Submitting an application: the Funding & Tenders Portal step by step

Applying through the EU portal is a sequence of steps, each with its own timing. The most expensive mistakes here are not about content but about organisation: not registering in time, not appointing a signatory, not allowing for a 17:00 deadline.

Step 1. EU Login

A personal account for portal access. Register it on a work address you will still control in years. Two-factor authentication becomes mandatory progressively over 2026 – set the second factor up in advance.

Step 2. The organisation code

Before registering, check whether the organisation already has a PIC: universities and large NGOs almost always hold one created by a colleague years ago. "Declared" status is enough to submit – validation comes later.

Step 3. Choosing a topic

Read the topic, not the programme description: it sets the type of action, funding rate, consortium requirements and deadline. Make sure you pick the right type of action – it cannot be changed once drafting has begun.

Step 4. The proposal

Part A is completed in web forms, Part B prepared separately and uploaded as a PDF. The limit is 40 pages for research and innovation actions, and anything beyond it becomes invisible after the deadline.

Step 5. Submission

The system closes automatically at 17:00 Brussels time. You can re-upload without limit before the deadline, so submit a draft early and refine it.

Immediately after submission, download the signed PDF copy of your proposal – it is your proof of what was submitted and when.

What to run in parallel

While the text is being written, three things should be moving in the background: collecting PIC codes from all partners, appointing roles and signatories in your organisation, and agreeing the budget with partners. These are what most often delay a last-day submission.