Horizon Europe Proposal Writing for Early-Career Researchers Workshop

Title: Step Confidently into EU Funding: Horizon Europe Proposal Writing for Early-Career Researchers

(Language: English) 

When: Tuesday 29 July 2025, 09:00 - 18:00 EET

Where: ONLINE (with registration)

Registration link: https://aegean-gr.zoom.us/meeting/register/m0qS8mdYQ5SfhC4Xt99Q5g

09:00 – 09:30 | Welcome & Orientation

• Introduction of facilitators and participants
• Workshop goals and structure
• Why participate in EU-funded programmes? The strategic value for early-career researchers

09:30 – 10:45 | The Structure of Horizon Europe: Focus on Pillar II

• What is a Grant? The process of getting a Grant
• Overview of Horizon Europe’s 3 Pillars and Widening Participation
• Deep Dive into Pillar II: Global Challenges & European Industrial Competitiveness
  • What are Strategic Orientations? How they translate to Work Programmes
  • Understanding Clusters (Health, Culture, Digital, Climate, Energy, Mobility, Food, etc.)
  • Overview of EU Missions: structure, ambition, and links to calls
  • Cross-cutting priorities: Gender, Ethics, SSH integration, EU Taxonomy
• Key terms: TRLs, SSH-flagging, Do No Significant Harm, Open Science, etc.

10:45 – 11:00 | Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:30 | How to Read and Deconstruct a Call for Proposals

• Navigating the Funding & Tenders Portal efficiently
• Breakdown of a Horizon Europe call:
  • Understanding the challenge, scope, and expected outcomes and impacts
  • How Strategic Plans connect to individual calls
• Eligibility checks: who can apply, participation rules, minimum consortium structure
• Evaluation criteria and thresholds (Excellence, Impact, Implementation)
• Exercise: Match your idea to a call — key questions to ask yourself 

12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch Break

13:30 – 14:30 | From Concept to Project: Structuring Your Proposal Idea

• What constitutes a strong research project in Horizon Europe
• Steps from “idea” to “concept note” and full proposal
• Using the Logical Framework Matrix to define Objectives, Outcomes, Indicators
• Framing your proposal to align with EU priorities and strategic orientations
• Clarifying innovation ambition, scientific methodology, and added EU value
• Building a relevant and complementary consortium
• Early-stage preparation: internal planning, communication, budget ownership 

14:30 – 15:45 | Writing the Proposal: Section-by-Section Guidance

1. Excellence

• How to define objectives clearly and persuasively
• Explaining the concept, methodology, and interdisciplinary approach
• Addressing Open Science, Gender dimension, IPR strategy 

2. Impact

• Understanding the new “Pathways to Impact” approach
• How to define outcomes vs impacts
• Barriers, stakeholders, KPIs
• Communication, Dissemination, Exploitation strategy 

3. Implementation

• Defining Work Packages, Deliverables, Milestones, Risks
• Planning the timeline and management structure
• Roles & resources: person-months, allocation, internal governance 

15:45 – 16:00 | Coffee Break

16:00 – 17:15 | Tools, Templates, and Final Checks Before Submission

• Understanding Part A and Part B documents
• How to submit through the Funding & Tenders Portal – step-by-step demo
• Administrative and financial forms: what needs to be completed
• Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
• Final internal review checklist: clarity, coherence, compliance 

17:15 – 18:00 | Open Q&A, Feedback and Wrap-up

• Q&A with trainers: real concerns, clarifications, and practical advice
• Access to resource pack

👉 Certificate of Attendance Provided