Most applications fail not because the project is weak, but because the
evaluator cannot find what they are looking for. These six points form the
backbone of the scoring criteria in almost every call.
1. Eligibility: the exclusion criteria
The first round is always formal. SME classification, supported region of the
registered seat, activity code, outstanding public debt, ongoing enforcement
proceedings — any one of these means immediate rejection, whatever the content
of the project. Work through them at the planning stage.
2. Financial stability
Evaluators look at the last two closed financial years: revenue, equity,
after-tax profit. Equity below subscribed capital or a negative result line
means a scoring deduction or exclusion in most calls. Demonstrable own
contribution is a separate condition.
3. Justification, not a statement of intent
“We would like to develop” is not a justification. What counts is the
measurable problem that follows from the current state, and how the purchase
solves it: capacity gaps, scrap rate, lead time, energy use. With numbers.
4. Budget and market price
Every cost line has to be substantiated, typically with independent quotes.
An item above market price is not a lost point but an eligibility problem: the
evaluator simply removes it, and the financing plan of the project collapses.
5. Committed indicators
Headcount and revenue commitments are part of the grant agreement and are
checked at the end of the maintenance period. A cautious but achievable figure
is worth more in the long run than a higher score followed by repayment.
6. Scheduling and the clarification round
The implementation deadline, the milestones and the time needed for
procurement have to be consistent. The clarification round usually allows a few
working days only — if the documents are not prepared, this is the stage that
kills the application.
Summary
A good application is not prettier, it is more verifiable: behind every
claim there is a number, a document and a date. If you are unsure which point
your project is exposed on, half an hour of review usually answers it.
