What is the
aim of Community grants?
The
Commission awards money in the form of grants in order to implement projects or
activities in relation to European Union policies. These grants may be awarded
within fields as diverse as research, education, health, consumer protection,
protection of the environment, humanitarian aid, etc.
Where can
the list of grants awarded by the European Union be found?
The home
page of this site presents a list of European policies in favour of which
grants are awarded; you will find additional information on the specific grant
programmes and on the application process by clicking on the fields which
interest you.
Who can
request a grant?
The grant
beneficiaries are mainly private or public organisations, and exceptionally individuals,
chosen by the European Commission for their capacity to implement the projects
concerned.
How does
one request a grant?
Since
grants cover a very diverse range of fields, the specific conditions that need
to be fulfilled vary from one field to another. It is therefore important to
consult carefully the rules of each grant programme. However, some basic
principles apply in every case. Grants:
are a form of complementary financing. The
EU does not finance projects up to 100%; only projects taking place outside the
European Union have the possibility to be financed in full;
enable a given operation to break even
financially and cannot lead to a profit for their beneficiaries;
cannot be awarded retroactively for actions
that are already completed.
In
addition, only one grant may be awarded for the same action.
Grants are
not awarded on a case-by-case basis. Instead, they are subject to annual
programming. Before 31 March each year, those Departments of the Commission
that manage grant programmes publish their annual work programme on their
Internet site. The work programme fixes the broad outlines of the grants that
are envisaged over the year (area of activity, objectives, timetable, available
budget, award conditions, etc…). By consulting these work programmes you may
thus already identify the fields which interest you.
Subsequently,
the Commission’s Departments publish calls for proposals on their Internet
sites; the calls for proposals invite candidates to present, within a given
deadline, a proposal for action that corresponds to the objectives pursued and
fulfils the required conditions. These calls for proposals can also be published
in the Official Journal of the European Union – C series.
All
applications are examined and evaluated on the basis of criteria that have
clearly been announced in the calls for proposals, while ensuring equal
treatment; candidates are individually informed of the final decision
concerning their proposal.
Some grants
are exceptionally awarded directly to certain beneficiaries without a call for
proposals. This may be due to their specific competences or characteristics
which meant that they are the sole beneficiaries for certain actions
(situations of monopoly), or to the emergency nature of the action
(humanitarian aid in particular).
As grants
are made with public money, the European Commission applies the principle of
transparency. Thus, by 30 June of each year, the Commission Departments publish
on their Internet sites the list of the grants that they awarded during the
previous year, with the exception of those awarded in the form of scholarships
to individuals.