Proposal writing
Ready to turn your idea into a winning proposal?
Our specialists are ready to help you make your application clear, convincing and compliant: from first outline to final submission.
Discover how we can help you
Get in touch with our specialists
Freek Hopman
088 495 20 00A good project deserves a grant application that does it justice. Proposal writing is the step in which your project idea is translated into a clear, compelling and compliant application that matches exactly what the funding body is looking for. This is where many promising projects win (or lose) points, regardless of the quality of the underlying idea. Our specialists take the lead in this process, working closely with you (and your project partners, in case of a consortium) from the first outline to final submission.
A good fit with the call
Before writing starts, we check how well your project matches the specific requirements of the call: its scope, evaluation criteria and the priorities of the funding body. Where needed, we help sharpen the project’s focus – for example by strengthening its industrial or societal relevance – so that it addresses exactly what reviewers will be scoring. This step usually ends in a clear go/no-go, so you know upfront where you stand.
From input to one coherent proposal
Writing a competitive proposal, especially with multiple partners involved, is a matter of structure and coordination as much as of good writing. We typically:
- Set up and monitor a realistic writing schedule and divide tasks across partners (when partners are involved)
- Ask targeted questions, so the right input is delivered at the right time
- Assemble and edit all input into a single, coherent and consistent proposal
- Support the budget and the administrative and financial forms required for submission
- Liaise with national contact points or programme officers where useful
- Review the proposal – including sections such as impact and implementation – against what reviewers are actually looking for
- Take care of design elements such as figures and visuals that help reviewers quickly grasp your project
- Handle the final quality check, lay-out and submission
We adapt this approach to the size and type of application: from a full, extensive proposal to focused support on one or two specific sections, or a second opinion on a draft you have already written.
Backed by experience
Hezelburcht has been writing grant proposals since 1995, including European proposals since the mid-1990s. That experience shows in how we approach reviewers’ expectations, common pitfalls and what separates a funded proposal from a rejected one.
If you are still exploring which grants fit your plans, our grant advice service can help; once your grant is awarded, our compliance & administrative support and project management services can take it from there. Need help finding or aligning consortium partners first? Have a look at consortium building.
Ready to strengthen your application?
Then please do not hesitate to contact us. Our specialists are looking forward to supporting you. Send an email to info@hezelburcht.com, call us on 088 495 20 00 or fill in the form:
