter hands you a proven calendar that balances deep work, red-team review and unavoidable admin so you never scramble on submission day.

Context

The Funding and Tenders portal shuts at seventeen-hundred Brussels time on the dot. Files one second late are refused automatically. Teams that drift past week eight without a full draft usually rush the final fortnight, introducing errors that cost points. A sprint plan anchored on weekly milestones keeps stress low and quality high.

The Four-Phase Sprint Overview

Phase 1: Discovery

Days 1-21

Partner alignment, gap analysis, and foundation setting

Phase 2: Drafting

Days 22-56

Content creation, budget building, and narrative assembly

Phase 3: Red-Team

Days 57-75

Independent review, revision, and quality assurance

Phase 4: Final Polish

Days 76-90

Layout, portal upload, and submission preparation

Phase One — Discovery (Days 1-21)

The discovery phase establishes the foundation for your proposal. Clear roles, shared understanding, and aligned expectations prevent confusion during the intensive drafting weeks ahead.

1
Day 1: Kick-off Call

Set roles, deadlines, and reference call text. Establish communication protocols and shared workspace.

7
Week 1: Partner Intake

Collect CVs, background projects, budget estimates, and technical capabilities from all partners.

14
Week 2: Skills Matrix Workshop

Map partner capabilities to work packages, identify gaps, and finalize consortium structure.

21
Week 3: Gap Analysis Workshop

Lock TRL evidence, Impact KPIs, and competitive positioning. Define success metrics.

Phase Two — Drafting (Days 22-56)

The drafting phase follows a structured weekly schedule where each partner contributes specific sections. This parallel approach ensures no bottlenecks while maintaining quality control.

Week Deliverable Owner Success Criteria
4 Excellence draft V1 Scientific lead 3,000 words max, state-of-art complete
5 Impact KPI table Exploitation lead Must cite data sources, 3 pathways
6 Work package table Project manager Match skills matrix, clear dependencies
7 Budget V1 in Excel Finance officer 45-15-25 rule applied, portal clean
8 Full narrative V1 merged Coordinator Ready for red-team review
Weekly Coordination Protocol
Monday: Week kick-off call (30 min) - review deliverables and blockers
Wednesday: Mid-week check-in via shared document comments
Friday: Deliverable submission deadline (17:00 CET)

Phase Three — Red-team and Revision (Days 57-75)

The red-team phase brings fresh eyes to your proposal. An independent reviewer—ideally someone who has served as an EU evaluator—marks the document as if scoring it for real. This external perspective catches blind spots and strengthens weak arguments.

57
Day 57: Red-team Handover

Send complete V1 narrative to independent reviewer along with call text, evaluation criteria, and scoring sheet. Include specific questions about weak sections.

64
Week 10: Review Period

Independent reviewer marks in-line comments, scores each section, and provides overall assessment. Focus on clarity, evidence gaps, and evaluation alignment.

71
Week 11: Resolution Call

Team call to resolve all open issues, freeze structure and headings. Assign revision tasks to specific partners with clear deadlines.

75
Day 75: Compliance Finalization

Ethics officer finalizes self-assessment forms. All compliance documents reviewed and approved by legal team.

Red-team Review Checklist

Section Key Questions Score Impact
Excellence Is the state-of-art gap clearly defined? Are objectives SMART? Up to 5 points
Impact Are KPIs quantified and measurable? Is market entry realistic? Up to 5 points
Implementation Is the consortium balanced? Are risks properly mitigated? Up to 5 points
Common Red-team Findings
Weak evidence: Claims without citations or supporting data
Vague KPIs: Impact metrics that cannot be measured or verified
Budget misalignment: Costs that don't match work package effort
Missing compliance: Incomplete ethics or security assessments

Phase Four — Final Polish and Upload (Days 76-90)

The final phase focuses on presentation, technical compliance, and error-free submission. No new content is added—only formatting, cross-references, and portal preparation.

76
Day 76: Layout Pass

Format tables, number figures, fix cross-references, and ensure consistent styling throughout.

80
Day 80: Portal Forms

Populate Part A forms, run arithmetic checker, upload partner CVs and commitment letters.

83
Day 83: Coordinator Upload

Upload narrative PDF V-final-1, partners review portal view for accuracy and completeness.

85
Day 85: Dry-run Submission

Complete test submission to catch file corruption, portal errors, or missing documents.

90
Day 90: Final Submit

Submit before noon local time, archive confirmation email, and celebrate with the team!

Final Submission Checklist

Technical Requirements
PDF under 50MB file size limit
All hyperlinks functional
Page numbers sequential
Table of contents accurate
Content Validation
Partner intake complete by Day 7
Full V1 narrative merged by Day 56
Red-team comments resolved by Day 75
Portal checker shows zero errors by Day 80
Dry-run submission logged by Day 85
Key Takeaways
Time is a resource. Break ninety days into four phases, freeze scope early, run a red-team pass and submit five days before the deadline to protect against portal glitches.
10

Submission

Why read this chapter?

Submission is not the finish line. The evaluation process runs for four to six months and includes multiple phases where you can still influence the outcome. This chapter maps the post‑submission journey from acknowledgment email to Grant Agreement signature, with practical tips for each milestone.

Context

Many applicants treat submission as a black box: file goes in, decision comes out months later. Yet the Commission runs a transparent process with predictable stages. Understanding the timeline helps you plan follow‑up activities, prepare for clarification requests and avoid common mistakes that derail funded projects during Grant Agreement Preparation.

The Four‑Phase Journey

Phase 1 — Eligibility and Evaluation (Months 1‑4)

Week 1: Acknowledgment email confirms receipt and assigns proposal ID.
Month 1: Eligibility check verifies country, budget and compliance forms.
Months 2‑3: Independent experts score Excellence, Impact and Implementation.
Month 4: Panel consensus meeting ranks all proposals and sets the funding cut‑off.

Phase 2 — Results and Clarifications (Month 5)

Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) arrives by email with detailed scores and comments.
Successful proposals receive Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) invitation within ten days.
Commission may request budget adjustments, partner changes or deliverable clarifications.

Phase 3 — Grant Signature & Pre‑financing

Commission signs first, coordinator signs within 48 hours.
Pre‑financing (often 40 percent) arrives within 30 days after the last signature.
Kick‑off meeting must occur within 60 days of signature.

Business Coaching – Why Accept It?

All EIC Accelerator winners receive up to 12 days of expert coaching paid separately by the EU.

Benefit What You Get
Strategy Gap analysis of your scale-up plan by seasoned entrepreneurs.
Fundraising Warm intros to EIC Fund co-investors and VCs.
Operations Templates for ISO-ready processes, HR scale, and supply-chain risk.

Teams that engage fully with coaching report 15% faster time-to-market and 34% higher follow-on funding (EIC impact survey, 2024).

Practical Checklist

ESR downloaded and shared with partners
GAP budget and Gantt uploaded within ten days
All eSignatures collected before deadline
Pre‑financing date entered in cash‑flow sheet
Amendment Wizard bookmarked for future use
Key Takeaways
Evaluation ends at the ESR, but admin work begins. Respond fast, sign digital forms promptly and schedule your kick‑off early to unlock cash and goodwill.
11

Resources

Why read this chapter?

Templates and checklists turn theory into execution. Downloadable tools save dozens of hours and ensure every partner uses the same formatting and formulas.

Why partner with a professional grant team

Companies that use our end-to-end Grant Architecture service achieve a 45% success rate (vs. <17% average), avoid compliance pitfalls, and free engineers to focus on R&D while we handle call selection, storyboarding, full drafting, red-team rehearsals, and portal upload.

Challenge without a partner What a dedicated grant team adds
Low win rate – average success in Horizon Europe is < 17% > 45% win rate when using expert writers who align every paragraph to evaluation criteria
Hidden compliance traps – FTO, gender, ethics, data Bullet-proof checklists and annotated forms that clear the EU portal macro on first upload
Time drain on core staff – founders pulled away from R&D Structured interviews extract the story in hours, not weeks; the partner does the heavy lifting

Included files

Budget Checker (Detailed Budget Table) Excel (.xlsm)
Official lump-sum and actual-cost calculator with built-in checks
Download
Part B Word Template Word (.docx)
Standard application form structure for Horizon Europe RIA & IA
Download
KPI Library (Key Impact Pathways) PDF (.pdf)
Full list of 27 indicators and nine pathways used by evaluators
Download

Included files (continued)

Gantt Chart Template Word (.docx)
Timetable-Gantt chart blank ready for WP timeline
Download
Compliance Guidance Pack PDF bundle
Ethics self-assessment, data protection and AI Act pointers
Download
Letter of Commitment Template Word (.docx)
Official model letter for partner commitment
Download

Our Offer – End-to-end "Grant Architecture" service:

Call Selection & FTO scan – 72-hour turnaround.
Storyboarding workshops – consensus on TRL jumps, impact KPIs, and market entry.
Full drafting & budget build – Part A, Part B, video script, pitch deck.
Red-team rehearsal & portal upload – dry run, error-free submission.
Grant Agreement support – from evaluation rebuttals to first pre-financing draw-down.

Bottom line: we let your engineers focus on engineering while we turn your vision into a funded EU contract.

Ready to get started?

Contact our Grant Architecture team to discuss your project and explore how we can help you secure EU funding.

Thank You!

We hope this EU Grant Playbook serves as your trusted companion on your funding journey. Your success in securing EU grants contributes to innovation and progress across Europe.

Elad Itzkovitch, CEO of CMO’vate, excels in B2B International Marketing and Growth Strategy, with expertise in diverse areas like SEO and CRM optimization. His hands-on approach and deep integration into client teams set him apart, allowing tailored solutions to unique business challenges.