What Funders Look for in 2025: Trends, Shifts and Strategies

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ENFA
ENFA

As the EU gears up for the next funding cycle, 2025 will not just be a continuation of previous years—it will mark a decisive pivot point. Whether you're preparing for a Horizon Europe application, positioning a cross-border partnership for EEA/Norway Grants, or aligning with Nordic innovation strategies, it’s essential to understand how funding priorities are evolving.

This article explores five emerging trends that will shape funding decisions in 2025 and outlines concrete actions you can take now to stay ahead.

Integrated Impact: Beyond KPIs Toward Systemic Change

European funders are moving away from narrow success metrics toward holistic, systems-based outcomes. Rather than counting users or training sessions, they’re asking:

  • Does your solution change behavior at scale?
  • Does it create structural change in institutions or ecosystems?
  • Is it resilient across socioeconomic and geographic divides?

This is especially true in programs like Horizon Europe, where “impact pathways” are now central to evaluation criteria.

Strategic move: Start framing your projects in terms of multi-level outcomes: individual, organizational, and policy/systemic. Use Theory of Change models to align your activities, outputs, and long-term impacts. Review past successful proposals and note how they linked micro and macro effects.

Climate is No Longer a Sector—It’s a Baseline

By 2025, climate-related outcomes will be embedded as baseline requirements in many funding calls—even outside the traditional sustainability domain.

Programs from Interreg to the European Innovation Council are increasingly requiring applicants to demonstrate:

  • A reduced carbon footprint for project implementation
  • Sustainable procurement and logistics
  • Climate-positive or climate-neutral outputs

Strategic move:Perform a climate audit on your proposed project. Can your innovation reduce emissions in its production, distribution, or lifecycle? Integrate ESG reporting principles into your monitoring and evaluation strategy—even if you're not yet required to do so.

Deep Tech and AI: But with Guardrails

The demand for projects in AI, blockchain, and quantum computing will continue to rise in 2025—but with a sharp focus on ethical use, transparency, and sovereignty.

In response to the EU AI Act, funders are asking:

  • Is your AI use explainable and non-discriminatory?
  • How are you handling data privacy, particularly across borders?
  • Are you sourcing data ethically and legally?

Additionally, Europe wants technological sovereignty—meaning solutions that are not overly dependent on non-European infrastructure or providers.

Strategic move: Ensure your project meets GDPR, aligns with the AI Act, and includes a responsible tech framework. Build in explainability, opt-outs, and bias testing. Partner with local or open-source providers where possible.

Inclusive Innovation: Equity as a Funding Imperative

The European Commission is widening its lens on inclusion. This now means:

  • Gender equity across teams and leadership
  • Geographic balance (not just EU15 countries dominating)
  • Inclusion of marginalized and underrepresented communities in both design and benefit

Programs like EU4Health and Creative Europe are emphasizing co-creation with target communities, not just passive inclusion.

Strategic move:Co-design your project with community stakeholders. Include budget lines for participatory design, focus groups, or advisory panels representing vulnerable groups. And—critically—make sure leadership reflects diversity, not just implementation.

Resilience and Adaptability: Lessons from Global Disruption

Whether it’s war in Ukraine, energy instability, supply chain shocks, or climate events, EU funders are now looking for resilient project designs. They favor solutions that:

  • Can be adapted to changing political, economic, or environmental conditions
  • Build local capacity rather than depend solely on external inputs
  • Include contingency plans or alternative delivery mechanisms

Strategic move:Add a resilience plan to your project proposal. How will you pivot if a geopolitical crisis affects your delivery partners? What backups exist for your tech stack or suppliers? Can your project scale up or down flexibly?

Cross-Cutting: Strategic Use of Partnerships and Policy Alignment

Even outside these five trends, one theme unites successful applications: strategic alignment with EU policy and global agendas. The more your project reflects not just a good idea, but a response to EU priorities, the better it will perform.

Key policy documents to review now:

Strategic move: Map your proposal directly to at least two EU strategic priorities and one SDG. Use the same language that appears in calls for proposals—terms like “just transition,” “smart specialization,” or “digital resilience.”

Final Thought: Funders Are Not Just Picking Projects—They’re Backing Strategies

To win in 2025, you must position yourself not just as a project lead, but as a long-term partner in European transformation. This means demonstrating:

  • Strategic alignment with EU foresight
  • Operational readiness and transparency
  • Deep value through collaboration

At ENFA, we help organizations not only apply for grants but also design funding-ready ecosystems. From early-stage scoping to matchmaking and compliance, our tools, events, and advisory services are designed for the funding landscape ahead.

Ready to prepare your team for 2025?

Visit ENFA.org to join our next policy-aligned workshop or post a collaboration opportunity on our upcoming Pitchboard.

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