EU Funding Capability Accelerator

Build institutional readiness. Turn ambition into competitive EU proposals.

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EU Funding Support
UK-UA Horizon Europe Support Initiative
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Introduction

UK universities have full access to Horizon Europe and other major EU funding programmes. Many possess excellent research, experienced staff, and strong international ambition. Yet participation and success remain uneven. In our experience, this is rarely a knowledge gap. It is a capability and readiness gap.

The EU Funding Capability Accelerator helps universities move beyond ad-hoc bidding and last-minute proposal writing towards confident, coordinated, and repeatable engagement with EU funding. It is a flexible, modular service designed to build institutional capability, confidence, and partnerships for sustained participation in Horizon Europe and other European programmes. Institutions can engage with individual modules or combine them into a tailored pathway, depending on their starting point and objectives.

Who This Service is Targeted For

This offer is designed for universities that:

  • Want to strengthen or restart engagement with Horizon Europe

  • Have capable researchers but fragmented EU activity

  • Wish to reduce reliance on last-minute consultancy support

  • Are seeking a structured, lower-risk way to build EU capability

  • Recognise that EU success requires institutional coordination, not individual heroics

Institutions can engage at different levels depending on readiness, ambition, and risk appetite.

Why Many Universities Struggle with EU funding

We hear the same challenges repeatedly:

  • “Our researchers are capable, but EU bids feel risky.”

  • “We see many calls, but struggle to prioritise.”

  • “We start too late and scramble near deadlines.”

  • “External consultants help deliver bids, but don’t build internal confidence.”

  • “EU funding feels complex, fragmented, and hard to sustain.”

The issue is not understanding Horizon Europe. Readiness is cumulative — and most institutions are not structured to build it over time.

Proposal quality is not the starting point. It is the outcome of early awareness, strong networks, internal coordination, and live practice.

Our Approach: Capability Before Consultancy

We do not start with proposal writing.

We start with institutional readiness.

Our approach focuses on the foundations of Horizon Europe success:

  • Identifying the right opportunities early

  • Building trusted European networks

  • Aligning researchers and research support functions

  • Practising EU proposal development before it becomes high-stakes

  • Creating internal systems that support quality, not panic

The EU Funding Capability Accelerator is deliberately modular, allowing institutions to start where they are and progress at their own pace.

Service Components

PILLAR I: Insight and Positioning

EU Funding Readiness & Intelligence

A strategic assessment of your EU funding readiness, combined with opportunity scanning to identify relevant calls, clarify priorities, and enable proactive, well-timed engagement with Horizon Europe and other EU programmes

“We need to know where to focus — and where not to.”

This pillar helps universities understand their current position and make informed decisions about EU engagement.

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What this provides:

  • A clear assessment of EU funding readiness
  • Identification of realistic entry points into Horizon Europe
  • Prioritised opportunities aligned to institutional strengths
  • Reduced wasted effort on poorly fitting calls

Typical outcomes:

  • Greater strategic focus
  • Better internal conversations about EU priorities
  • Clear next steps without pressure to bid

Best suited for:

Institutions exploring, restarting, or recalibrating EU funding activity, seeking clarity before commitment.

Pillar 1 Information

PILLAR II: HorizonReady™ Accelerator

HorizonReady™ Execution & Proposal Support

A targeted, in-house training and proposal review support focused on strengthening live EU bids — improving quality, evaluator alignment, and delivery confidence without outsourcing internal capability.

“We are ready to engage — now we need to deliver well.”

The HorizonReady™ Institutional Accelerator is not a generic training programme and not an open cohort. It is bespoke, in-house execution support, aligned to real, live funding opportunities.

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What this supports:

  • Prioritisation of live Horizon Europe calls
  • Stronger proposal architecture and evaluator alignment
  • In-house execution-focused training
  • Consortium positioning and partner engagement
  • Institutional quality assurance before submission

Typical outcomes:

  • Stronger, more coherent proposals
  • Better internal coordination
  • Increased confidence in submission decisions
  • Improved credibility with European partners

Best suited for:

Institutions actively preparing Horizon Europe or EU funding proposals, ready to execute and submit.

Pillar 2 Information

PILLAR III: Capability & Skills Development

The Orizont Academy

A cohort-based programme that builds shared understanding, confidence, and proposal literacy across researchers, research managers, and leaders — laying the foundations for sustained engagement with European funding.

“We want to build EU capability safely and progressively.”

The Orizont Academy is a cohort-based capability programme designed to build confidence, shared understanding, and practical skills across researchers and research support staff.

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What this develops:

  • Proposal literacy and evaluator understanding
  • Confidence in reading and interpreting calls
  • Shared language between researchers and support staff
  • Early exposure to EU collaboration dynamics

Typical outcomes:

  • Reduced anxiety around EU funding
  • Stronger internal capability over time
  • A pipeline of staff ready to engage in future bids

Best suited for:

Institutions building foundational EU capability and internal confidence.

Pillar 3 Information

If you are unsure which pathway is right for your institution, follow the decision tree here and review the further details provided via the buttons above for each pillar.

PILLAR I - Insight & Positioning

EU Funding Readiness & Positioning

Understand your starting point and define a clear EU engagement pathway.

This component provides an institutional-level assessment of your university’s readiness to engage with EU funding, looking beyond individual projects to systems, experience, and strategic alignment.

Supports universities to:

  • Clarify their current EU funding position

  • Identify strengths, gaps, and realistic entry points

  • Define priority themes and collaboration models

Best suited for:
Institutions at an early or exploratory stage, or those seeking a clearer strategic direction.

Opportunity Scanning & EU Funding Intelligence

Focus on relevant EU opportunities — not everything that is open.

CCG provides curated EU funding intelligence aligned to your institutional profile, priorities, and eligibility as a non-EU organisation.

Supports universities to:

  • Identify relevant Horizon Europe and EU funding calls

  • Understand timelines and upcoming opportunities

  • Avoid reactive, last-minute bidding

Best suited for:
Research offices and teams seeking structured, forward-looking EU funding visibility.

PILLAR II - HorizonReady™ Accelerator

In-house Execution-Focused Training

Training that enables action — not training for its own sake.

This component delivers short, targeted, in-house training sessions designed specifically to unblock progress on live EU proposals. Training is delivered only where it directly supports execution.

Sessions are applied, problem-driven, and contextualised to the institution’s own pipeline.

Supports universities to:

  • Understand - evaluator logic and scoring behaviour

  • Strengthen - impact and exploitation narratives

  • Improve proposal - coherence across sections

  • Design robust - implementation plans and work packages

  • Conduct final - readiness and risk reviews before submission

Best suited for:

Institutions actively developing EU proposals that need targeted support to strengthen quality and confidence.

 

Consortium Building & Partner Engagement

Build the right European partnerships — strategically and credibly.

This component supports universities in identifying, approaching, and engaging with suitable European partners aligned to their research priorities.

Supports universities to:

  • Join strong, relevant consortia

  • Position themselves effectively as partners

  • Develop sustainable European research relationships

Best suited for:
Institutions seeking to expand their European network or increase consortium participation.

 

Proposal Development & Review Support

Strengthen proposals while reinforcing internal capability.

For institutions with an existing project idea or consortium, CCG provides targeted support to improve proposal quality and competitiveness.

Supports universities to:

  • Strengthen proposal structure and clarity

  • Align submissions with Horizon Europe evaluation criteria

  • Improve quality without outsourcing capability

Best suited for:
Teams preparing or finalising EU funding proposals.

PILLAR III - Capability & Skills Development

The Orizont Academy

Building confidence, literacy, and readiness for European funding.

The Orizont Academy is a cohort-based capability-building programme designed to strengthen EU funding understanding across researchers, research managers, and institutional leaders.

It focuses on preparing people — building the confidence, shared language, and proposal literacy required for sustained engagement with European funding.

Supports universities to:

  • Demystify EU funding structures and language

  • Build shared understanding across faculties and teams

  • Develop proposal literacy and strategic awareness

  • Normalise European collaboration as part of academic life

Delivery is cohort-based, encouraging peer learning, shared reflection, and cross-institutional exchange.

Best suited for:
Institutions seeking to build foundational EU funding capability before or alongside execution-level engagement.

How the Components Are Used

Universities typically engage with one or more components depending on their needs, for example:

  • Exploration: Readiness & Positioning + Opportunity Scanning

  • Capability Building: Readiness + HorizonReady™ Accelerator + Partner Engagement

  • Project-Focused: Opportunity Scanning + Consortium Building + Proposal Review

  • Make your own mix.

There is no fixed sequence — each engagement is tailored.

Why Work with CCG

Universities work with CCG because we:

  • Focus on capability building, not dependency

  • Support researchers and research offices together

  • Understand UK institutional constraints and incentives

  • Help institutions progress without over-committing too early

  • Align support to how universities actually plan and spend

We do not position ourselves as proposal writers.

We position ourselves as partners in institutional readiness.

How to get started

You do not need to commit to a programme to begin the conversation.

The most useful first step is often a readiness discussion — to clarify where your institution is now and what kind of support would be appropriate.

Start with clarity, not commitment.

  • Discuss your EU funding readiness

  • Explore the HorizonReady Accelerator

  • Learn more about the Orizont Academy

EU funding success is not about working harder at the deadline.

It is about being ready well before it.

The EU Funding Capability Accelerator helps universities move from:

  • Fragmented effort → coordinated strategy

  • Anxiety → confidence

  • One-off bids → sustainable engagement

We don’t write proposals for universities.

We build universities that win.

Start the Conversation

If you are exploring or strengthening your institution’s engagement with EU funding, we’d be happy to discuss which components are most relevant to your needs.

Discuss your EU funding readiness. Explore how the Capability Accelerator could work for your institution.

Get in Touch with:

Elena Bozdog

elena@consultcormack.com

Testimonials

  • Christian Turney, University of Technology Sydney

    Cormack Consultancy Group has been an invaluable partner for our university's international research ambitions. Their deep understanding of the European research ecosystem opened doors we couldn't have accessed independently. Their strategic introductions to key research institutions, market intelligence and cultural insights have been outstanding—nuanced, practical, and delivered with real attention to our specific research strengths. Their guidance has helped us navigate complex European funding frameworks with confidence. For any institution looking to build out their international research programmes, Cormack Consultancy Group delivers exceptional value that extends well beyond traditional consultancy services.

  • Professor Nik Bessis, Faculty of Arts and Science.

    I have been participating in the Club Orizont Club for nearly a year now. The experience has been very positive. I would say that the key advantages are the openness between members, the willingness to adapt, deliver bespoke services and improve as the programme progresses. The variety of sessions and participants prove a useful mix to suit individual needs.

  • Daniel Nemec, Moravian Business College Olomouc

    Membership in Club Orizont workshops allows its members to be more familiar with how grant managements works, how to be the most successful in applying for a project grant, and dealing with finances. On the other hand it is a unique way to meet people from abroad in similar situations, furthermore opens up a potential university partnerships and worldwide internationalization.

  • Vit Paszto, Moravian Business College Olomouc

    Being a member of the Club brings us a unique opportunity to get more familiar with various funding schemes in Europe and worldwide. It is also a great chance for us to meet colleagues from different universities and contexts whilst sharing the same passion for international collaboration.

  • Ovidiu Folcut, Romanian-American University

    Club Horizon it is one of the most interesting initiatives of CCG. For Romanian-American University it was (and is) a great opportunity to find new partners, to explore new areas of interest, to be part of different workshops, to learn from partner’s experience or to share our own experience in different topics. On the other hand, our experience with CCG representatives it was a very nice one: proactive people, very supportive, professional approach.

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