Episode 15 of the WHySE Creatures Stories
This post first appeared on LinkedIn on 21 July 2026.
12.5 out of 15 points – and yet the EU funding application has been rejected.
“Dog, have a look. A project proposal. Horizon Europe. Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Research, innovation, hydrogen. That’s brilliant, isn’t it?”
Goat places her project outline on the table.
Dog glances at the documents.
“The idea is brilliant. Now let’s see if the application is too.”
Goat frowns.
“What do you mean?”
Dog takes three cards.
The first one reads: Relevance.
The second: Implementation (implementation and project management).
The third: Impact.
“These three areas are equally important,” says Dog.
A maximum of 5 points can be awarded per area.
The threshold is 3 points for each area.
In total, the application needs at least 9 points. And each area must meet the minimum requirement on its own. Here’s an example:
Relevance: 5 points.
Impact: 5 points.
Implementation: 2.5 points.
High score.
The evaluation report is available.
Project rejected.
Because one of the three areas falls short of the minimum score.
Goat falls silent.
“So a good idea isn’t enough?”
Dog shakes his head calmly.
“A good idea is just the start. The application must demonstrate why it is relevant, how it will be managed and what the outcome will be.”
Relevance asks:
Which research and development question or problem are we solving?
Implementation asks:
Who does what, when, and with what responsibilities?
Impact asks:
What will change as a result? Products, efficiency, costs, application, jobs?
When it comes to implementation, Dog takes a particularly close look:
- Is the consortium suitable?
- Are roles and governance clarified?
- Are there people in charge of all three areas?
- Who is holding the whole proposal together?
- Are internal experts involved early enough? And do you remember Snake? When it comes to legal matters, the consortium agreement and intellectual property, it’s best to have him at the table from the outset.
- And what support does the project draw on along the way? For example, the European Commission’s Horizon Results Booster when it comes to commercialisation and market relevance.
If you only want to remember one sentence:
A good funding application rests on three pillars: relevance, project management and impact. Each pillar must be strong enough to bear the weight.
If you’re currently preparing a Horizon Europe or Clean Hydrogen Partnership application: let’s look at these three pillars early on. Before a strong idea turns into a shaky application.