One of the most common questions companies ask is which grant is suitable for them. The difficulty is not simply finding funding opportunities, but understanding which ones match the company, the project and the changes the team is willing to make.

In the accompanying video, I describe seeing roughly 700 to 1,000 open grants and tenders in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, with around 700 at the time of recording and the possibility of more than 1,000 as new calls launch towards the end of the year. These figures describe the observations and expectations discussed in the video, not a fixed count or a live inventory.

A large choice of calls brings both opportunity and administrative work. Each programme has its own conditions: whether you must apply with a consortium, whether partners can be in your own country or must come from different countries, which types of entities and projects qualify, and whether the financing takes the form of a grant, a loan or equity. The Rasph EU Grant Screening Service turns that search into a focused assessment and a prioritized report.

Start With the Project, Not Just the Funding Programme

A useful screening begins with an accurate project profile. What is the project? What type of work do you want to fund? What are your objectives, and where is there room to expand or adjust the proposed activities?

It is tempting to assume that stating your project clearly will reveal one perfect grant. In practice, an interesting call can require changes before it becomes a realistic option. The relevant question is not only whether an opportunity exists, but whether the project can fit it without changes you are unwilling to make.

  • Partners: would you work with other entities, including partners in different countries?
  • Project activities: what do you want funding for, and which activities could you adapt to a call's scope?
  • Entity type: are you a for-profit or non-profit applicant, and does the call support your type of organisation?
  • Technology readiness: what is the technology readiness level of your solution, and does it match the development stage the call funds?

These are not changes to accept automatically. They are parameters to discuss before screening begins, so that the assessment can distinguish an attractive opportunity from one that would require an unacceptable redirection.

Define the Changes You Can Accept

The screening therefore needs two descriptions: the project you want to pursue and the boundaries within which you can adapt it. A call that is unsuitable for a fixed project can become interesting when certain parameters are flexible. Conversely, a call that looks attractive on paper can become unsuitable once its practical requirements are considered.

The discussion should address several concrete questions:

  • Would you consider applying together with other entities rather than alone?
  • Are you open to working with partners in your own country or in different countries?
  • Which parts of the project could you adjust to match a particular funding programme?
  • Are you a for-profit or non-profit entity?
  • What is the technology readiness level of your solution?
  • What exactly do you want the funding to achieve?

These answers establish both your current profile and the parameters you can change. The point is not always to find one perfect grant for an unchanged project. It is to understand how flexible you are in adjusting the project to a particular funding opportunity.

Being open to changes can unlock additional opportunities. Being explicit about what cannot change is equally useful: it prevents the shortlist from filling up with calls that your company would never pursue.

Turn the Search Into a Shortlist and a Priority List

If you are looking at the available calls and cannot tell which is good for you, a structured screening provides a practical first step. Its purpose is not to replace uncertainty with an even longer list of links. It is to identify the opportunities that merit further work and explain the order in which to consider them.

A shortlist identifies possible options. A priority list goes further by showing which options are most interesting for your project. For each shortlisted call, the assessment should explain the requirements, whether you already satisfy them and what you would have to change to become eligible.

That makes the result actionable. An opportunity requiring new partners, a different project scope or a change in commercial focus should be presented with those conditions attached. It should not appear equivalent to an option that fits the project as it stands.

Check the Deadline, Required Changes and Chances of Funding

A useful screening report answers practical questions for each shortlisted opportunity: what are the conditions, can you apply with the project as it stands, and when is the deadline? If changes are needed, it should explain what they are so you can decide whether you are able and willing to make them.

The assessment also considers your chances of successfully obtaining the funding. A shortlist is more useful when it explains the suitability of each option and the work needed to pursue it, rather than presenting every open call as equally attractive.

For each opportunity, you need an assessment of its relevance, the eligibility requirements, the changes it would require and whether the effort is justified. That assessment supports a decision; it is not a promise that the project will receive funding.

What the Grant Screening Should Deliver

As described in the video, you receive a detailed report within two weeks. It identifies the most suitable funding opportunities, provides a shortlist, explains the conditions and deadlines, and assesses whether you can apply as you are or need to change the project.

If you are interested in a screening, visit Rasph's EU Grant Screening Service. The starting point is your company profile, the activities you want to fund and the parameters you are open to changing. The outcome is a clearer view of where to focus before committing to an application.