EU grants acquisition

Obtaining an EU grant for an R&D project consists of preparing and submitting an application for funding to the relevant intermediate institution (PARP, NCBR or EISMEA/EIC), and then obtaining a positive decision and signing the funding agreement. The process includes: (1) selecting the appropriate grant program and verifying project eligibility, (2) defining the scope of R&D works with division into TRL levels, schedule and budget, (3) preparing complete application documentation in accordance with the evaluation criteria of the given program, (4) submitting the application in the institution's system and waiting for the results of formal and substantive evaluation, (5) defending the project before the Expert Panel or EIC jury (if the program requires it) and obtaining a funding decision. Funding is non-repayable — the company does not return the received funds provided that the project is correctly implemented and settled in accordance with the agreement.

Grant application documentation for an R&D project consists of several key elements: (1) funding application — application form completed in the institution's IT system (LSI for PARP/NCBR or Funding & Tenders Portal for EIC); (2) R&D project description — state of the art, project goal and its innovativeness, research methodology, description of tasks and milestones, technical risk analysis and description of the result and level of innovativeness on a national or European scale; (3) market analysis — identification of the target market, competitive advantage, commercialization model of R&D results and revenue projections; (4) R&D personnel description — experience and competencies of the research team implementing the project; (5) financial model and project budget — list of eligible costs broken down by category (salaries, subcontracting, equipment, materials, indirect costs) together with sources of own contribution financing. In EIC programs, documentation is supplemented with a pitch deck and video presentation (stage 1) and a business plan and detailed implementation plan (stage 2).

The market success rate for applying to R&D programs is low: in SMART Path the rejection rate exceeds 70% (success rate approx. 10–20% of applications without consulting support), and in EIC programs — over 90% of applications do not receive funding. With the support of a specialized consulting firm, the chances increase significantly even by 40–60%. Key factors influencing the result are: quality of project innovativeness formulation, consistency of R&D works scope with the evaluation criteria of the given program, credibility of the commercialization model and competencies of the research team.

Own contribution depends on the type of work and the size of the enterprise. In SMART Path, for industrial research it is: 20% for micro and small companies (80% funding), 25% for medium-sized (75%) and 35% for large (65%). For development works, the own contribution is higher: 40% for micro and small (60% funding), 50% for medium-sized and 60% for large. In EIC Accelerator, the grant component covers 70% of eligible costs (own contribution 30%). Research institutions in consortia can obtain 100% funding. The own contribution can be financed from the company's own funds, loan, credit or other financial instruments — it does not have to be exclusively cash.

Yes, but only to finance costs that will be incurred after submitting the application. The basic principle of all grant programs is the prohibition of financing works already started before submitting the application (the so-called incentive effect). Costs incurred before this date are non-eligible and cannot be included in the project budget. An exception is certain categories of preparatory costs (e.g. costs of preparing application documentation), which in some programs may be eligible up to the application submission date. Therefore, advance planning of the R&D project and assessment of eligibility before the start of works is crucial.

Innology prepares complete application documentation for competitive grant programs financing R&D&I projects. The service comprises three stages: (1) free assessment of project eligibility and chances of success, (2) development of application strategy and preparation of full application documentation, (3) submission of the application to the intermediate institution (PARP, NCBR or EISMEA) and support at the evaluation stage.

The initial assessment is free and is based on four criteria reflecting the scoring logic applied by evaluating institutions: (1) innovation potential — whether the project result constitutes innovation on at least a national scale or breakthrough technological innovation, (2) market potential — whether there is an identified target market and credible commercialization model, (3) personnel potential — whether the research team has the necessary competencies, (4) technical and financial feasibility — whether the scope, schedule and budget are consistent and possible to implement.

Application documentation includes: a completed application form in the institution's system (LSI, Funding & Tenders Portal), description of the R&D project with state of the art, research methodology, description of tasks and milestones, innovativeness analysis, risk analysis and R&D personnel description, as well as a financial model with revenue projections from commercialization and analysis of sources of own contribution financing.

Application documentation preparation takes from 4 to 8 weeks of intensive cooperation, depending on the complexity of the project and the chosen grant program. After submitting the application, the waiting time for evaluation results is typically 3–6 months for national FENG programs or 4–8 months for EIC programs.

Yes. In programs requiring project defense before an evaluation panel — in particular SMART Path (expert panel) and EIC Accelerator (interview with the jury in Brussels or online) — Innology prepares the client for the presentation, conducts mock interview sessions and advises on argumentation strategy.

The process of obtaining a grant for an R&D project consists of three stages. The first is eligibility assessment — verification whether the project meets the criteria of the chosen program and what real chances it has of obtaining funding. The second is developing the application strategy and preparing complete application documentation: description of R&D works divided into TRL levels, innovativeness analysis, financial model and budget. The third is submitting the application to the intermediate institution (PARP, NCBR or EISMEA) and support at the evaluation stage, including preparation for the Expert Panel or interview with the EIC jury. It is recommended to start with an initial project assessment — this allows the optimal program to be selected and costly errors at the documentation preparation stage to be avoided.

Program selection depends on four parameters: (1) project TRL stage — SMART Path finances works from TRL 2 to TRL 9, EIC Pathfinder from TRL 1 to TRL 4, EIC Accelerator from TRL 5, (2) company size — EIC Accelerator is available only for SMEs and small mid-caps, SMART Path and STEP — for SMEs, large companies and consortia, (3) scale of innovation — national FENG programs require innovation on at least a national scale, EIC programs — breakthrough innovation on a global scale, (4) financing needs — from PLN 1.3 million (SATIM, program 4.1.1 POIR) to PLN 150 million (STEP) or EUR 17.5 million (EIC Accelerator). Innology selects the optimal program at the free initial assessment stage.