When I work on a sport project, my starting question is: whose situation will this idea change, and how? The search for funding comes next. A strong application needs a clear connection between the need, the people involved, the work proposed and the intended change. Building an app, organising training or forming an international network is not an end in itself. We need to explain which problem those activities will help address.
This guide offers a starting framework for people developing ideas in clubs, federations, universities and civil society organisations. I suggest clarifying the idea first, then examining an appropriate call. These steps support preparation; eligibility and assessment requirements must always be checked against the official documents for the particular call.
1. Describe the need before choosing the solution
Instead of “we will build a platform for athletes”, identify which athletes face which difficulty. Separate where the problem occurs, who it affects and why existing support falls short. Research, organisational records or interviews may provide evidence. Record the source, its date and its limitations: a few people’s views do not represent all athletes. Leave things you do not yet know as questions to investigate.
Illustrative example: student-athletes at a club struggle to coordinate examinations and competition schedules. The first idea might be a new app. Short interviews could reveal that the main gap is regular communication between coaches and the school. In this fictional example, a shared planning method might be more useful than starting with software.
2. Find the appropriate action and call
Erasmus+ Sport Cooperation Partnerships are one route for organisations working together internationally. Small-scale Partnerships are worth investigating for grassroots organisations, newcomers to the programme and organisations with more limited capacity. These are not individual athlete scholarships: organisations submit the applications.
Erasmus+ mobility for sport staff serves a different purpose. It supports professional learning for staff, coaches and volunteers in eligible roles; participants cannot take part in their capacity as athletes. Organisations apply to their country’s National Agency. A trip to a competition is therefore not automatically a staff learning mobility activity.
For a sport idea with a substantial research and innovation component, Horizon Europe may also be worth exploring. A “sport technology” label is not sufficient: there must be a genuine match with a specific call topic, whether in health, digital technologies or another field. Read the scope and expected outcomes first; avoid turning the idea into a different problem simply to pursue funding.
3. Distinguish applicants from participants
An athlete, coach or student may benefit from a project without being eligible to apply for it. Check the organisation’s legal form, country, proposed role and required capacity against the call. Türkiye is a country associated to Erasmus+, but this status does not make every organisation automatically eligible for every action or role.
Create a first screening sheet with the programme, action, call identifier, document version, eligible applicants and partnership requirements. Add the activity scope, duration, assessment criteria, funding model and submission channel. Copy the deadline and time zone from the official call. Where a condition remains unclear, record a question to verify instead of marking it as satisfied.
4. Investigate what already exists
Looking at the results of similar Erasmus+ projects can strengthen your needs analysis. Finding a project on the same subject does not invalidate your idea; it asks you to explain what you would repeat and what you would develop further. The programme’s partnership approach encourages building on existing work.
Make three brief notes: which result could help us, what are its conditions of use, and what gap remains for our target group? Translating training materials and testing an adapted approach in a different setting are different contributions. Use that distinction to explain what your proposed work adds.
5. Choose partners for their contribution
Start with the roles needed rather than a list of countries and logos. Who can reach the target group? Who will conduct the research, test the approach and assess the results? Make each organisation’s contribution, time commitment and responsibilities clear. Speaking to an organisation does not mean it has agreed to join; mark unconfirmed partners separately.
Coordination is also more than writing the application. It requires capacity for communication, decisions, progress monitoring and resolving shared problems. Discussing those responsibilities at the start provides a stronger foundation than trying to repair the division of work later.
6. Turn the idea into a workable plan
Give each activity an owner, a time frame and a tangible output. Understanding the need, designing a response together, trying it on a small scale and improving it should form a connected sequence. Meetings help the work happen; they do not produce change by themselves. Arrange work packages according to the application form you will actually use.
Returning to the illustrative example, the sequence might begin with interviews with student-athletes and coaches, followed by designing a shared season plan and testing it with a limited group. The final step would examine what worked and the conditions needed to use it elsewhere. This is an example sequence, not a mandatory activity list for any call.
7. Build the budget from the work
Describe the work first, then estimate the time and resources it needs. Staff time, travel, accessibility support, translation and pilot delivery are possible planning categories to examine. Each category’s eligibility must be confirmed separately. Recording who prepared an estimate and what information they used makes the budget easier for partners to discuss.
Erasmus+ funding models vary by action. A lump sum does not remove the requirement to implement the agreed work and results properly. The same cost cannot be financed twice from the EU budget. Check eligible expenditure, any required co-financing, payment arrangements and reporting against the applicable call and grant rules.
Think about organisational cash flow as well: when will the work take place, when will expenditure arise and when could payment arrive? A balanced total budget does not demonstrate that every partner will have the resources needed during delivery.
8. Separate outputs from the change you want
Publishing a guide is an output. A change in how coaches plan their work is an intended outcome. Describe the starting situation, the change you want and how you will track it together. Participant numbers show reach; they do not, by themselves, demonstrate learning or use.
Give each indicator a data source, a measurement point and an owner. Rather than claiming a small pilot has changed the entire sport system, report clearly what you observed and with which group. Include who will use the results after the project and how they will do so.
9. Design around participants’ experience
Consider barriers involving language, time, physical access and digital access before delivery begins. Where children or people needing additional support are involved, clarify responsibilities and procedures for safe participation. Erasmus+ identifies participants’ protection, health and safety as important programme principles.
For research or evaluation, decide what information you need, why you need it, who can access it and how long it will be retained. Useful evaluation does not always require collecting personal information. Necessary permissions and organisational procedures should be examined for the project’s particular context.
10. Complete the application in the right system
For actions managed by EACEA, applicants use EU Login and a PIC obtained through the Funding & Tenders Participant Register. Erasmus+ actions managed by National Agencies use an Organisation ID, or OID. Check whether your organisation already has a registration; these two identifiers are not interchangeable.
Use the current forms and templates in the actual application system. Check language requirements, page limits and annexes for the call. Obtain the necessary partner authorisations and submit early. Saving a draft is not enough: verify that submission is complete and retain the electronic acknowledgement and receipt.
A final check before submission
- Are the need and target group clear, with supporting evidence?
- Does each central claim connect to the call’s objectives and expected outcomes?
- Have the applicant, partners, roles and eligibility conditions been verified?
- Do activities, owners, timing, budget and indicators fit together?
- Have participation barriers, risks and the use of results been addressed?
- Have the correct template, required annexes, deadline and time zone been checked?
- Are the submission confirmation and final application stored in the shared project workspace?
Use the worksheet below as a first step. You do not need every answer in one sitting. Separate what you know, what you assume and what still needs checking. The aim is a project starting point that people can discuss and use to make the next decision. The worksheet is a personal preparation tool, not an official application form.
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