Every great EU funded project starts the same way: someone has an idea and wonders if Europe will back it. Tiko Pro Ideation turns that question into a clear answer. In 3 to 4 weeks, senior EU funding experts analyse your idea, match it to the programmes and calls where you are genuinely competitive, propose your core consortium and give you a clear GO or NO-GO. Below are the ten questions startups, SMEs and first time applicants ask us most, answered in full.
Key takeaways
- What it is: a fixed fee, fixed scope expert assessment of your idea's EU funding potential, delivered before you commit to a full proposal.
- What you get: relevant national and EU programmes and open calls, a fit assessment, the recommended funding route, a proposed core consortium and a clear GO or NO-GO with next steps.
- How long: typically 3 to 4 weeks from kick-off.
- Who it is for: startups, SMEs and organisations new to EU funding, or anyone with several ideas who needs to know which one to take forward.
- Why it matters: matching tools can tell you which calls are open. Tiko Pro tells you whether you can win one.
1. What is Tiko Pro Ideation?
Tiko Pro Ideation is an expert-led, fixed-fee assessment that tells you whether your innovation, R&D or investment idea has real EU funding potential, which programme and call fit it best, which partners you need and whether you should GO or NO-GO. It is Stage I of Tiko Pro's service offer and is designed for the moment before you invest months of time, budget and internal resources into a full EU funding proposal.
Most organisations approach EU funding the wrong way round. They spot an open call, get excited and start writing, only to discover halfway through that the topic expects a different technology readiness level, a consortium they do not have, or an impact story their project cannot tell. Ideation flips the order. We start with you: your technology, your plans, your references and your capacity. Then we look for the calls that genuinely fit.
That is what makes Ideation so satisfying. You bring the idea, and within a few weeks you have something most applicants never get before they start writing: certainty. You know if your idea is fundable, you know where it belongs, you know who should be at the table with you, and you know what to prepare next.
Our campaign line sums it up: Turn your idea into certainty. One fixed fee, one fixed scope, one clear answer, before you commit to anything bigger.
2. Who is Ideation for, and when do you need it?
Ideation is built for startups, SMEs and organisations that are new to EU funding, and it delivers the most value in three situations: when EU funding is completely new to you, when you have a project but the right funding route is unclear, and when you have several innovations and need to decide which one to take forward.
You are new to EU funding. You have a promising technology, project or ambition, but EU programmes feel bureaucratic, slow and far away. You do not have an in-house grants team and you are not sure whether your idea, or your team, is even fundable. You do not need to become an EU funding expert. You need one clear answer: is this fundable, and how? Ideation answers exactly that, and shows you where to start.
Your funding route is unclear. You already have a concrete R&D, technology or investment project. Maybe you work in manufacturing, digital and AI, cybersecurity, clean and green tech, biotech or medtech. The problem is choice: Horizon Europe, EIC, Digital Europe, Eurostars, cascade funding or a national scheme? Each has its own rules, budgets and expectations, and picking wrong can cost you months. Ideation tells you which opportunity fits your project best and whether it is worth pursuing.
You need to prioritise your innovations. Your company has an R&D roadmap, an innovation pipeline or planned strategic investments, and not every initiative can be pursued at once. Before you commit significant internal budget, you want an independent, external expert view. Ideation assesses which initiatives have the strongest EU funding potential and which should go first, giving leadership a clear, argued basis for the decision.
If any of these sound familiar, Ideation is the smartest first step you can take.
3. Why should I do Ideation before writing an EU funding proposal?
Because a competitive EU proposal takes months of work from your team, often with a partner consortium involved, and Ideation makes sure all that effort goes into a call you can realistically win. It is the lowest risk, highest clarity way to start your EU funding journey.
Think about what a full proposal really involves. In Horizon Europe, for example, evaluators score proposals on excellence, impact and the quality of implementation. That means a detailed work plan, a credible budget, a convincing impact pathway, the right partners with the right roles, and a lot of coordination across organisations and countries. Many EU calls are highly competitive, so even a very good idea can lose simply because it was submitted to the wrong topic.
When the fit is wrong, the cost is not just a rejected proposal. It is months of internal time you cannot get back, partners whose goodwill you have used up, and sometimes a better-suited call that closed while you were busy writing for the wrong one.
Ideation changes that equation:
- You know the price upfront. One fixed fee for one fixed scope, agreed before we start.
- The deliverable is a decision, not a chance at one. You receive a clear GO or NO-GO, not a vague list of possibilities.
- You start with a head start. A GO comes with the realistic programmes identified and the core consortium already proposed.
In short: before you spend months writing a proposal, spend one fixed fee on certainty.
4. How does the Ideation process work, step by step?
Tiko Pro Ideation follows four clear steps, Analyse, Match, Structure and Decide, and typically takes 3 to 4 weeks from kick-off, depending on the complexity of your idea. You bring the idea; we find the right funding path.
Step 1: Analyse. We explore your innovation, ambition, capacity and references. What does your technology do, how mature is it, what have you already achieved, who is on your team and what can your organisation realistically deliver? We then translate all of this into the language of EU programmes, because evaluators think in terms of objectives, expected outcomes, impact and implementation capacity, not product features.
Step 2: Match. We map the relevant national and EU programmes, including Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, EIC, Eurostars, LIFE, the European Defence Fund and cascade funding. From that landscape we shortlist the topics and calls where your profile is genuinely competitive, not just technically eligible. This is where expert judgement matters most, because an open call and a winnable call are two very different things.
Step 3: Structure. Most EU calls are won by the right consortium, not by a single brilliant organisation. We identify the partner types your target topic requires, such as research organisations, technology providers, end users or pilot sites, and propose concrete organisations from our European network.
Step 4: Decide. You receive a clear GO or NO-GO, the call to target first, and what to prepare next. No guesswork, no endless options, just a well-argued recommendation you can act on straight away.
The checkmark you see on all our Ideation materials means exactly one thing: decision reached.
5. What exactly do I receive at the end of Ideation?
At the end of Ideation you receive a concise expert assessment that covers five things: the relevant national and EU funding programmes and open calls, an assessment of your idea's and organisation's fit, the recommended funding route and priority opportunity, a proposed core consortium where relevant, and a clear GO or NO-GO with next steps.
Here is what each part gives you in practice:
- Relevant national and EU funding programmes and open calls. A focused view of the opportunities that actually matter for your idea, instead of hours spent scrolling through funding portals.
- Assessment of your idea's and organisation's fit. An honest view of where your idea and your organisation are strong, and where they may fall short of what evaluators expect.
- Recommended funding route and priority opportunity. Which programme to go for and which call to target first, so your team can focus its energy in one direction.
- Proposed core consortium, where relevant. The partner types your topic requires, with concrete organisations from our European network, so you are not starting partner search from a blank page.
- Clear GO or NO-GO and next steps. A decision you can take to your management or board, plus a practical list of what to prepare.
The assessment is deliberately concise. It is written to be read and acted on by decision makers, not filed away. As we like to say: a GO gives you weeks of head start, not a blank page.
6. Which EU funding programmes does Ideation cover?
Tiko Pro Ideation covers both national and EU funding, including Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme, the European Innovation Council (EIC), Eurostars, LIFE, the European Defence Fund (EDF) and cascade funding (FSTP). We look across all of them so your idea is matched to the programme where it is most competitive, not just the one you have heard of.
| Programme |
What it typically supports |
Often a strong fit for |
| Horizon Europe |
Research and innovation projects addressing European challenges in areas such as health, digital technologies, industry, climate, energy and mobility |
Organisations ready to join or lead an international research and innovation consortium |
| Digital Europe Programme |
Deployment and uptake of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data spaces, advanced digital skills and high-performance computing |
Companies and public organisations bringing mature digital solutions into real-world use |
| European Innovation Council (EIC) |
Breakthrough and deep-tech innovations with strong market potential, including support through the EIC Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator |
Startups, SMEs and research teams developing high-risk, high-impact technologies |
| Eurostars |
International collaborative R&D projects led by innovative SMEs and focused on developing market-oriented products, processes or services |
R&D-performing SMEs that want to innovate with an international partner |
| LIFE |
Environment, biodiversity, circular economy, climate action and the clean energy transition |
Organisations developing solutions with clear and measurable environmental or climate impact |
| Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) |
Development and modernisation of European transport, energy and digital connectivity infrastructure |
Infrastructure operators, public authorities and technology providers working on projects with cross-border or European added value |
| Innovation Fund |
Demonstration, deployment and commercialisation of innovative net-zero and low-carbon technologies |
Companies preparing mature industrial decarbonisation, clean energy or clean technology investments |
| Interreg |
Cooperation between countries and regions to address shared challenges in areas such as innovation, sustainability, climate resilience and regional development |
Public authorities, research organisations, clusters, NGOs and companies working with partners from eligible regions |
| European Defence Fund (EDF) |
Collaborative defence research and development of defence capabilities and technologies |
Defence companies, research organisations and developers of relevant dual-use technologies |
| Cascade funding (FSTP) |
Smaller grants distributed by EU-funded projects to startups, SMEs and other third parties, often through simpler application procedures |
Startups and SMEs looking for an accessible first step into EU funding |
| Other EU programmes |
Specialised opportunities under programmes such as EU4Health,the Single Market Programme and the European Space Programme |
Organisations pursuing projects in education, skills, health, culture, entrepreneurship, space and other specialised fields |
| National programmes |
Country-level grants and other innovation or investment support schemes |
Projects for which a national programme offers a faster, simpler or more suitable funding route |
The real value is not the list itself. Anyone can find a list. The value is knowing which of these programmes your specific idea can realistically win, and which ones would only waste your time.
7. What if the result is NO-GO? Is Ideation still worth it?
Yes. A well-argued NO-GO is a valid and money-saving result. It stops you from spending months of team time, budget and partner goodwill on a proposal that was unlikely to succeed, and it explains why, so you can make better decisions from that point on.
We know that an honest NO-GO can feel disappointing in the moment. But compare the two scenarios. Without Ideation, you might spend three or four months writing a proposal, coordinate several partners, submit, wait for evaluation, and only then learn that the fit was never there. With Ideation, you find out in a few weeks, at a known cost, and you keep your resources for the opportunities that can actually pay off.
A NO-GO from Tiko Pro is never just a "no". It comes with the reasoning behind it and next steps. That might mean strengthening a specific element of your project, waiting for a call that suits your profile better, or prioritising a different initiative in your pipeline. For companies comparing several ideas, a NO-GO on one project is often exactly what frees up budget and focus for the one that deserves it.
This is also why we built Ideation around a decision rather than a sales pitch. Our senior experts give you the answer that is right for your organisation, even when that answer is "not this call, not yet".
8. How is Tiko Pro Ideation different from funding databases, call-matching tools or AI search?
Matching tools can tell you which calls are open. Tiko Pro tells you whether you can win one. Ideation is run by senior EU funding specialists, not an algorithm, and it delivers a decision, a funding route and a proposed consortium rather than a list of search results.
| |
Call database or matching tool |
Going straight to a proposal |
Tiko Pro Ideation |
| What you get |
A list of open calls that match keywords |
A full proposal, with no certainty it fits |
A clear GO or NO-GO, priority call and next steps |
| Who assesses fit |
Software, based on keywords and filters |
Your own team, often learning as it goes |
Senior EU funding experts |
| Consortium |
Not included |
You find partners yourself |
Core consortium proposed from our European network if needed |
| Cost certainty |
Low cost, but the real work is still ahead |
Months of internal time and budget |
One fixed fee, one fixed scope |
| Outcome |
Options |
A chance at funding |
A decision |
A keyword match says a call is relevant. It cannot tell you whether evaluators will see your project as excellent, whether your impact story is strong enough, whether your team has the implementation capacity the topic expects, or which partners you are missing. Those judgements come from experience.
9. How long does Ideation take and how much does it cost?
Ideation typically takes 3 to 4 weeks from kick-off, depending on the complexity of your idea. It is offered at a fixed fee for a fixed scope, agreed with you before we start, so there are no open-ended costs and no surprises. Contact us for the current fee for your market.
What influences the timeline. A single, well-defined project can move quickly. An R&D roadmap with several initiatives to compare, or a very novel technology that sits between programmes, needs a little more analysis. Either way, you will know the expected timing when we agree the scope.
How you can speed things up. The more we know at kick-off, the faster we move. Useful inputs include a short description of your technology or project, where it stands today, your plans for the next few years, your team and key references, and any previous experience with grants or partnerships.
What the fee covers. The full four-step process (Analyse, Match, Structure, Decide) and your concise expert assessment with the programmes and calls, fit assessment, recommended route, proposed core consortium and GO or NO-GO.
10. What happens after a GO, and how do I book my Ideation session?
If the answer is GO and you continue with Tiko Pro, your Ideation investment carries forward into proposal development.
The analysis, call selection and proposed core consortium become the foundation of your proposal. Our team builds on that work to develop the project, bring partners together and prepare the application. The experts who assessed your idea already understand your technology, ambitions and funding route, making the transition into proposal development straightforward.
Our principle is simple: one fee, one scope, one clear answer. If the answer is NO-GO, you save time and budget by avoiding an unsuitable proposal. If the answer is GO, your investment supports the next step towards funding.
Once your project is funded, Tiko Pro can also support project management, communication and dissemination.
How booking works.
- Book your Ideation session using the form on this page.
- Have a short discovery conversation with our team about your idea and what you want to achieve.
- Agree the scope and fixed fee before any work begins.
- Kick off and receive your GO or NO-GO, typically within 3 to 4 weeks.
Book your Ideation session →