Recently, the European Commission has released an overview of what type of projects and organisations have participated in EU-funded projects under the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme in Europe. The document also sheds light on the most relevant success criteria used to assess received applications under different Calls for Proposals (CFPs). 

In the period 2014 – 2018, the 31 EaSI calls for proposals for action grants (excluding six calls for proposals for operating grants) enjoyed the involvement of organisations from all beneficiary countries. Participation, and hence the chances of success, depends heavily on the themes and objectives of the call for proposals. Some calls can be very specific and targeted leading to a lower interest to participate and therefore less competition.

The following aspects can all affect the interest in and the chances of success:

  • eligibility criteria
  • EU co-financing
  • implementation duration
  • partnership requirements
  • timing of the call

The report found that the average success rate is quite high. However, most calls are open to a restricted audience only, increasing the chance of receiving a grant for those organisations that qualify for these calls. On the other hand, under EaSI’s most competitive axis, Progress, only one out of five applications obtained a grant following 21 calls for proposals.

At Eurodiaconia, we support our members in learning about and applying for different strands of EU funding. We regularly organise funding training both at our offices in Brussels and across Europe when invited by members of our network. If you would like to learn more about our work on EU funding and how to get involved, we strongly recommend subscribing to our funding newsletter.

To know more about EaSI and participation, please visit the European Commission’s website.

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