EU Funding Opportunities: What Do You Need to Know?
For this month's OKC Insights piece, we are delighted to share the following article from European funding consultant and friend of OKC, Dr. Ken Germaine.
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Apparently, nobody likes writing EU-grant applications, or so I am told (or unless you are strange like me). I set up my own business in order to get more people involved in grant funding. So, what do you need to know to get more comfortable about making grant, especially EU grant, applications?
1. EU grants fit into 3 broad categories from my perspective:
Entry-level grants (ERASMUS+, JUSTICE, European Solidarity Corps, CERV etc): grants of around €150,000 per year split between partners with a 1–3-year project. Most require something like a minimum of 3 partners from 3 eligible countries. These may look like long applications but are relatively easy to write up, they just need time.
Larger-scale grants (INTERREG, LIFE, HORIZON): these are multi-million-euro projects with total budgets of anything from €1.5 to €10 million over a 2–5-year project. These are more complicated applications and focus more on very detailed work-plan templates. These also require the partners to put up 40% of the total budget with EU funding 60% (depending on the call).
Framework grants: these are open purely to public bodies/government agencies.
2. There are a few things you need to consider when thinking about making a grant application:
Risk and Reward: these are open, very competitive competitions. Maybe as few as 15% of fully completed applications may get funding. This percentage may be higher for the entry-level programmes but for larger and framework programmes, this is realistic. EU funding is a percentage game, you may be involved in several applications before being successful. However, when you succeed, you get great benefits.
Be strategic: I tell this to all my clients. Only apply for funding to do things that are strategically important to your organisation and which you need to do anyway. Never chase funding.
Impact is important: The larger the budget, the bigger the impact. Entry-level programmes can help develop a training programme or deal with a specific issue. Larger-scale grants allow you to address real issues. I have been involved in writing and delivering pilot programmes for ethnic-minority entrepreneurship in Ireland (EMERGE) and the pilot programme for social entrepreneurship in east Ireland and Wales (WINSENT). Both programmes made a significant impact when needed. Going back to the previous point, both programmes addressed a real, identified need at the time and were related to work that we would have had to do in any case.
There is no such thing as a free application: If you do not use an external grant writer then you will lose a member of staff for anything between 4-8 weeks as they gather, write and submit a funding application, especially if you are the lead partner. That staff member will not be available to do other things. Grant applications are labour intensive endeavours so you either pay through the lose of a staff resource or pay an external contractor and keep the staff resources flexibility. However, a grant writer will need a contact person to provide information from within the organisation.
Understand the agenda: Grant calls are designed to meet a specific EU strategic agenda. LIFE for example is about the Green Agenda, biodiversity, circular economy and energy transition. Each call within the programme has a very specific political agenda and every grant call meets a specific policy agenda. Knowing the agenda makes it possible to craft a better application. Each application must be crafted both to meet your and your partner needs, as well as, the relevant EU agenda addressed within the call. It is not just about what you want to do.
Use the supports available. There are many information contact-points that can give you support but do not write grant applications:
For Nonprofit organisations. talk to Access Europe, an information contact point run by the Wheel and funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Email europe@wheel.ie for more information.
Creative Europe Desk for the creative sectors is an EU funded contact point in the Arts Council. Visit Creative Europe Desk Ireland for more information on this programme.
LIFE programme contact point is in the Department of the Environment. Email LIFE@decc.gov.ie for more information.
INTERREG is a large programme aimed at inter-regional cooperation. It covers a wide range of topics including innovation, environment and social issues. More information from Southern Regional Assembly.
ERASMUS+ and the European Solidarity Corp is managed through Leargas. Find more information here.
HORIZON EUROPE is research and innovation. There are multiple contact points depending on the area of research. Start here to find the relevant contact point.
These are contact points for information or to talk about a specific funding call. If you want to find a grant-writing consultant then you will have to use your networks. Obviously, this is my business and you can find out more about us here or email ken@fundingmaster.eu for more information. There are other contractors available, but there is no real single register you can go to.
3. Finally, I think people should be looking more at EU funding.
Yes, they are involved processes but if you are looking to make a real and significant impact and you can align what you want to do with an EU policy agenda then there are opportunities. This does require an investment and there are no guarantees but if serious, opportunities exist to support making a lasting impact.
About the Author
Dr. Ken Germaine is a self-employed entrepreneur, European funding consultant, business advisor, trainer and mentor. Ken is the founder of Funding Master, which aims to increase the number of organisations accessing EU-funded programmes such as INTERREG, ERASMUS+, LIFE etc. He has been involved in EU-funded projects since 1997; including writing, managing and evaluating projects.
He is a fellow and past President of the Institute of Management Consultants and Advisers (IMCA, Ireland) and was Chief Executive Officer of the BASE Enterprise Centre for nearly 10 years. Since 2010 he has been an independent consultant and undertaken a range of projects including an Interim CEO role and setting up the EU Lab for Dublin City Council.
Academically, Ken holds a B.A. (Hons) in politics and economics, as well as, an M.A. in political science from University College Dublin (UCD) and a PhD from Trinity College Dublin on community-based social enterprises in Ireland within economic geography.
Ken can be contacted at ken@fundingmaster.eu.