Higher education and research expert calls for improving EU funding success rates

A higher education and research expert has called for improving EU funding success rates to ensure a better return on the resources invested in preparing proposals.

Amanda Crowfoot, Secretary General of the European University Association (EUA), said: "We need to go back to what we've been discussing for decades now: how to do something about the success rates in EU programmes? So that when people do put the time, effort and money into putting these things together, they've at least got a better chance of success."

She was speaking at a panel discussion organised by COST, a European instrument supporting cooperation among researchers and innovators, on 22/10/2026. She pointed out that, given budget pressures across Europe, many universities didn't devote a great deal of time to a project…