The EU makes funding available in different forms, including grants, loans and guarantees, subsidies, prizes and public contracts.
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. The EU rarely finances projects up to 100%. Rather, grants are a form of complementary financing, and the beneficiary organisation will also put up a percentage of the funding for their project. The European Commission advertises grant opportunities through calls for proposals.
The EU also 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.
Brussels is also the origin of several pan European initiatives developing ICT networks, security systems and transport corridors. Being involved from the inception phase is vital to get access to the funding, very often disbursed through complex mechanisms involving EU Agencies, Member States and EC headquarters.
Understanding how EU funding works, the main conditions and access strategy, is instrumental for being successful. Consultants can assist clients with bid management and bid writing support across the range of EU funding programmes. Probably the best known consultancy in this field is Schuman Associates.