Funding of European grants
Most European Union (EU) grants are provided as co-financing (which means partial funding). The beneficiaries then have to provide at least half of the necessary resources themselves.
Direct and indirect funding
The EU funds projects both directly and indirectly.
- Indirectly: member states provide funding on the EU’s behalf
The money is managed by national or regional governments in EU countries. This is how payments are made under the Common Agricultural Policy, for example. - Directly: the EU pays the funding directly to the beneficiary
Universities, businesses and interest groups receive funding in this way.
Features of EU grants
Some of the features of EU funding are as follows:
- A call for proposals is one way of awarding grants. Interested parties have to submit a plan that corresponds with the policy area and satisfies certain conditions.
- Co-financing is the norm in the EU. This gives the beneficiaries a greater stake in their project.
- A grant must not result in a profit for the beneficiaries.
- Grants cannot be awarded retroactively.
Grants for the Netherlands
Compared with the situation in other EU member states, EU grants and make a smaller contribution to the Netherlands’ prosperity. The largest proportion of EU grants that the Netherlands receives is for research and innovation.