One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is that if your research or innovation is excellent, funding will naturally follow.
If only it were that simple.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked with researchers, universities, SMEs and international consortia on Horizon Europe and its predecessor programmes. One lesson stands out above all others:
Excellence is essential, but excellence alone is rarely enough.
Horizon Europe is not simply looking to fund the best science or the most innovative technology. It is investing in projects that address shared European challenges and deliver benefits that extend beyond any one organisation or country.
This is where many otherwise strong applications fall short.
Myth 1: “If our science is excellent, we’ll be competitive.”
Excellent science is the starting point—not the finish line.
Evaluators also want to understand:
✔️ Why does this challenge matter now?
✔️ Why should it be addressed at a European level?
✔️ Who will benefit from the outcomes?
✔️ How will the results be adopted, exploited and sustained?
✔️ What lasting difference will this project make beyond the funding period?
Myth 2: “A multinational consortium automatically demonstrates European Added Value.”
Simply bringing together partners from different countries isn’t enough.
The strongest consortia are carefully designed because every partner contributes expertise, infrastructure, networks or capabilities that genuinely strengthen the project.
Together, they create outcomes that no single organisation—or even one country—could realistically achieve alone.
That is European Added Value.
Myth 3: “Impact is something to think about later.”
One of the most common mistakes I see is treating Impact as a section to complete once the research plan has been written.
By then, it’s often too late.
Impact should shape the project from the very beginning. It influences your objectives, your consortium, your work packages, your stakeholder engagement and ultimately how your results will be adopted, exploited and sustained.
So, what are evaluators really funding?
They’re not simply funding excellent ideas.
They’re funding projects that combine Excellence, Impact and Implementation into one compelling, coherent story.
The strongest proposals don’t treat these as three independent sections of the application.
They weave them together from the very first page.
Ultimately, Horizon Europe isn’t just investing in excellent projects.
It’s investing in projects that create value for Europe.
That subtle distinction is often what separates a good proposal from a funded one.
💡 Horizon Tip
Before writing a single word of your proposal, ask your consortium one simple question:
“Why does Europe need this project?”
If you can’t answer that convincingly in one paragraph, you probably aren’t ready to write the proposal.
💬 What are your thoughts?
From your experience, what do you think is the biggest misconception about Horizon Europe? Or what surprised you most when preparing your first collaborative proposal?
👇 Share your thoughts in the comments.