In this first episode of this three-part Idea Development Workshop mini-series, I sit down with Ana-Marija Špicnagel (IPS Konzalting) to take the time to read and analyse a Horizon Europe call text, line by line. Using an old Horizon Europe Mission Soil call on harnessing soil biodiversity as a case, we look at where to start (budget, number of projects, type of action and co-funding rules), what grants to third parties actually mean for your consortium design, and how the call connects to wider EU strategies like Farm to Fork, the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the SDGs.
From there we dig into the heart of the text: expected outcomes, scope and proposed activities. We explain why the “small words” matter (“must”, “need”, “should”, “may”), how to tell which bullets are truly mandatory, and why you need to keep re-reading the call while you build your idea. We also touch on mandatory multi-actor approaches, links to sister projects and EU platforms, and why exploitation and real-world testing (demo sites, living labs, farmers in boots) are no longer optional extras but built into how Horizon Europe defines success.
Time codes:
00:02:35 Introduction
00:06:18 Fly in
00:08:52 Call at a glance
00:17:18 The Expected Outcomes
00:21:20 The Scope (what you actually have to do)
Release date: 29th December
Release date: 5th January
Workshop links, documents and resources
