🚀 Your EU Project Idea Might Be the Reason You’re Not Getting Funded… Here’s How to Fix It!

Every year, thousands of great EU project proposals get rejected. But here’s the shocking truth: it’s not always the proposal that’s the problem—it’s the idea itself.

🔎 Is your project idea actually fundable?💡 How do you validate, refine, and position it for success?📢 What makes some ideas stand out while others get lost in the pile?

In this episode of InnovEU - The EU Project Chronicles, we’re diving into The EU Project Readiness Pyramid, the framework that helps you turn bold ideas into funded realities.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ Why weak ideas sink great proposals (and how to fix yours!)✅ Real-world insights from U!REKA on how they’re running an incredible project (contacts for Ana Raposo and Mona Roman below)✅ An inside look at a live Erasmus+ Capacity Building funding call

🔊 Whether you’re a project leader, researcher, or innovation strategist, this episode is your roadmap to avoiding rejection and securing EU funding.

🎧 Listen/watch now on:👉 YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Substack

🚀 Loved the episode? Here’s how you can support the show:💙 Like the podcast on your favorite platform

📩 Subscribe on Substack or any podcast app

💬 Comment with your biggest takeaway

📢 Share with friends who need this insight

📥 Want to be featured? Send me a private message!

🔗 Let’s get more innovators funded and making an impact. 🚀

Contacts for u!REKA:

Ana Luísa Raposo [email protected]

Mona Roman [email protected]

https://ureka.eu/

🚨 EU Funding is NOT a lottery! 🚨

Yet, most applicants treat it like one—blindly submitting proposals, hoping for a miracle… and facing rejection after rejection. But what if I told you there’s a proven formula that separates winning projects from those that never see a cent?

In the Season 3 premiere of InnovEU - The EU Project Chronicles, I’m giving you the exact roadmap to turn your EU project from rejected to funded. Here’s what’s inside:

✅ The EU Project Readiness Pyramid – A powerful 3-step system to build fundable projects before you even start writing your proposal.🎙️ Interview with Marco Amici – An EU project expert reveals the secrets evaluators look for in winning applications. (contacts below)📢 Call Breakdown: CREA-CROSS-2025-INNOVLAB – We’re analyzing an open funding call, so you’ll know exactly how to position your next proposal for success.

💡 If you’re serious about securing EU funding, you can’t afford to miss this.

🎧 Watch the full episode.

👇 Drop a comment if you’ve ever struggled with EU proposals—I want to hear your biggest challenge!

🎧 If you found this episode valuable, here’s how you can support and stay ahead in EU funding:

✅ Like & Follow – Whether you're on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, hit that like button and follow the podcast so you never miss an episode.📩 Subscribe on Substack

Get exclusive EU funding insights, strategies, and tools straight to your inbox.

💬 Comment & Share – Know someone working on EU projects?

Tag them or share this post—it could be the game-changer they need.

🚀 Coming Soon: Keep an eye on your email—I’ll be sharing a powerful AI tool to help you build the right partnerships for EU-funded projects. You won’t want to miss this!

🔗 Let’s build better EU projects—together! 💡🔥

Contacts for Marco Amici:

Project coordinator MarcoAmici,PhDEmail: [email protected]Web site: http://www.eupm2project.eu

Hi everyone! 🌟

This is episode 10 in season 2, with some new chronicles for you.

🔍First a take a look at the Relevance section in the application form of many calls. Others have an Excelence section. I try to dissect it and would love you opinion about my ideas.

👇The we have an intewrview with Ricardo Assunção, from Portugal. He’s with Egas Moniz School of Health and Science and I’m sure you will enjoy our conversation about the ONE HEALTH concept. It’s really worth watching/listening/reading. His contacts are below.

🔗Finally we have an analysis of an European Parliament open call “Grants for Media Actions” EP-COMM-SUBV-2025-MEDIA.

The ONE HEALTH recommendations, mentioned by Ricardo can be seen in this link.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up for free and never miss an episode! 🚀

Please comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

Would you like to have full access to the Digital Transition data, part of the Are We There Yet (AWTY) index? Refer a friend. One friend subscribes (free or paid) to Polis Doxa and you get one month access to all paywaled content (including AWTY data). Just use this link:

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.

Contacts for Ricardo Assunção:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-assuncao

Email: [email protected]

Hello! 🌟

This is episode 9 in season 2, with some new chronicles for you. This week it’s all about open calls.

🔍First a look at a Creative Europe call for the post-war recovery of the Ukrainian cultural and creative sectors. Then a EU4Health call on advancing the adoption of artificial intelligence in health.

👇Next we look at a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Thematic call for cooperation with Indonesia and also at a Erasmus Charter for Higher Education call.

🔗The episode closes with an analysis of the call “Maritime regional cooperation fostering Smart Specialization and Innovation in the Sustainable Blue Economy” and the LIFE 2024 Capacity Building.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

Links to the selected calls:

* CREA-CULT-2025-COOP-UA-3 - Preparing the post-war recovery of the Ukrainian cultural and creative sectors

* EU4H-2024-PJ-03-6 - Call for proposals on advancing the adoption of artificial intelligence in health

* EuropeAid/182790/DD/ACT/ID - Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Thematic Programme in Indonesia

* ERASMUS-EDU-2022-ECHE-CERT-FP - Erasmus Charter for Higher Education

* EMFAF-2025-PIA-FLAGSHIP-I3 - Maritime regional cooperation fostering Smart Specialisation and Innovation in the Sustainable Blue Economy

* LIFE-2025-TA-CAP - LIFE 2024 Capacity Building

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up for free and never miss an episode! 🚀

Please comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

Would you like to have full access to the Digital Transition data, part of the Are We There Yet (AWTY) index? Refer a friend. One friend subscribes (free or paid) to Polis Doxa and you get one month access to all paywaled content (including AWTY data). Just use this link:

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.

Hi there! 🌟

This is episode 8 in season 2. We’ve got these chronicles for you:

🔍Disucssions and doubts about the selection process and its’ possible impact on Draghi’s reported innovation lag.

👇An interview with Fernando Mota, from APREDIN, Portugal. This is a veteran NGO based in Portugal. We even discuss the celebration of its 20th anniversary, next year.

🔗The episode closes with an analysis of a Digital Europe call for the adoption of cyber-security tech. Take a look at it.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

APREDIN’s contact information:

Fernando Mota - [email protected]

[email protected]

www.apredin.eu

LinkedIn

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up for free here and never miss an episode! 🚀

ThPlease comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

Would you like to have full access to the Digital Transition data, part of the Are We There Yet (AWTY) index? Refer a friend. One friend subscribes (free or paid) to Polis Doxa and you get one month access to all paywaled content (including AWTY data). Just use this link:

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.

Hello! 🌟

This is episode 7 in season 2. In this episode, we bring you these chronicles:

🔍A short introduction to the Green Transition part of the AWTY (Are We There Yet) index. Coming out in a couple of weeks.

👇An interview with Eva Cipi, from the Vlore University, in Albania. She talks about her experience with capacity building and other EU funded projects and then ends with excellent advice for newcomers.

🔗The episode closes with an analysis of a COSME call. An European Enterprise Network call, for SME support organizations. Take a look at it.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

Eva Cipi contact information:

University of Vlora Ismail Qemali - Regional Development Centre - Albania

+355692060990 [email protected]

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up for free here and never miss an update! 🚀

Please comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

Would you like to have full access to the Digital Transition data, part of the Are We There Yet (AWTY) index? Refer a friend. One friend subscribes (free or paid) to Polis Doxa and you get one month access to all paywaled content (including AWTY data). Just use this link:

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.

Hello! 🌟

This episode discusses the AWTY index, Digital Transition part.

🔍We take the time to look at the data analyzing how fast countries are making this transition, independently of their starting point.

👇We hunt hares and turtles, to see who’s faster and slower, with special attention in this episode to the USA and the EU.

🔗Then the episode closes with an analysis of an open call, an Horizon Europe call. A Missions call. Take a look at it and don’t miss the opportunity.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

The theoretical framework of the index was published in this issue.

The data sources used in building the index are these:

* Internet Penetration Rate: Assessed via data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), this metric evaluates the percentage of a country's population that has access to the internet. Link to source

* Digital Infrastructure Quality: United Nations specialized agency for digital technology, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), publishes this ICT Development Index for country-level assessments. Link

* E-Government Development Index (EGDI): With contributions from the World Bank and national statistics offices, the EGDI measures the availability and quality of digital governance services. EGDI Link

* Digital Economy Integration: This tracks how well countries incorporate digital technologies into their economies. We use Worldbank’s ICT goods exports and OECD data on ICT use by businesses.

* ICT Skills and Education: Measured via the OECD, this metric reflects the workforce's readiness for digital jobs, using two measures: percentage of population who have transferred files (last 12 m) and percentage of population who have written computer code (last 12 m). Link to OECD data

Excel file with the data and the calculation is available in the notes of the recording of the workshop, here on Substack.

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up for free here and never miss an update! 🚀

Please comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

Would you like to have full access to the Digital Transition data, part of the Are We There Yet (AWTY) index? Refer a friend. One friend subscribes (free or paid) to Polis Doxa and you get one month access to all paywaled content (including AWTY). Just use this link:

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.

Hi there! 🌟

Season 2, episode 5! 🚀

👇This episode starts with the formal presentation of the AWTY index. The “Are We There Yet” index is finally here. The Digital Transition part of it. Part 1 of 5.

🔍We take the time to look at the data analyzing how fast the different countries are making this transition, who leads and who lags behind.

🔗Then the episode closes with an analysis of an open call, a Interreg Central Europe call, the third call. Take a look at it and don’t miss the opportunity.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

The theoretical framework of the index was published in this issue.

The data sources used in building the index are these:

* Internet Penetration Rate: Assessed via data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), this metric evaluates the percentage of a country's population that has access to the internet. Link to source

* Digital Infrastructure Quality: United Nations specialized agency for digital technology, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), publishes this ICT Development Index for country-level assessments. Link

* E-Government Development Index (EGDI): With contributions from the World Bank and national statistics offices, the EGDI measures the availability and quality of digital governance services. EGDI Link

* Digital Economy Integration: This tracks how well countries incorporate digital technologies into their economies. We use Worldbank’s ICT goods exports and OECD data on ICT use by businesses.

* ICT Skills and Education: Measured via the OECD, this metric reflects the workforce's readiness for digital jobs, using two measures: percentage of population who have transferred files (last 12 m) and percentage of population who have written computer code (last 12 m). Link to OECD data

Excel file with the data and the calculation is available in the notes of the recording of the workshop, here on Substack.

Please comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

Do you think, from this data, that your country is almost there?

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.

Hi there! 🌟

Season 2, episode 4! 🚀

👇This episode starts with another look at Draghi’s report main conclusions, this time comparing how the EU and USA are dealing with the digital transition. Do you think, based on Draghi’s report, that EU should investing more money in this area?

🔍Then we have a talk with Walaa Farid, from the Mediterranean Youth Foundation in Cairo, Egypt. Don’t miss her views on Erasmus+ and youth projects.

🔗Then the episode closes with an analysis of an open call, a Digital Europe call, especially designed the development and deployment of advanced key technologies.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

Please comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.

Walaa Farid’s contacts:

* [email protected]

* http://www.myfmed.org

* Linkedin

Hello subscribers! 🌟

Season 2, episode 3! 🚀🔍

👇This episode starts with another analysis of the Draghi’s report main conclusions, this time cross checking with the 2024 Global Innovation Index. Do you think, based on Draghi’s report, that EU countries are dropping on the GII?

🔗Then the episode closes with an analysis of an open call, a COSME call, especially designed for social economy entreprises.

Hope you enjoy this episode.

Please comment, share and subscribe, to make sure you get all new episodes and the search engines help other people find the podcast.

I would also love for you to take a look at the newsletter Polis Doxa.

Thanks.