The Challenge
A dermatology facility project in Romania needed to secure STEP funding for a €3.5 million build-out. The application required a comprehensive business plan, detailed budget allocation, equipment specifications, and a sustainability analysis — all structured to maximize the evaluation score within a highly competitive program. The client had the medical expertise but lacked the experience to navigate EU funding bureaucracy.
What We Did
We managed the entire application process from strategy to submission.
We began with a detailed scoring analysis — reverse-engineering the published evaluation criteria to understand exactly what evaluators prioritize and how points are allocated. This informed every decision we made.
We wrote the business plan's CDI (cercetare-dezvoltare-inovare) sections, emphasizing the facility's research and innovation components, which carry significant scoring weight.
We restructured the budget to meet construction cost ceilings while maximizing the allocation for high-scoring categories. This required detailed equipment offer structuring and supplier quotation management.
We optimized the sustainable development components of the application — job creation commitments, environmental considerations, and long-term viability metrics — each calibrated to the scoring grid.
The Outcome
The application achieved an evaluation score of 82–88 out of 100, placing it within the competitive range for approval. The complete submission included a fully scored business plan, optimized budget allocation across all cost categories, and documentation for all equipment and construction specifications.
What Made This Interesting
EU funding applications are not won by having the best project — they're won by having the best application. The scoring grid rewards specific things: job creation, innovation components, sustainability metrics, budget structure. Understanding the grid is more important than understanding the project. This engagement reinforced our core methodology: reverse-engineer the evaluation, then build the application around what scores highest.