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Proposal Writing

Turn your idea into a competitive grant proposal

Securing European funding is highly competitive. Every year, thousands of proposals are submitted to Horizon Europe, Eurostars and other funding programmes, but only the strongest succeed. A successful proposal combines scientific excellence, compelling narrative, a robust implementation plan and a convincing pathway to impact.

As your sparring partner throughout the proposal development process, we help researchers, universities and innovative companies transform promising ideas into competitive grant proposals. From proposal reviews to full writing support and final submission, we work alongside you to develop high-quality applications.

Contact our expert

We guide you from the first page to a successful submission with our long standing experience.

Dr. Jeanette Müller

CEO

How our proposal writing support works

From the first project idea to the final submission, we provide tailored support throughout the proposal preparation process.

Review

Focused expert feedback to improve your proposal before submission
  • Review of Part B
  • Check against call requirements
  • Comments on clarity and structure
  • Identification of gaps and inconsistencies
  • Prioritised recommendations

Extended Review

Two-stage proposal review for stronger strategy, coherence and evaluator readiness
  • Review of an early draft
  • Review of a near-final draft
  • Feedback on concept and work plan
  • Comments on impact and implementation logic
  • Final consistency check

Full Writing Support

End-to-end support for preparing a competitive Horizon Europe proposal
  • Annotated Horizon Europe templates
  • Work plan, budget and risk guidance
  • Drafting of Impact and implementation sections
  • Revision of scientific and technical content
  • Part A and submission support

Why accelopment?

Writing a competitive proposal requires more than excellent research. It demands a thorough understanding of evaluation criteria, funding rules and reviewer expectations. With more than 125 years of combined experience in European funding and support for more than 100 successful proposals, including Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), MSCA Doctoral Networks (DN) and Eurostars, we help researchers transform strong ideas into compelling, evaluator-focused grant proposals.

Your benefits

Benefit from practical proposal writing expertise that helps you focus on your research while strengthening every part of your application.
Develop a more competitive proposal
Reduce the workload for you and your consortium
Strengthen your scientific narrative and impact
Meet tight submission deadlines with confidence
Improve proposal quality and consistency
Benefit from experienced proposal writers

What our clients say

“Applying for an EU grant can be formidable, especially for SMEs. However, with accelopment at our side, it was much easier to sail through the process of converting initial rough proposal ideas into a true pearl.“

Tomaž Karčnik

PEARL-DNA Project coordinator
BioSistemika, Slovenia

Programme:

HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES

Duration:

01.10.2023 – 30.09.2026

Area:

Digital, DNA data storage

Budget:

5.04 million euro

accelTOOLS

We work with custom-made accelTOOLS to support proposal writing.

Our proprietary accelTOOLS streamline proposal preparation, improve collaboration and support the development of high-quality, competitive grant applications.

accelBUDGET™

A budget planning tool that simplifies cost estimation, partner budgeting and financial planning for competitive grant proposals.

accelLANDSCAPE™

A research mapping tool that identifies related projects, research trends and collaboration opportunities for stronger proposals.

Frequently asked questions

A successful Horizon Europe proposal must respond precisely to the selected call topic while presenting an ambitious, credible and well-structured project. Evaluators assess proposals according to defined criteria, typically including Excellence, Impact and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation. A competitive proposal therefore needs a strong concept, clear objectives, convincing methodology, appropriate consortium, credible impact pathways and a realistic implementation plan. accelopment supports applicants in developing these elements into one coherent proposal.

Proposal writing support can range from targeted review of individual sections to comprehensive coordination of the entire proposal preparation process. accelopment's support can include developing the preparation timeline, coordinating partner contributions, structuring the proposal, supporting technical sections, drafting non-scientific sections, developing the impact approach, preparing the budget and implementation structure, checking consistency and completing the proposal for submission. The exact support is tailored to the needs of each applicant and consortium.

Professional proposal support is most effective when it begins early enough to influence the proposal's overall structure, impact logic, consortium and preparation process. Involving an experienced proposal writer from the outset can also reduce the administrative and coordination burden on the scientific coordinator. Support can nevertheless also be valuable later in the process, for example for proposal review, strengthening specific sections or preparing a resubmission.

Yes. accelopment offers two dedicated review services for teams that already have a proposal draft. Our Review provides focused expert feedback on Part B, checking the proposal against call requirements, identifying gaps and inconsistencies, and prioritising recommendations to improve clarity and structure. Our Extended Review goes further with a two-stage assessment of an early and a near-final draft, including feedback on the concept and work plan, impact and implementation logic, and a final consistency check.

Yes. A previous evaluation can provide valuable evidence for improving a resubmitted proposal. accelopment can analyse evaluator feedback, identify the underlying weaknesses that affected the score and help revise the project and proposal accordingly. This may involve strengthening individual sections, restructuring the impact argument, adjusting the consortium or implementation plan and ensuring that evaluator comments are addressed systematically.

Project management

Our Project Management service supports international health research consortia throughout the entire project lifecycle, from grant preparation to final reporting. We coordinate governance, meetings, finances, reporting, risk management and communication with funding agencies, allowing researchers to focus on scientific excellence. Our team has supported more than 100 EU-funded projects, involving over 1,000 project partners and more than €300 million in collaborative research funding. Using accelCOCKPIT®, accelFINANCE® and accelINNO®, we ensure efficient project delivery, financial control and innovation management.

Grant advice

Our grant funding advice service helps researchers, universities, hospitals, SMEs and companies identify the most suitable European and national funding opportunities for health and life science innovations. We assess project ideas, recommend the most appropriate funding instruments and support strategic grant planning to maximise funding potential. Using our proprietary accelGRANTS® platform, we systematically identify relevant calls and align them with your scientific objectives, technology readiness and long-term strategy. Whether you are considering MSCA Doctoral Networks, Horizon Europe Cluster 1, IHI, Cancer Missions or EIC Pathfinder, we help you make informed funding decisions and build a strong foundation for successful proposals.

Proposal writing

Our Proposal Writing service provides end-to-end support for health research consortia, from shaping a competitive project concept to delivering a high-quality proposal ready for submission. We translate scientific excellence into a compelling, evaluator-focused narrative by developing robust work plans, maximising impact pathways, designing credible implementation structures, coordinating partner contributions, and managing all administrative requirements. Supported by proven proposal templates and accelFINANCE® for structured budget development, we ensure every proposal is coherent, compliant, and strategically aligned with the call objectives. With success rates more than three times the European average, we help clients secure funding for ambitious, high-impact health research and innovation projects.

Training

Our Training courses help researchers, proposal writers and project managers develop the skills needed to secure and deliver successful research projects. We offer practical workshops on European funding opportunities, proposal writing, project management, communication and dissemination, as well as transferable skills modules for doctoral candidates and early-career researchers. Tailored to the needs of health and life science organisations, our training combines current funding requirements with hands-on experience from European collaborative projects, providing practical knowledge that participants can apply immediately.

Project communication, dissemination and exploitation

Our Project Communication service helps health research projects maximise visibility, engage stakeholders and increase the impact of their results. We develop communication, dissemination and exploitation strategies, create websites and digital content, manage social media and organise workshops and stakeholder events. From patient engagement and clinical communities to policymakers and industry, we translate complex scientific results into clear messages that maximise project outreach and impact throughout and beyond the funding period.

Our Team

At the heart of my work is a commitment to scientific innovation as a key to societal progress. I am enthusiastic about being part of projects that lay the groundwork for a better tomorrow.

Dr. Eva Avilla Royo

Research & Innovation Project Manager
Horizon EuropeHealthEuropean Innovation Council
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