Funding opportunities are provided by the European Union, for a wide range of different projects and programmes that are able to cover multiple areas. Some of them are:
- Regional and Urban Development
- Employment and Social Inclusion
- Agriculture and Rural Development
Through EU projects, your organization will have the opportunity to evolve in different sectors. However, all of those sectors or at least most of them, need to be connected with your expertise, to a certain level. Applying for a call that is not in any way connected to what you can do will most likely result in you not getting chosen by the possible partners.
The EUcalls platform gives you the opportunity to see and apply to the calls that are closest to your expertise and the goals you are setting for your organization. As a premium user, you have access to our innovative Funding Targets feature.
Let us explore this feature together and show you why it can be the most valuable tool for you.
What is the ‘’Funding Targets’’ feature?
‘’Funding Targets’’ is the feature that gives you the opportunity to set short-term targets for funding opportunities, based on the needs and the preferences of your organization for the foreseeable future. Based on the targets you are going to set, through your profile, we will be able to provide you with all the potential options regarding the appropriate calls for you.
Funding Target Categories: What do you need to fund?
While using the feature, you will find six (6) major categories that will help you set the base for your Funding Targets. These categories will, basically, help you determine exactly what it is that you want to fund. Here are the six (6) categories:
- Equipment
- Premises
- Staff
- Products and Services
- Collaborations
- Training
Depending on the types of calls you are most interested in and, of course, your own expertise, you will start by selecting one of the options above.
How much funding do you need?
An important question that most organizations struggle with. How much funding do you need? Based on the amount of money you wish to receive, in order for you to implement your future projects, you will need to apply to the calls under the appropriate programmes.
For example, if you are looking to get the highest budget possible, then you will want to set a budget over 500.000€ which will evidently lead you to some of Europe’s biggest financial frameworks such as Horizon 2020. Keep in mind that, the bigger the budget, the more difficult it will be to get approval for it.
If however, and based on your expertise, you are interested in the Erasmus+ programme, that means that you are going to be setting the budget, to a lower scale. Eucalls gives you three different options:
- Up to 50.000€
- 50.000-500.000€
- Over 500.000€
When choosing your budget always choose based on programmes that you know you are eligible for. Otherwise, the calls suggested to you will not reflect the right opportunities for your organization. Remember that the budget you are aiming for is the total budget of the project meaning that you will need to calculate your own budget based on the number of partners you are going to have. This is why it is a good ideal to know your consortium first. If you apply for a budget of 50.000€ and you consortium is more than three partners then you will most likely not have enough to implement the project, without putting your own money to it!
Types of funding
When you are applying for funding under an EU programme you should know that there are five (5) specific types of funding that you can apply for. These funding types are:
- Grants: The EU awards grants to organisations and, occasionally, individuals, to help them carry out projects that further its policies. Grants are awarded in many different fields, from research to education to humanitarian aid.
- Loans, guarantees and equity: The EU provides loans, guarantees and equity as forms of financial assistance to support its policies and programmes. For example, the EU provides loans to businesses of all types for investment in research and innovation. It also provides guarantees to help beneficiaries to obtain loans more easily or at better conditions from banks and other lenders. The EU may also financially participate in a project by owning parts of it.
- Subsidies: Subsidies are managed directly by EU national governments, not by the European Commission. For instance, agricultural subsidies are awarded to support farmers.
- Prizes: Prizes are rewards to winners of contests from Horizon 2020. The winner of a contest will receive cash, publicity coverage or promotion as a reward.
- Public Contracts: The Commission uses public contracts to buy services, works and goods from the market for its internal use. They are selected via calls for tenders and not considered a form of EU funding.
Funding Sectors
With the funding you are applying for, you are aiming to fund some specific activities. These activities always fall under one or more sectors. When you are setting your Funding Targets in your EUcalls profile, we will provide you with all the possible sectors that could fund your potential activities. By choosing the right sectors, you will specify your search even more, thus gaining access to all the right calls.
Here are some of the sectors that you will be asked to choose from:
- Culture
- Energy
- Education and Training
- Entrepreneurship
- Health
- Innovation
- Regional Development
- SME’s
- Space
- Youth
As it is with the rest of the steps to set your Funding Targets, you can choose the sectors based on your expertise as well as the goals you are setting for the future of your organization. Some of those goals may include new investments, trends, diving into R&D actions, so make sure to devote enough time to choose the right sectors for your organization.
The Funding Targets feature allows you to set three (3) targets per category. These targets and their details can change at any given moment, meaning that if you decide to explore more possibilities, you can always do it with EUcalls.
The more time you devote to complete your profile and choose your Funding Targets, the more likely you are to find calls that will suit your preferences and successfully apply for funding. Remember that the right Funding Targets will make it even easier for us to suggest the best calls as well as the best potential partners for you! Go Premium today. Complete your profile and make your experience with the EUcalls platform better!
