Europe in 2022 leads the transformational wave to a greener and more digital future. But to make this change a reality, Europe needs to support EU research and provide funding for innovative research projects.
There are countless available EU funding opportunities to support innovation and research, mainly through the Horizon Europe Programme. Nevertheless, receiving an Horizon EU grant is not easy as competition is high and the applications’ criteria are demanding.
To make your application process more manageable and increase your chances of success, you should know the importance of Horizon Europe partner search and how to optimize it. Having the best possible partners can make a big difference in EU project management, and it can lead your consortium to unparalleled success.
The importance of good partnerships in EU funded projects
To lead your project to success, there are some crucial steps that you need to follow. When it comes to European project management, good partnerships are something that you ought to pay extra attention to.
These partnerships constitute the people or organizations you will be collaborating with day in and day out for a considerable amount of time. Therefore, searching for the right partners for your EU projects helps you get the funding you are after and adds a practical aspect to it.
Why you should not neglect partner search in Horizon Europe
The importance of having good partners is even higher when looking for collaborative projects in Horizon Europe, the 2021-2027 European programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion. Horizon Europe focuses on researchers. Thus, it is relevant to a narrower audience belonging mainly to the scientific community.
The Horizon Europe budget may be high, but Europe’s ambitions and urgency are greater. Getting an EU grant under this innovative programme is not easy. Horizon calls are very competitive, so the success rate of proposals to this programme is low. There is not a definite reason for this, but experience has shown that consortia play an integral in this equation. Therefore, someone should not take their structure and composition lightly.
Don’t rush, but build carefully
Horizon Europe is after innovative ideas giving solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges. However, a great idea is not always enough to guarantee a successful application.
For this reason, if you had an idea that you believe would make a great EU project, it would be advisable not to rush it unless application deadlines are tight. What you should do instead is find a great team of partners first whose expertise matches your idea, have demonstrated experience in EU funding, or that can demonstrate past relevant work.
Being patient and carefully selecting your project partners can significantly enhance your EU funding journey and open the road to a new world of endless possibilities.
Find your Horizon Europe partners on EUcalls
The EUcalls platform, which provides everything a person would need in terms of EU funding, is an amazing example of such a tool. It is comparable to the European Commission's portal, but with enhanced partner search and networking capabilities.
To begin, on EUcalls, you can find an up-to-date database with simplified calls from all EU programs. The opportunity to express your interest under each call is what distinguishes it from the competitors. This function is useful for anyone looking for partners for calls because it makes your interest visible to thousands other users.
Another element that can assist you in your partner search or in locating your next EU funding opportunity is the Idea Pad. Essentially, it allows you to put your research project ideas out there for everyone to see. Sharing your thoughts can make your partner search easier because you will begin to receive replies from EUcalls members who are also interested. Similarly, you can see other people's ideas that can help you uncover exciting financing opportunities or specialists in their fields to collaborate with.
Conclusion
Partnerships in EU funding are even more successful when good partners are involved. That is why make sure that you have gathered the best partners that you can find before submitting your proposal. This will not only improve the success of your application, but it will also ensure a smoother collaboration with your partners. The search for strong partners is even more important in more demanding programs like Horizon Europe.
