About EU Projects Department
The European Union (EU) uses a variety of instruments to support projects of all kinds and forms. It is often relatively difficult for people who are not familiar with this subject to keep an overview of which funding is available or which projects are worthy of funding.
As a scout, the EU Projects Department wants to offer initial guidance so that you can find your way around better and find out whether – and if so – which funding could be possible for specific projects and how this should be applied for.
_________________________
Who is eligible as a partner for EU projects?
In most EU-funded projects, individual organizations from different EU Member States or associated countries work together. This means that you apply for funding for a project as a kind of consortium.
In principle, any company, organization or non-governmental organization, regardless of its location, can be a partner as long as it is able to carry out the tasks specified in the project or project proposal.
However, proof must be provided that the operational and financial capacity to carry out the proposed project is fundamentally given.
What is getting funded?
Within the framework of the current, multi-annual financial framework 2021-2027 of the EU and the program NextGenerationEU, the possible financing options are divided according to category, cluster and program or fund (most programs with shared management of funds are referred to as ‘funds’). In order to give you a first, rough overview, we will list the categories below that seem to be the most promising for a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME):
Category 1: Internal market, Innovation and Digital
Category 2: Cohesion and Values
Category 3: Natural resources and Environment
Category 6: Neighborhood and World.
_________________________
Forms of funding
There are different forms of funding, such as: grants, financing instruments (loans, guarantees and equity investments) and subsidies.
Calls for grants and calls for tenders
While calls for grants (or better, “calls for proposals for grants”) are the most common European form of funding, another significant interaction with enterprises carried out through projects is represented by calls for tenders. In this last case, the Commission, its agencies, and member states’ public bodies aim to purchase goods, services or works in exchange for payment of an agreed price.
In a nutshell:
- EU calls for grants are opportunities in whose context the European Commission selects organisations to implement projects financed by the EU. Projects typically focus on specific programs related to EU policy purposes.
- EU and single markets calls for tenders are opportunities in which the European Commission, member states, public entities or their agencies aim to purchase goods, services or works from companies.
The EU Projects Department offers a tailored and cutting-edge solutions portfolio to support members that aim to expand in other markets or to develop their business by benefiting from EU opportunities such as calls for grants and calls for tenders.
The EU Projects Department supports members along the entire project lifecycle, from the first steps of opportunities selection and presentation to the proposal submission, including project execution’s specialised services.