How to choose the right funding call for your innovation

Before exploring the complex world of European funding, there’s one crucial step you can’t afford to skip: making sure your idea fits the right call. With hundreds of topics, dozens of instruments, and evolving priorities across Horizon Europe and beyond, how do you avoid wasting time and increase your chances of success?

In this blog, we guide you through the essential first move: defining your WHY. From there, we’ll help you navigate your way to the perfect funding match.

Introduction: What is Horizon Europe?

Horizon Europe is the European Union’s key research and innovation funding programme, following Horizon 2020 (2014–2020). Officially adopted on March 12, 2021, it carries a budget of €95.5 billion for the period 2021–2027.

Its purpose? To strengthen Europe’s scientific and technological bases while tackling major societal challenges through collaboration and innovation.

Key objectives of Horizon Europe:

• Boost scientific excellence and innovation.

• Address global challenges: climate change, digital transformation, health, and more.

• Promote industrial competitiveness and a sustainable economy.

• Promote collaboration across sectors and borders.

Expected impacts:

• Scientific breakthroughs.

• Job creation and economic growth.

• Societal transformation (health, environment, digital).

• Global leadership in research and innovation.

Choose the right funding call - Step 1: Start with WHY then find your topic or call

At NETO Innovation, we know that successful innovation starts with a powerful WHY.

Before you ask what funding is available or how to apply, ask yourself:  Why does your project exist? What is the problem it’s solving? Who cares?

This is where funding decisions truly begin. And when it comes to EU collaborative R&D projects, your WHY needs to align with European missions, policy priorities, and impact objectives. So let’s walk through a practical guide to identifying the most suitable funding call starting from purpose and ending with strategy.

Only once you’ve clearly defined your WHY should you begin exploring relevant calls. This helps you:

• Avoid chasing mismatched topics

• Ensure alignment with expected impact

• Increase your chances of success from the very beginning

Mini case study: Defining the WHY to find the right call

A partner deeply implicated in innovation activities for electronic applications approached NETO Innovation with a cutting-edge concept in upcycling electronics, specifically, recovering components from discarded devices to reintroduce them into new, sustainable value chains. Their goal was clear: reduce e-waste and support circularity in the electronics industry.

Initially, several funding options were on the table, including Horizon Europe, EIT Manufacturing Innovation Calls, and EIT Manufacturing Education schemes. But instead of jumping on the first available opportunity, our team at NETO Innovation started by helping the client clearly define their WHY:

“We want to increase the circularity of electronics by transforming e-waste into valuable resources creating environmental, educational, and economic impact.”

With this clarified vision, we analyzed several programs and finally identified the most suitable match:A Horizon Europe Cluster 6 CircBio topic focused on circularity in electronics value chains, with TRL targets up to 6–7. This topic provided the perfect fit between maturity level, policy alignment (Circular Economy Action Plan), and expected impact.

Key takeaway? Starting with a clear WHY helped avoid misaligned opportunities and led to a call that truly matched the project’s ambitions and maturity.

Choose the right funding - Step 2: Structure your HOW

Once you’ve defined your purpose, it's time to translate it into a strategy.

• Does your project idea respond to the call’s scope?

• Can your consortium deliver the proposed solution across the entire value chain?

• Are you addressing the technical, social, and policy dimensions of the problem?

Then, you need to confirm that your consortium complies with the minimum eligibility criteria for Horizon Europe collaborative projects:

• At least 3 partners from 3 different countries

• Including at least one EU member state

Pro tip: Check your consortium against eligibility and completeness before diving into proposal writing.

Choose the right funding - Step 3: Clarify your WHAT

Finally, define what you are delivering. Clear outputs are critical to convincing evaluators. This is where clarity wins.

• Are your objectives SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound)?

• What are your expected results, and how do they map to the topic’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?

• Can you show how your results will lead to exploitation, adoption, or scale-up?

Choose the right funding - How to decide?

Your pre-call matching checklist

Item to check	Verification
Your WHY	Does it respond to a real, EU-relevant challenge?
Project idea	Aligned with topic objectives, scope, and expected impact
TRL	Align with the TRL levels expected in the topic description
Consortium	Covers the value chain, meets eligibility
EU policy fit	Addresses key EU policies and missions
Past projects	Benchmarked using Cordis/Funding and Tenders portal
Networking	Attended info days, brokerage events, webinars

Common mistakes to avoid

Even great innovations can fail at the proposal stage. Here are 5 traps to avoid:

1. Starting with the topic, not the WHY → Fix: Ground your proposal in societal need first.

2. Misreading TRL requirements → Fix: Match your maturity to the right funding type (RIA vs IA).

3. Ineligible or weak consortium → Fix: Check geographic requirements and build complementary strengths.

4. Chasing high-budget topics without fit → Fix: Bigger budgets mean stricter expectations. Instead, align scope and ambition.

5. Forgetting policy alignment → Fix: Always link your proposal to EU strategies (Green Deal, Digital, etc.)

Where do you search for the right topic

Once your WHY is clear, use these tools to find the most suitable call and to build your consortium:

• CORDIS: Find past funded projects and build inspiration

• Funding & Tenders Portal: Review project results and partner profiles

• Horizon Europe Info Days: Gather insights from EC officials and peer participants

Don’t do it alone: Build a strategic network

Winning proposals are not written in isolation.

• Attend brokerage events and B2B meetings.

• Follow National Contact Points (NCP webinars) by topic or cluster.

• Use these events to find aligned partners, gather topic insights, and validate your proposal concept.

Coming soon: NETO Innovation’s Horizon Europe training

We're excited to announce that NETO Innovation is preparing a dedicated training program for partners interested in mastering Horizon Europe funding.

Training highlights

• Understand Horizon Europe structure, types of actions, and funding rules.

• Learn how to identify the right call.

• Master the art of writing the Excellence, Impact, and Implementation sections.

• Plan your budget and resources effectively.

• Navigate the evaluation process with confidence.

Who is it for?

• Research centers

• Universities

• Innovation professionals & project managers

• SMEs, Startups, companies

🕘 Flexible formats: Online or on-site options available

📬 Interested? Reach out at: info@neto-innovation.com

Ready to get started?

Finding the right European funding opportunity for your innovative project can feel like navigating a maze. With countless calls, diverse eligibility rules, and evolving EU policy priorities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. At NETO Innovation, we’ve built our reputation on matching ambitious ideas with the right funding schemes. Whether you're starting from an early-stage concept or scaling an advanced technology, we’ll help you assess, shape, and submit a strong, strategic proposal.

Still unsure if your project fits Horizon Europe? Tell us your idea and we’ll help you match it to the right funding opportunity.

Contact us at info@neto-innovation.com or send a message via LinkedIn.

Let’s make your innovation proposal unmissable. Get in touch with us today to unlock your innovation’s full funding potential.