The search for information is a continuous process, which involves the formulation of the project idea and extends to the identification of the call, the submission of the project and also its subsequent execution.
In this first part, we will provide ideas for creating your own “toolbox” needed to tackle these preparatory activities. We will cover three main dimensions: calls for proposals, themes and stakeholders, which are closely linked to each other. A call for proposals can provide the starting point for exploring a theme in depth, and vice versa; a stakeholder can point out themes or opportunities, or be contacted to address them more effectively.
The preparatory and information-gathering activity does not end when you find a call or participate in a project: it must be an ongoing activity and an integral part of the processes of an organisation that intends to work on European projects in an effective and systematic way.
This point is highlighted in the experience of many of the interviews collected in our “Stories” section.
1. Knowing the opportunities: finding out about programmes, calls and deadlines.
The search for information primarily involves monitoring the main sources of information on programmes, calls and related deadlines, in order to gain timely knowledge of existing opportunities, to prepare and act in good time. This is the purpose of much of the content in this Guide. The main sources of information are:
The Calls for proposals page of this Guide, which offers a selection of both directly managed calls (EU programmes) and calls launched under the Structural Funds;
The Programmes section of this Guide, which offers simple fact sheets that allow you to learn more, through direct links, about the origins, documentation, reference institutions, calls and results of all EU, national and regional programmes;
The European Commission’s Funding & Tenders portal, which brings together information on calls for proposals, reference documents and the results of EU programmes;
The Open Cohesion portal, which brings together pages relating to calls for proposals, themes, regions and the results of programmes funded by the Structural Funds;
The pages of the Managing Authorities of the programmes (Directorates-General or reference Agencies for EU programmes; Regional Directorates, Agencies or Ministries for the Structural Funds);
Materials or information made available by national contact points of the various European programmes, by branches or by thematic networks (see below).
To avoid missing out on important opportunities, it is advisable to keep up to date with all these platforms, at least with regard to the sectors and programmes of greatest interest.
To be truly prepared, you need to systematically “target” the most interesting Community programmes for your field of activity. Knowing them in depth allows you to know which types of calls and projects need to be monitored more closely.
It is particularly important to consult the annual or multi-annual work plans of the European programmes, which are available on the websites of the relevant authorities and in a specific section of the Funding&Tenders portal. The indicative dates for the publication of calls for proposals are listed here. Many programmes have large annual “calls” that contain the various deadlines relating (for example) to the different “windows” for submitting projects or to the different lines of intervention of the programme. We recommend looking for and using these workplans, when available, in order to start the project preparation work even before the call is published.
2. Knowing the sector: approaches, projects and experiences.
Secondly, but no less importantly, the search for information has a thematicpurpose, linked to the need to submit a proposal that is as timely and up-to-date as possible, that responds to perceived problems, contains elements of innovation and is well-informed with respect to other experiences, whether ongoing or past. In this area, the possible sources of information are as wide-ranging as the specific sectors in which one is working and in which a project can be carried out. Below, we offer a selection of sources of updates of a more general and cross-cutting nature, potentially useful for multiple sectors, programmes and areas of intervention.
First of all, we would like to remind you of the in-depth research tools offered by our Guide:
ProjectsFinder, an interactive map for discovering European projects and who is carrying them out, in your area and throughout Europe, a tool to make it easier to understand “what’s going on” in your field of activity in the world of European projects;
The regular publication of update articles, summarised in a monthly Newsletter;
A Guides and Tools section, which offers other sources of information and further details.
Among the offerings in our Guides and Tools section, we would like to highlight in particular:
Some guides on “how” to carry out a project, such as the European Commission’s OpenPM2 Guide and a “Do It by Yourself” tool guide, with other interesting ideas and methods;
Some important official guides to learn more about the opportunities that exist in certain specific sectors, such as the guides for social entrepreneurship, fortourism, for culture and for therural sector;
Some more general guides, such as the European Commission’s funding search page (with search by type, programme and topic) and the EPRS Guide (European Parliament Research Service);
A platform dedicated to the development cooperation sector, called Capacity4Dev, which contains analyses and thematic groups, articles, contacts and useful ideas in many areas.
We would also like to remind you that some European programmes also have specific guides, accessible via the Funding & Tenders portal or via the websites of the respective managing authorities, agencies and national contact points. In the same way, European umbrella organisations and their partners are, in all cases, a valuable source of inspiration and information.
Finally, you can keep up to date by actively participating in (or streaming) the most important events dedicated to your sector. We have dedicated an article to this form of in-depth research. Here are the main points:
The “European weeks” and “European days” are excellent opportunities for updating and exchange between the stakeholders involved in a specific sector: Digital, Youth, Environment, Development, Regions and Cities, Sport, Mobility, Industry, Data… just to name a few;
As part of the European programmes, Infodays are organised at the European and national level to present opportunities and news to potential beneficiaries, normally when new work programmes and new calls are launched;
The European Commission has a dedicated page events with workshops and webinars organised every day and a streaming service for direct access to the related video materials. The executive agencies, national agencies, institutions and main European programmes also have their own YouTube channels through which other materials can be accessed.
3. Getting to know the stakeholders: partners and support networks.
Thirdly, the preparatory work for approaching a European project has an important relational component. European projects require partnerships capable of bringing out the best ideas and bringing together the capacities to implement them; and there are various organisations and support networks to bring European projects closer to their potential beneficiaries.
Relationships with partners and networks are an indispensable ingredient for building successful European projects and allow you to learn about news and opportunities in your field. We have therefore dedicated several specific articles to this topic. Here are the main points.
With regard to the search for partners:
We have created a dedicated platform, ProjectsFinder, which offers an interactive map for identifying partner and coordinating organisations of European projects in all areas of Europe, with the possibility of filtering by area, period, programme and budget, searching for projects and organisations by keyword and consulting completed projects in parallel;
Within the Funding & Tenders portal (mentioned above), there is a single system for searching for partners and a single system for searching for projects carried out under the various European programmes. The databases of completed projects are in fact both a source of updates on what has already been achieved and a source of potential partners for topics and programmes of interest;
Other important aspects concerning partnership management are described in a dedicated chapter.
With regard to support structures, we recommend:
Find out about and learn about the specific support initiatives in your area, including those organised by the Guide’s partners;
Referring tonational agencies and contact points, which have the specific purpose of bringing national beneficiaries closer to the opportunities offered by European programmes;
Contact and join umbrella organisations active at the European level in many sectors, which are useful for learning about opportunities, good practices and developments in your field, establishing a constructive dialogue with the European institutions and meeting new partners throughout Europe;
Consider direct contact with the Agencies, the Directorates-General and Commission officials, but only in specific and justified cases, giving priority to the various contact points already in place in your area, in Italy or in your field. For this purpose, there is a search system for the contact details of the various institutions and an electronic directory of all the EU institutions and their officials;
Start your experience in European projects in partnership with organisations that have already worked successfully in this field and are willing to take on the role of lead partner. Also consider the involvement of consultants with experience in European projects (whose role must be well integrated with that of the organisation) and strengthening your staff through dedicated courses and specialisation programmes.
Choosing the call
The first criterion for choosing the call is the thematic and substantive correspondence between the project’s objectives and the call’s objectives. As already explained, each European call aims to respond to policy priorities defined by those who fund and manage it. Each project proposal must make a convincing contribution to these priorities.
Before monitoring the calls, it is therefore advisable to clearly define the objective and the general intervention logic of your project. This does not preclude the possibility of adapting the project idea to a specific call, but avoids the association of a call with the project idea being excessively complex or suboptimal. In fact, there is a wide variety of calls published, and each call is different in terms of eligibility criteria and the type of actions that can be funded. We have a dedicated article on this topic.
In addition, the degree of complexity of the calls for proposals also varies depending on the type of programme and the type of intervention chosen. There is a difference between calls funded by the Structural Funds and those funded by European programmes, as illustrated below. But even within European programmes, there is a different degree of elaboration and complexity between programmes whose mission is innovation and the advancement of Europe in “frontier” sectors, or on the great challenges of today’s world (e.g. Horizon Europe), and programmes whose mission is the involvement of citizens or the implementation of projects for young people (e.g. Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps). Not to mention the support of national contact points, which, in all cases, have the objective of bringing European projects closer to citizens, as illustrated above. We have also dedicated an article related to the topic of the “feasibility” of a project for less structured organisations.
The second criterion for choosing the call is the territoriality of the project idea: the project can acquire greater substance and impact if implemented at the European level (involving stakeholders in other countries) or at the local level.
Whereas territorial cooperation programmes and calls funded by the Structural Funds apply by definition to a specific territory, directly managed EU programmes are more focused on a specific theme (environment, health, citizenship, etc.). Furthermore, calls funded by the Structural Funds focus on the implementation of useful and effective actions for the relevant territory, while calls funded by European programmes normally require interventions that can make a contribution to several countries and territories in Europe, with more stringent characteristics in terms of innovation, replicability, “European added value” and scalability.
This first consideration makes it possible to define, as a first step, which of the major types of European projects the project idea can relate to: Structural Funds, territorial cooperation programmes or EU programmes.
In order to obtain greater funding opportunities, the proposal must be structured according to the requirements of the call, otherwise it will be deemed irrelevant or unsuitable to meet the requirements of the funding body. What is required by the call (in terms of priorities and actions, but also of eligibility, territoriality and other formal criteria) must therefore be carefully analysed and critically compared with your project idea.
A third distinction, which is very important, is provided by the eligibility criteria, which may concern various aspects:
the type of organisations that can be financed (for example, calls for proposals may or may not be open to “profit” entities, public bodies or different forms of association or enterprise),
the eligible territories (see above),
the types of eligible actions (for example, actions relating to training, dissemination and distribution, exchange of good practices, research, creation of platforms, development of prototypes, etc. may or may not be eligible),
the types of eligible costs (for example, the reimbursement of staff costs, administrative costs, travel costs, costs for equipment, materials, external services, etc. may or may not be eligible), as well as the maximum funding threshold that can be granted (expressed both in absolute value and as a percentage) of the total project costs;
formal criteria of various kinds, such as the size and geographical coverage of the partnership, the capacity and level of previous experience on technical issues, the organisational and staffing capacities of the applicant organisations, financial stability and the absence of exclusion situations (bankruptcy, fraud, judicial and administrative proceedings, tax and social security irregularities, etc.).
When choosing a call for proposals, it is therefore necessary to verify that these criteria are compatible with the nature of the organisation, the partnership and the type of project to be implemented. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria may result in the immediate rejection of the proposal.
A specific aspect of the eligibility criteria, as well as a , concerns the resources required for the project. The benefits of the project must be commensurate with the resources to be made available, the time dedicated and the expected workload. In fact, the preparation, and then the implementation of the project itself, is an activity that requires time and personnel resources to be dedicated to the technical and substantive aspects of the activity, and to the aspects of project management, reporting, coordination with partners, management of the administrative part and reporting.
In addition, almost all calls for proposals include a co-financing requirement: the EU grant is conditional on some form of investment by the applicants, with a percentage that varies depending on the call for proposals and the type of project. Part of the co-financing can normally be covered directly by the project partners through the use of internal staff (man-hours) or by external resources and contributions. European projects prohibit forms of double funding and the realisation of profits or surpluses through the funding received.
These aspects are discussed in more detail in a specific chapter dedicated to reporting.
Finally, a fifth criterion is the time dimension, which must be considered before, during and at the end of project implementation. “Taking the calendar into account” is necessary to ensure that you have the time needed to prepare a complete project proposal, also considering the time to proofread and correct the entire project before submitting the proposal. The deadline is therefore one of the first aspects of a call to which attention should be paid.
The duration of the project must also be carefully considered, as the required implementation time and the order in which the activities are carried out are important evaluation factors and must be consistent with the requirements of the call.
The analysis of the time dimension of a project is typically done through a “time schedule” or “Gantt chart” (example below).
Gantt Chart
The main elements of a call and a proposal
The preparation of a project begins with an extremely careful reading of the call.
When analysing a call, it is important to focus on certain formal elements that may be decisive in assessing possible participation:
The eligibility criteria and the time available for submitting the project (material aspects that can lead to very rapid exclusion from participation in a project for reasons of force majeure);
The available budget and the maximum grant that can be awarded (which together define the indicative maximum number of projects that can be funded, and therefore the level of “competition” generated by the call).
Next, as already explained, all the substantive aspects must be considered, such as the alignment between the objectives, the eligible actions, the beneficiaries and the type of activities planned for your project; the evaluation criteria and the forms to be used.
The elements of a call and a project proposal follow a similar general structure, although they vary according to the type of project.
The following text outlines (in a concise and non-exhaustive manner) the most typical contents of a call and a project proposal.
Structural Funds: main sections and contents of a call.
Call: information on the Contracting Authority, the subject of the project and the reference amount; information of a legal, economic, financial and technical nature (deposits and guarantees required, payment methods, legal forms permitted in the case of consortia, economic and financial capacity requirements, technical capacity requirements); award criteria, deadlines and time frames.
Decree: issued by the Managing Authority, it expresses the official approval for the publication of the public call.
Preliminary document: indication of the regional, national and European reference documentation.
Guidelines: these cover all the points expressed in the call and present some supplementary rules: methods of participation, award procedures, deadlines and methods for submitting bids (normally divided into administrative documentation, technical documentation and economic bid).
Specifications: technical document that illustrates the specifications required for the implementation of the project: description of the aims and expected results, characteristics of the activities required, methods of execution, presentation of the working group. The specifications and the terms of reference are often presented together.
Structural Funds: main sections and contents of a proposal.
Application to participate: document in which the applicant presents their personal details and formally requests to be admitted to the call.
Administrative documentation: documentation relating to the submission of self-declarations (pursuant to Italian Presidential Decree 445/2000), financial statements, and documents on technical and economic capacity.
Technical documentation: submission of the project in compliance with what is specified in the technical specifications, including the annexes (for example, the CVs of the participants in the working group).
Financial documentation: financial offer indicating the fee requested for the implementation of all activities, formulated taking into account all the elements described in the technical offer, the details requested and the maximum amounts / shares of funding.
EU programmes: main sections and contents of a call.
Guidelines for grant applicants, i.e. the call itself. Includes information:
Background (strategic foundations and needs that the call intends to address),
On the objectives (to be included in your project),
On the available budget (total, maximum and minimum for each project and funding shares),
On the timing (for the submission of the proposal and for the subsequent steps), On the eligibility criteria (of applicants, actions and types of cost),
On the methods of participation (portals, selection process, forms and other information).Some calls are actually “clusters of calls” that include specific objectives, budgets and criteria for each of the individual calls themselves.
Among the main annexes normally associated with each call, we would like to highlight in particular:
The application form (template for submitting the project);
The evaluation grid (criteria and scores on the basis of which the proposal will be evaluated; these generally include an evaluation of the capabilities of the consortium and the team, the relevance of the action with respect to the objectives and needs expressed in the call, the consistency and soundness of the proposal, the approach identified, its feasibility, its potential impact and sustainability, and its effectiveness with respect to the resources used);
Other annexes and templates (e.g. budget, logical framework and grant agreement; administrative and procedural checklists; documents to be attached; etc.).
EU programmes: main sections and contents of a proposal.
Application form: this is the most “substantial” part of a project proposal. It may include a short Concept Note, which in some cases is evaluated to pre-select projects before the actual proposal is submitted. The Application Form must indicate the formal identification details of the participants in the consortium and their associates, the technical details (i.e.: the project description, the approach, the action plan, the project team, in some cases the logical framework and other aspects);
Supporting documents: it may be necessary to attach supporting documents to the Application form (or upload them to the project submission platform) to confirm the eligibility of the partners with respect to the exclusion criteria and the criteria relating to their technical and financial capacity;
Budget: the project budget is normally a spreadsheet divided into various sections and cost lines: human resources, travel, equipment and materials, office costs, other types of specific costs, contingency reserve, taxes and charges, voluntary work and contributions “in kind”, sources of co-financing. You may be required to include quantities, unit costs and an explanation and justification of the costs presented in the budget. The nature of the budget may also change depending on the reporting methods required by the project (see dedicated section). Costs and co-financing (and the related types and percentages) must be in line with the constraints indicated in the call.
