Episode 16 of the WHySE Creatures Stories
This post first appeared on LinkedIn on 23 July 2026.
Three times 2.5 points:
Enough to make you cry – and the start of a steep learning curve.
Dog is sitting on the veranda, thinking back to Goat’s question from Episode 15 of the WHySE Creatures Stories.
And to the evaluation of his first EU funding application.
Relevance: 2.5.
Implementation: 2.5.
Impact: 2.5.
Just below the threshold across the board.
Ouch.
And a real learning experience.
Dog realised back then that a funding application needs more than good ideas and motivated project partners.
Under Relevance, it must be clear exactly which problem is being solved.
What should the solution look like? What is the state of the art? What challenges remain unresolved? Which questions will be answered for research and industry? What should be different 0 to 3 years after the project ends?
When it comes to Implementation, it is not enough simply to list work packages side by side.
They must work together. Responsibilities, decisions, meetings of the Work Package Leaders, conflict resolution and the management structure must be clearly identifiable. Milestones require forward planning. Risks need attention. Good risk management helps immensely.
When it comes to Impact, it is not just about communication, leaflets and newsletters.
It is about disseminating results: specifically addressing relevant groups from research, industry and the public. Through workshops, conferences and scientific publications.
And it is about exploitation: what happens to the results after the project ends? How do they reach the market? Should patents be filed? What synergies with other projects are possible?
And then there are the Technology Readiness Levels, or TRL for short:
Where does each development strand in the project start? What level of readiness should be achieved by the end of the project?
Dog’s learning curve began with three figures. And later ended, on average, with total scores of 13.
A good funding application does not simply describe a nice idea.
It describes a viable path to turning the idea into reality.
If you are currently preparing a Horizon Europe or Clean Hydrogen Partnership application, or are planning to do so: WHySE supports you throughout the application phase.
In setting up the consortium. In the project management logic. In Relevance, Implementation and Impact. And in providing the common thread that turns good technology into a viable application.