Study the call documentation

Choose your topic, and then read carefully the related documents and standard templates that are available on the Topic page.

The Submission System will check some basic admissibility and eligibility requirements, but NOT all of them. It is therefore very important that you carefully read the call conditions. Please note that whenever there is a contradiction between the IT checks in place and the call documentation, the call documentation prevails.

Select your partners for the project

Most calls require several participants in the proposal (see call conditions on the Topic page).

You can use the Portal Partner Search to find partners. Other partner search tools are explained in the Helpdesk & Support Services page.

Plan your project and prepare the Technical Description (Part B)

Planning of the work (work packages, deliverables, milestones)

Look at the call conditions, award criteria and standard application form (Technical Description (Part B)) on the Topic page.

For most types of action the Technical Description must give a detailed description of the project idea and work plan (work packages, milestones and deliverables, division of responsibilities and resources, time schedule, project management structure, dissemination and communication activities).

Work packages

All project activities should be grouped in a logical, consistent and structured way into separate work packages. All work packages must present a clear, logical link to the project objectives and to the other work packages. Ideally, each work package should constitute a sub-part of the project, a step leading to the achievement of the project's overall goals.

Projects should normally have at least 2 work packages:

work package 1 — management and coordination activities

work package 2 — outputs related to the project goals.

Beyond that, create only as many as you need (as many as necessary, as few as possible).

Work package 1 should normally cover all activities related to the general management and coordination of the project and any activities that do not relate to any of the work packages leading to a specific result, but which are directly linked to the project as a whole.

For the other work packages, describe the:

objective(s)

activities to be implemented — in specific terms

(tangible and intangible) outputs to be produced.

Milestones & deliverables (if required)

Concerning the outputs:

1. Distinguish between milestones and deliverables:
   • milestones: control points in the project that help to chart progress (kick-off meetings, steering committes, first-draft of a survey, prototype, etc.)
   • deliverables: outputs to be submitted to the EU (publication, leaflet, progress report, brochure, list, etc.)
2. Be as specific as possible, e.g.:
   • events — the number of events, title, content, duration, number of participants, etc.
   • publications — number of pages, language, format (printed/electronic), number of printed copies (in each language), etc.
3. Be realistic about what you can achieve within the project duration. The scope of your project should be large enough to make a difference, but it doesn't need to produce an excessively high number of outputs.
4. Refer only to major outputs. Do NOT include minor sub-items, internal working papers, meeting minutes, etc. Adapt the number of deliverables to the size of your project and work packages (use as many as necessary, as few as possible). You may be asked to reduce or increase the number during grant preparation.

Budget

Look at the budget table in the Administrative Forms (Part A) in the Submission System. Only the white cells need to be filled in (the grey cells are not applicable or automatically filled by the system).

Cross-check with Part B to see if you will also need to submit a detailed budget table or outline budgetary details also in Part B.

The budget categories to be used for the call are set out in the call conditions and explained in the AGA — Annotated Grant Agreement.

The budgeted costs should be based on a detailed and accurate estimation of your estimated project costs (based on the cost eligibility rules set out in the Grant Agreement). They should include all your estimated costs (those of your Affiliated Entities should be presented separately, for each participating entity).

Keep your estimates on file — you may be required to produce them later on.

Annexes & supporting documents

If required by the call conditions, you will need to prepare additional annexes and supporting documents (consortium description, declarations by the national authorities, CVs, annual activity reports, etc.)

 Use the templates provided inside the Submission System (NOT the ones on the Topic page).

Detailed budget table (if required)

Many programmes require the submission of a detailed budget table (templates are usually in format .xlsx or .xlxm). 

Simple .xlsx files can simply be filled-in, merged and uploaded. For .xlsm files, you can usually — after the table has been filled-in and completed using the macro-support — save a copy as .xlsx and use that copy for merging and uploading the file. 

If you are asked to merge and upload a table as PDF (usually for needed for GAP), please proceed as follows:

Sheets per participant must be filled in for each Beneficiary/Affiliated Entity; sheets for the entire project must be filled in by the Coordinator — after having received all the information by the other participants.

Combine into a single PDF:

1. Save participant sheets into one PDF per Beneficiary/Affiliated Entity (choose sheets via 'Options' when saving as PDF).
2. Save participant sheets and project sheets into a PDF for the Coordinator.
3. Combine into a single PDF for upload (using Adobe Acrobat or the Preview App on Apple Macs).
4. Upload in the system.

CVs (if required)

Provide CVs for the core project team (these are the key staff you have listed in part B and may include outside experts, if key to your proposal).

You can submit CVs in any format. If standard CVs are required in the call conditions we strongly recommend you to use the Europass format. If short outlines are requested, there are no specific formatting requirements (but please keep the information on each person to name, birthdate and 1-2 paragraphs describing studies and most relevant work experience).

As far as possible, upload them in a single PDF file, rather than individually.

If you are still recruiting, please provide the job profile.

Activity report of last year (if required)

This report should describe your organisation's activities for the last year.

It should be detailed enough to allow us to check your organisation's aims and activities and its operational and professional capacity.

No finalised annual report yet? Submit the draft version, certified by your organisation's legal representative.

No report of this type available? Create one for this application and have it certified by your legal representative.

Online versions — If your report is available on your website, you can just provide a link (directly to the document(s), not simply to the homepage) and indicate the link on a separate sheet and upload it as annex (PDF format).

Create your user account to login to the Portal

To be able to submit a proposal, you must first register on the Portal for an EU Login account.

Make sure all participants are registered (PIC)

All participants (Beneficiaries, Affiliated Entities and Associated Partners) must be registered in the Participant Register and have their 9-digit Participant Identification Code (PIC). The Coordinator has to be identified with its PIC number at Step 3 of the Submission wizard, while other participants at Step 4.

Read more about registration and PIC search in the Registration and validation of your organisation section.

Launch the Submission wizard and enter information for the Administrative Forms (application form (Part A))

Go to the topic on the Search funding & tenders page > Start Submission .

Upload Part B (Technical Description) and annexes and supporting documents

Part B (and the annexes and supporting documents can be uploaded in Step 5 of the wizard. Detailed instructions for preparing these documents are available in the section Get prepared.