A work package is a self-contained part of the project work plan with its own tasks, lead partner, budget and deliverables. Work packages are how a proposal is structured and how effort is shared between participants, and in lump sum grants they are also the unit on which payments are calculated.
A work package is a substantial subdivision of the work plan, not a single task. Tasks sit inside it; the package is the level above.
Each is described separately in the proposal: objectives, tasks, which partner leads, person-months per participant, and the deliverables and milestones it produces.
How many
As many as the scale and complexity justify. The guidance frames it as: each package should be a substantial part of the work plan, and their number proportionate to the project.
A separate project management package is explicitly advised – expected practice, not padding.
Why splitting hurts
In lump sum grants a package is also the unit of payment, and the temptation to slice it for more frequent instalments is strong. The guidance warns against exactly this and lists what a package is not: a single activity, a single task, a "percentage of progress" such as "50% of tests", or a stretch of calendar such as "year one activities".
A second reason: in lump sum grants a package is paid only when fully complete, and a partially finished one is not paid at all until the end of the project.
Link to the project logic
Work packages are the operational layer of what a logframe calls activities and outputs. A package leading to no result, or a result belonging to no package, is a gap an evaluator will see.
Updated 27.07.2026 · Reviewed by: GetGrant editorial team
