HOW TO

GET MONEY
FROM
THE EU
IN
4STEPS
Tomas Pavlik

15 minutes of reading will save you a lot of time and money.

This e-book introduces you to the following topics:

• How to formulate your type of activity for a project

• How to find the right call for your activity
• How to build a Project Consortium
• How to write a project correctly and get funding
 Contents

3 | 1. STEP: Project Goals

7 | 2. STEP: Call for Proposal

10 | 3. STEP: Project Consortium

16 | 4. STEP: Avoid this when writing

2 Title of the book

 1st step
Project Goals

L
ike everything meaningful, a project must have its goal. In some cases,
projects are so complicated that we miss the basic idea of the project.

So how to properly formulate a goal so that it is clear to the evaluator

and has no room for strangling in this chapter?

We can use the SMART method to help. It is a proven technique that is used not only
in project management but also in business or personal development.

EXAMPLE │Consider the high energy costs of a company you own. You have decided
to do something about this problem and reduce your costs. So you will ask yourself
questions according to the SMART:

Specific
Focus on the final stage of the goal formulation, be very clear and specific.

We already know that we want to reduce energy intensity, but after the initial
analysis, we found that the problem is in outdated lighting. We already know that the
goal is to focus on “Reducing the energy costs of the office building by upgrading to
LED bulbs“.

3 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

You can see in the aim is added detailed information about how exactly we want to
achieve the reducing of the costs. Do not forget about this when formulating the
main goal of the project.

Measurable

We have a goal, but how do we find out that we have achieved it?
How do we determine if modernization is worth more than the original solution?

The project must be able to “measure” in some way, to quantify.

For example, in our case, we will set the following:

• Within 30 days, I will analyze the operation costs of the current solution;
• within 60 days I will analyze the operation costs of the upgraded solution;
• within 90 days I will evaluate the profitability of the intended solution …
Try to measure your goals in many different ways to avoid further problems.

4 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

 Achievable

In this step, it is necessary to evaluate the achievability and feasibility of the goal.
Consider factors such as financial and time constraints.

Isn’t the achievement of the goal rather counterproductive?

Are there any suitable alternatives?
One of the obstacles in our case study may be a high initial investment.
Do we have these funds at our disposal?

If not, the option is a loan from the bank but you need to take into account the return
on investment.
Another option is to find a call from public grants. Today, there are many public
funds that support this kind of activity. Whether we are talking about local funds at
the national level or the European grants (to get started, see the last page).

Relevant

Here you have to evaluate whether the achievement of the goal will really solve
your problem and whether the achievement of the goal is realistic.

It is clear that if we replace 100W bulbs with 11W LED we will have lower operating
costs. However, it is not necessary to forget the aspect of the initial investment, or
the costs occurred due to temporarily shutting down the site/ office.
Will it still be profitable for me? If so, then perfect, just consider the last point…

5 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

 Timed

Not for nothing, it is said that time is money. The basic definition of the project is that
it must be time-bound. Determine the schedule of tasks to achieve the overall goal.
Evaluate whether achieving the goal is time-consuming.

Milestones are used to check and make sure everything is fine. Milestones achieve
significant points in the course of the project and such milestone can be, for example,
“concluding a contract to supply LED bulbs”. Place these milestones in a timeline so
you can evaluate the progress during the implementation.

6 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

 2nd step
Call for Proposal

I There are only

bet you know such a situation. Your
colleague or boss is enthusiastically
forwarding you a link to a just-
4 things you have
published call for proposal, or to look at every call
somehow, by the way, you found for proposal to make
great looking call somewhere on
a decision.
the internet.

But how to remain effective, do not waste time analyzing the call that is not
relevant and quickly orientates yourself in the matter? It will definitely help you if you
first consider these 4 criteria when opening each new call.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA │Is this call for me?

The most important point. If the call is not meant for you, then there is no need to
continue. Usually, you can find this section titled as “Eligible applicants” or Eligibility
criteria“.
Some calls are targeted exclusively at entrepreneurs, some only for research
institutions or universities. Sometimes it is even stricter and the eligible applicant
must meet other criteria, eg. SME with business area in renewable energy sources.

7 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

However, there are also calls that are more accessible to almost every type of
organization (NGO, MSP, University, Research and so on). Check all the rules relating
to eligibility thoroughly.

ACTIVITY OR TOPIC│Am I able to do it?

Each call for proposal was issued due to a specific reason. You will need to find
the Objective or the Priority Axis of the call. You need to assess whether the activity
you want to implement within the project is aligned with the call requirements.

If the strategic objective is built on the level of increasing the competitiveness in Raw
Materials and the call contains no further limiting criteria, it includes a relatively wide
range of activities.

However, if the call defines a further area, such as increased competitiveness through
the development of new methods of mineral processing, then the number of potential
applicants will be significantly reduced.

But creativity has no limits. There is always a certain degree of flexibility in adjusting
activities to match the call rules. You would only have to think a little and choose
the correct formulation of objectives.

8 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

DEADLINE│Can I do it on time?

Well, the most complicated stage is after you. Now you have to consider whether
you have enough time to manage the project proposal.
You can meet either an open call (generally, even if the calls are open, it’s good to
submit the project as soon as possible) or a call with a deadline.

Note the exact date and exact time

of submission, some of them also
have a time limit (e.g. February 15
at 12:00 CET).

And of course, do not leave it at the

last minute to avoid technical
complications or anything : )

BUDGET│Is it enough for my purpose?

This is mainly concerning low-cost calls like 5 000 or 10 000 euros for the project
(this is not a common case, but it can happen). In this case, it would be really difficult
to deliver new technology for instance.
You should have the budget estimation in your mind and consider, whether the
possibly approved budget could be sufficient. There is always an option to divide
the overall aim into several smaller projects, depending on the budget needed.

9 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

 3rd step
Project Consortium

W
hen you are beginning, it is quite
difficult to get on board of a strong The success
project consortium. of your project
Be prepared that the others are making activity depends on
secrets around the project proposal. They plan
the quality of your
consortium!
and do not talk about project plans. They don’t
want to let anyone else in between.

10 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

When we started this business, it happened that we were not able to catch anything
in the discussions with our university partner, although we had mutual cooperation.
They argued that they currently have nothing in progress. A few weeks later, in
another project we managed to get, we found by coincidence this partner in the
consortium. And this was not the only one!

You’ll have to show them you could be useful. In this chapter, I will tell you through
6 key tips on how to reach your project consortium even if you don’t have any
experience.

NETWORKING│You need to attend the key events?

It depends on your professional focus, which events you should look for. You have to
define what is your field – it is ICT or Smart Industry 4.0? Then you track the events
of EIT Digital, for instance. If you are more involved in cultural heritage, then a better
choice for you could be some of the Interreg programmes. You can start searching for
the right event in my other blog post where I describe thematic grants. These
grants are running under an appropriate platform and all of them is providing regular
events.

I have to emphasize that in the beginning, you’ll have to invest some money and
time to become known in your professional circles. Later on, it will only be enough to
keep these contacts with occasional personal meetings. Be sure that later on, people
will ask by themselves whether you’d like to participate in their projects. That’s a true
story based on our case!

11 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

DISCUSSION│How to start a discussion on the event?

It’s really hard to start a conversation in a room full of people you see for the first
time. It’s very handy to have prepared some attractive (visual) materials about your
organization and activities you are able to deliver.

Coffee breaks – a very important part of each thematic event 🙂 You should mark
all the coffee-breaks on the agenda because this is the right time to start a valuable
discussion.

It doesn’t make sense to start with a general conversation – it usually doesn’t lead to
anything and the other side will forget you as soon as you turn around.

Be as specific as you can, try to highlight your strong abilities but on the other hand –
try to listen to the needs of the other party and offer a concrete solution. Make sure
you will find the win-win situation for both. That’s the golden rule of each negotiating.
The other party must feel that you can help them with something important to them.

To develop your negotiation skill see my blog

Key rules for effective project meeting negotiations.

12 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

BE INFORMED│Find out the information in advance

Information creates a prerequisite for a successful negotiation. You can contact

the organizers and ask them for the contacts, who already confirmed the
participation. Try to find anything possible about the participants from available
resources (Google, LinkedIn, their websites).

On their websites, you could search for references in H2020 or other international
projects. If you’ll find the match in the joint activities, prepare something specific to
offer them. Be targeted, go to the event purposefully, for specific meetings, not
just blindly.

SUCCESS│Note who is successful

There are organizations that have an enormously high success in the number of
approved projects. The reasons are different, from strong background and tradition,
rich experiences, very good reputation in the industry to strong contacts in the right
places and lobbying. Based on their successful past it is very presumed they will be
also in the future.

Your role is to identify successful entities and address them at every possible
opportunity. Another relevant open access source is the Partner Search under the
Funding & tender portal. Insert the name of a given organization and you’ll see the
number of projects funded.

13 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

YOUR ROLE│You have to start with less important roles

Before the community accepts you, you have to prove successful management of
less important or less advantageous tasks in the project. For example, we have
been working on tasks that have been financially undersized, some have not even
counted personnel costs at all.

You should hold on this inconvenient period and if you do everything right, it should
not last longer than 1-2 years. Keep in mind the strategic goals. You will see will be
worth it.

STAY IN TOUCH│Keep in touch and remind yourself

It is very important to stay in touch with the same community of people. If they
meet you at a workshop in Berlin and a month later at a conference in Brussels, they
will start to get familiar with you, they will accept you, and even come to you and ask
what you have new, possibly offer you project participation.

This principle also applies to e-mail or online communication. Remember, it

comes out of sight, it comes out of mind. You never know who’s preparing a future
mega project and remembering you just because you talked to him recently.

14 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

My personal advice is, to be active on LinkedIn. I can find opportunities there on a
daily basis, people write to me and making me offers. They even invite me to their
projects or for speaking.

If you need me to introduce you to my connections, write me a message on LinkedIn

and I’ll see what I can. Very good are dedicated LinkedIn groups, where you can share
your query or offer and make valuable connections. This is one of the reasons why I
founded the European Funding Grants (available on LinkedIn and Facebook).

15 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

 4 step
th

Avoid this when writing

C
ertainly, you have already grumbled (in the worst case, you get mad) when
you learned that your project, which you worked so hard for several months,
was not approved.

You feel injustice and are looking for conspiracy theories to confirm that your
project was the best. But it really is to blame today’s corrupt world, or it could be
otherwise, and I can do something about it?

I have asked Arthur Tolsma, an expert evaluator at the European Commission,

who has done projects since 2014 on innovation and incubation proposals.

16 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

I asked Arthur how he saw it when he looked at the submitted projects from the
opposite side when he had a difficult task and had to really responsibly evaluate
which projects to recommend for funding, or in the case of several very good
projects, decide which one should be preferred and why.

What are the most common mistakes for which the project is
not approved?

“The most common mistake is that a project plan does not answer to all the criteria stated
by the EC. If you apply, carefully read the criteria and goals in detail and make sure that
your plan answers all of them. I have seen good ideas from good people in plans, but they
didn’t address the criteria well enough.”

What are your recommendations for applicants to avoid

evaluation troubles?

“I would advise everyone to focus only on grants and projects where you really are a
match. If you see a grant that has 80% or less match with your plans, don’t go for it. You
will not really meet the criteria, and the experienced evaluators will read that. Don’t waste
your time on that, because you will get rejected.

Of course, you can change your plans so it matches the project, even though it might not fit
your expertise or planning. If you are lucky enough to be granted the proposal, that could
result into problems during the (evaluation of the) project. If you promise things you cannot
deliver, there will be trouble in the end. So search for the right grants and projects, and I
would advise to only go for opportunities with more than 90% match with your plans.”

17 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

Do you remember any outstanding or ridiculous situation when
evaluating?

“I have read proposals that were clearly written by a grant company, which is not per
definition a problem but this company didn’t really understand the solution of the problem.
Their strange formulations frowned a few eyebrows…
Advice from a company that writes grants is helpful, but understand that you always have
to write with them: they don’t do the work.”

So let’s have a recap. What comes out of this?

• You should make yourself a checklist containing all the key criteria,
required in the call for proposal. While writing the proposal, check it
continuously and make sure that you have described everything needed in
the text.
• Stay effective and don’t apply if you are not 100% sure about the focus/
topic/ area/ objectives of the call. Rather invest the time saved in the
preparation of other, more appropriate project.
• If you are dealing with a consulting agency, please, be ready to help
them at least in technical questions and find the time to make a
professional correction of the project proposal. Although the project
manager is a smart person, he cannot really understand every area in this
world and need your assistance.
• Only promise in the project what you can do. In the EC, they are very
happy if they see values above the planned measurable indicators, but
when the opposite happens, you have good trouble.

18 How to get money from EU in 4 steps

 And... what now?
Now you have two options:
1. either you want develop your own project, or
2. you want to start by joining another project

For the first option you have to catch the right call for proposal and start
working. You can start here:
• How to simple monitor the calls for proposal
• Find your H2020 funding using EIC wizard

For the second option, you just have to attend targeted events. Try to start with
the brokerage events where others shares their project ideas and looking for
project partners.

Be sure to join my European Funding Grants and YourProjectManager

Facebook pages, where I regularly share the calls and opportunities.

Thank you for downloading!

I am your virtual project manager through
blog posts and other e-stuff. Whether you
found this e-book helpful or not, I’d be happy
to get your feedback to make it better next
time! Thank you! More about me here.

Good luck! Tomas Pavlik

©2019