If you’re a startup eyeing European open calls, here are some invaluable insights from Aneta Gałązka: “Navigating EU Open Calls: A Startup’s Guide to Overcoming Common Challenges“
… and as someone who’s been an evaluator myself, I can wholeheartedly back these up. Here are some of my key takeaways and lessons from the other side of the table:
1. “Don’t put a square peg in a round hole”
If your project’s not a natural fit for the open call, don’t try to shoehorn it in. As evaluators, we DO notice when an application is a mismatch or feels forced to fit into that particular open call. Fun story: I actually did see the same proposal come back in 2 different open calls once.
2. The AI echo chamber:
Yes, AI tools are everywhere and can help with drafting proposals, but beware … When an evaluator reads multiple proposals in a row, all in the same generic “AI voice” it quickly becomes tedious (and obvious). I say “AI voice” but actually mean one proposal after the other written in what must be AI generated verbal diarrhea because I can’t possibly imagine real people writing all in that exact same “style” (unless they’re all professional proposal writers, but that is another story). Originality and authenticity do stand out. If you use AI, which is ok nowadays I guess, edit the output and make sure to rewrite it in your own voice. And do a search/replace to throw out the “em-dash” – even though I like them and think they’re ok, many people see them as a dead give-away of AI generated content. And all AI tools put them in. Every. Single. Time. If anyone has reliable stopped an AI of throwing them in, let me know!
3. RTFM… Really: Read the F***ing manual.
We’ve all skipped manuals before, but in this case, read the open call documentation (the “guide for applicants”). It literally tells you exactly what evaluators look for, how scoring works, and what you need to submit by when and on what platform. Don’t fight it, embrace it. (This tip is courtesy of Wouter Desmet, thanks for drilling that one in) PS … if you’re hooked on AI, you can have your ChatGPT or other buddy summarize it for you.😉
4. Don’t procrastinate, so you don’t need to rush it in the end:
Great proposals take time. Set aside drafts, revisit them, iterate. You’ll spot what needs work. Also, run that spell check. Nothing says ‘last-minute dash’ like typos and missing documents. You also don’t want your proposal tanked because of missing files or blank sections. I’ve seen it all…
If you’re interested in talking further on proposals for open calls, use the contact form on the site to connect.
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