Funding for Individual Researchers: What Actually Works in MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and ERC Grants

Free Live Webinar · Thursday, 24 November 2026

Most individual researcher proposals are not lost because of the science.

They are lost because the wrong scheme is chosen, the first page does not create a strong enough case, or the track record reads like a CV instead of evidence of why this researcher can deliver the proposed work.

In this practical 60-minute webinar, you will see how MSCA-PF evaluators and ERC panel members read proposals during their first minutes of assessment, which sentences shape their first impression, and which scheme fits your career stage under the 2027 rules.

Stay for up to 30 additional minutes of open Q&A.

Webinar Details

Date: Thursday, 24 November 2026
Time: 11:00–12:00 Brussels time (12:00–13:00 Athens)
Open Q&A: Until 12:30 Brussels time
Format: Live Zoom
Price: Free

Reserve My Free Seat

Why Attend

ERC and MSCA-PF proposals succeed through strong positioning: the right scheme, a gap the evaluator believes matters, and a researcher the evaluator trusts to close it.

During this webinar, you will learn:

• Which scheme fits your career stage under the 2027 ERC rules

• How the ERC Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grant routes differ

• How the MSCA-PF 8-year eligibility rule affects your options

• What an ERC panel looks for during its first reading

• Why the gap, "why now" and preliminary-result sentences matter

• Why scientifically strong proposals can still receive a B

• What "supervisor and host fit" means to an MSCA-PF evaluator

• Why some Widening-host MSCA-PF applications lose points despite strong science

• How to turn your track record from a CV into evidence

• The common track-record weaknesses that hurt Advanced Grant applications

What You Will Walk Away With

01 — Confirm Your Scheme and Your Year

A practical one-page decision framework covering MSCA-PF, ERC Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grant, with the relevant 2027 eligibility windows applied to your career stage.

02 — Your Four Whys on One Page

Work through:

Why this? Why now? Why you? Why here?

You will also see two anonymised examples and how the panel interpreted each.

03 — The Risk-Novelty Sentence

Examine three real-world risk-novelty examples and see how the panel reads each one.

You will then have the opportunity to rewrite your own risk-novelty positioning during the session.

Who Runs It

Dr. Nikolaos Floratos

EU funding consultant since 1997 and European Commission expert evaluator since 2003, with experience across FP4, FP5, FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe and EIC programmes.

• 50,000+ researchers and innovation actors trained

• Experience across 45+ countries

• Creator of the OpenCosmos platform

• Trainer of ERC, MSCA, Erasmus+ and AI grant-writing courses at the Funding Expert Academy

Who Should Attend

This webinar is designed for:

• Postdoctoral researchers within 8 years of their PhD considering MSCA-PF 2027

• Researchers 2–15 years after their PhD deciding between ERC Starting and Consolidator

• Established PIs preparing for an ERC Advanced Grant

• Supervisors and host institutions supporting MSCA-PF applicants

• University research offices supporting individual grant applicants

• Researchers preparing a resubmission who want to understand why their previous proposal did not score higher

Included with Your Free Registration

Your free registration includes:

• Live webinar access

• Presentation slides

• One-page scheme decision sheet

• Practical exercises on positioning and track record

• A EUR 50 discount code for the ERC Success Lab, valid for 48 hours after the webinar

Next Step: ERC Success Lab · 3 December 2026

For researchers pursuing an ERC grant, the next step is a half-day practical writing session on Thursday, 3 December 2026.

Bring your B1 draft and work live on:

• The four Whys

• Your risk-novelty positioning

• Your track-record narrative

• Proposal positioning under evaluator-style review

The session also includes a free pre-submission evaluation arrangement before the ERC Consolidator deadline.

Price: EUR 350

Webinar participants receive EUR 50 off the ERC Success Lab when they register within 48 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

I cannot attend live. Will I get the recording?

No. This webinar is live only, and no recording is sent to registrants.

Participants who attend the follow-up ERC Success Lab will receive access to its recording.

I do not know yet whether MSCA-PF or ERC is right for me.

That's exactly what the first part of the webinar is designed to address.

You will work through the relevant 2027 eligibility windows and compare the different routes before deciding which scheme fits your career stage.

Is this only for first-time applicants?

No. Resubmittters can benefit equally.

Many unsuccessful proposals are not rejected because the underlying science is weak, but because of positioning, scheme choice, the first page or how the applicant's track record is presented.

I only want to apply for MSCA-PF. Is the 3 December lab for me?

No. The 3 December ERC Success Lab is focused on ERC applications.

A dedicated MSCA-PF course will follow in spring 2027, ahead of the September 2027 deadline. Webinar registrants will be informed first.

Questions?

Email: info@keyinnovations.eu

What Actually Works for Success in Horizon Europe Grant Writing with Responsible AI

Free Live Webinar · Friday 6 November 2026

11:00–12:00 Brussels time · Live on Zoom · Free

Learn how evaluators recognise AI-generated proposal text, where responsible AI genuinely improves a proposal, and how to use AI without weakening your application or compromising confidential information.

Reserve My Free Seat

Why Attend?

AI can make proposal writing faster—but using it simply to generate polished paragraphs can make a proposal less convincing, not more.

In this practical 60-minute webinar, you will see how evaluators distinguish strong applicant-written text from generic machine-generated language and how AI can instead be used as a second reader to challenge and improve your proposal.

You will learn:

• The five patterns evaluators recognise as machine-written text and why they can cost points
• Four effective uses of AI: gap analysis, adversarial evaluator review, consistency checking, and rewriting in your own voice
• How to control AI failures such as invented references, incorrect eligibility advice and unsupported numbers
• How to protect confidential consortium information when using AI tools
• How to prepare a simple AI-use statement for your proposal and a practical AI rule for your consortium
• Which free and institutional AI tools are suitable for different tasks and how to switch off training on your data

What You Will Walk Away With

01 — The Five-Pattern Check

A practical check you can immediately run on a page of your own proposal to identify language that may look machine-generated.

02 — The Evaluator Prompt

The complete adversarial-review prompt, with the award criteria built in, demonstrated live with a real output.

03 — Your AI-Use Statement & Consortium Rule

A practical one-paragraph statement for your proposal and a simple three-line rule that can be shared with consortium partners.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is ideal for:

• Researchers and coordinators preparing a Horizon Europe proposal within the next six months
• Research and project office staff who review proposals before submission
• Consultants and NCP staff advising applicants on responsible AI use
• Applicants working on Erasmus+, Digital Europe, LIFE or Creative Europe, where the same methods can be applied

Webinar Details

[Reserve My Free Seat]

Who Runs It?

Dr. Nikolaos Floratos

EU funding consultant since 1997 and European Commission expert evaluator since 2003, with experience across FP4, FP5, FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe and EIC programmes.

He has trained 50,000+ researchers and innovation actors in 45+ countries, is the creator of the OpenCosmos platform, and trains ERC, MSCA, Erasmus+ and AI grant-writing courses at the Funding Expert Academy.

Included With Your Free Registration

Your free registration includes:

• Live webinar access
• The presentation slides
• Five-Pattern Check one-page document
• Evaluator Prompt one-page document
• EUR 50 discount code for the AI Proposal Bootcamp, valid for 48 hours after the webinar

Your Next Step: AI Proposal Bootcamp

Thursday 19 November 2026 · 09:30–13:00 Brussels

Want to apply the method directly to your own proposal?

The follow-up AI Proposal Bootcamp is a half-day live workshop where you bring your own call text and draft section and work directly on it.

You will leave with:

• A gap analysis against your call
• An evaluator-style review of your own text
• A rewrite in your own voice
• A tested responsible-AI prompt set
• A consistency check across your proposal
• A free pre-submission evaluation of your complete proposal

EUR 350 · Webinar participants receive EUR 50 off when they register within 48 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

I cannot attend live. Will I get the recording?
No. This webinar is live only. Bootcamp participants receive the bootcamp recording.

Do I need previous experience with AI tools?
No. Everything is demonstrated on screen using accessible tools. If you have used a chatbot before, you can follow the session.

Is using AI allowed in Horizon Europe proposals?
Yes. You remain fully responsible for everything submitted, and confidentiality requirements still apply to your consortium's information.

Does this apply outside Horizon Europe?
Yes. The examples use Horizon Europe, but the approach and prompts can also be applied to calls with published award criteria, including Erasmus+, Digital Europe, LIFE and Creative Europe.

Use AI to Make Your Proposal Sharper — Not More Artificial

Join this free live webinar and learn what evaluators actually notice, what they never see, and how to use responsible AI without giving away your own voice.

[Reserve My Free Seat]

Questions? info@keyinnovations.eu

What Actually Works for Success in Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships (KA220): How National Agency Evaluators Score in 20 Minutes

Free Live Webinar · 13 January 2027

Thousands of KA220 applications are submitted every year, yet in many countries fewer than one in four are funded.

Why do some proposals succeed while others with good ideas are rejected?

National Agency evaluators often have only a limited amount of time to assess each application. What they reward is not simply a good project idea, but a proposal that clearly proves the need, connects priorities to activities, uses the lump-sum budget convincingly, and demonstrates results that will continue beyond the project.

In this practical 60-minute webinar, you will see how these elements are evaluated in practice, including the five most common rejection reasons taken from real National Agency feedback letters.

The session is designed to help you prepare now, ahead of the 2027 KA220 call deadline expected in early March.

Stay for up to 30 additional minutes of open questions with Dr. Nikolaos Floratos.

Webinar Details

Date: Wednesday, 13 January 2027
Time: 11:00–12:00 Brussels time
Open Questions: Until 12:30 Brussels time
Format: Live on Zoom
Price: Free

Reserve Your Free Seat

Why Attend

In this webinar, you will learn what evaluators actually look for when scoring a KA220 proposal.

Needs Analysis and Priorities

Learn how to prove a genuine need with data rather than adjectives, how to select an appropriate horizontal and sectoral priority, and how to demonstrate those priorities through your activities.

You will also learn the difference between a project idea and a convincing project rationale.

Work Packages Under the Lump Sum

Understand how evaluators assess whether the EUR 120,000, EUR 250,000, or EUR 400,000 lump-sum amount is realistic for the proposed activities.

You will also see what can happen when work packages are too vague or insufficiently connected to the budget.

Partnership

Discover why simply stating that partners have worked together before is not enough.

Learn how to demonstrate complementary roles, clear responsibilities, and a partnership structure that makes sense to an evaluator.

Impact That National Agencies Believe

See how to design results that outlive the project, demonstrate transferability, and create a dissemination plan with measurable targets, numbers, and appropriate channels.

The Five Most Common Rejection Reasons

Review five recurring weaknesses taken from real National Agency feedback letters — and learn the questions you should ask about your own draft.

What You Will Walk Away With

01 — The Need in Three Sentences

Learn the exercise for presenting your project's need clearly, with one meaningful number in each sentence.

You will see two examples: one that worked and one that did not.

02 — A Lump-Sum Fit Check

Learn how to test whether EUR 120,000, EUR 250,000, or EUR 400,000 realistically matches your proposed work packages before an evaluator does.

03 — One Objective Rewritten Live

See a weak project objective transformed into a measurable objective with a defined audience, a clear work-package connection, and a specific result.

04 — The Rejection-Reason Checklist

Take away five questions based on the most common rejection reasons — so you can use them to test your own KA220 draft.

Who Runs the Webinar

Dr. Nikolaos Floratos

EU funding consultant since 1997 and European Commission expert evaluator since 2003, with a PhD in student engagement in online courses.

• 50,000+ individuals trained
• Experience across 45+ countries
• Creator of the OpenCosmos platform
• Trainer of ERC, MSCA, Erasmus+ and AI grant-writing courses at the Funding Expert Academy

Who Should Attend

This webinar is designed for:

• Schools preparing a first or second KA220 application
• VET providers
• Adult education organisations
• Youth organisations
• Higher education institutions and research organisations
• NGOs, municipalities and SMEs participating as project partners
• Erasmus+ coordinators in universities and national networks
• Organisations looking to strengthen an existing KA220 proposal

Whether you are coordinating the application or joining as a partner, the session will help you understand what your section needs to demonstrate.

Included With Your Free Registration

Your free registration includes:

• Live webinar access
• Presentation slides
• The lump-sum fit-check exercise
• The rejection-reason checklist
• An introduction to OpenCosmos
• Information on how OpenCosmos members can find partners and obtain external feedback on proposal drafts

After the Webinar: Free 30-Minute Call

Organisations that want support reviewing their draft before the March deadline can book a free 30-minute call with Dr. Nikolaos Floratos after the webinar.

The call can be used to discuss:

• Your KA220 draft
• Proposal weaknesses
• Areas requiring further development
• Consultancy support for your application
• How OpenCosmos can support your proposal-development process

Frequently Asked Questions

I cannot attend live. Will I receive the recording?

Yes. Registrants will receive the recording together with the training slides.

The 2027 call has not been published yet. What can I do now?

A large part of the preparation does not depend on the final call text.

You can already work on your needs analysis, partnership structure, objectives, work-package logic, and project rationale. The webinar explains what you can prepare now and what you should wait to confirm once the 2027 call is published.

Is this also relevant for KA210 Small-scale Partnerships?

Yes, briefly. KA210 follows the same general family of criteria and lump-sum logic, although the main examples and exercises in this webinar focus on KA220 Cooperation Partnerships.

Questions?

Email info@keyinnovations.eu