Lessons learned from grant writing

Writing an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) funding application is a complex undertaking that tests your strategic, academic, and project management skills all at once. It is also highly competitive.

The number of applications has nearly doubled in just three years: from 68 in 2021 to 134 in 2024.
Finnish participation has also grown, from 8 proposals in 2021 to 23 proposals in 2024. The success rate for this action was 28 percent in 2024. However, this does not fully explain the fierce competition, as existing programmes—backed by concrete data rather than projections—are also competing against newly proposed ones. For example, in Finland three projects involving research-intensive universities received funding to continue their existing master’s programmes in 2024. No new programmes were accepted. (Finnish National Agency for Education 2024.)

Even though competition is fierce, the reward, however, is substantial—over 4.6 million euros in funding over a six-year period. This enables the implementation of a high-quality Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) programme that is truly international and integrated. (European Commission 2025.)

As an AI expert Haaga-Helia coordinates a joint Master’s programme on AI for Business Transformation, that is offered jointly with all Ulysseus European University alliance member institutions: the Management Center Innsbruck, the Technical University of Košice, Université Côte d’Azur, University of Genoa, and University of Seville. In this article, I wish to share some key lessons learned while writing an EMJM application for this programme.

Project preparation requires a clear process including distribution of tasks and a timeline

One of the key takeaways from preparing the application is the importance of having a clear and structured process and timeline for project preparation. As the saying goes, a good plan is half the work.

Although I was responsible for overseeing the application process, several team members contributed by providing content for specific sections or handling defined tasks. Given that input was required from multiple contributors, it was essential to establish a clear division of responsibilities and a well-defined timeline from the outset.

In practice, however, this proved to be more challenging than expected. The major challenge being the many surprises along the way and time consuming tasks as collecting needed documentation from partners. There needs to be some readiness for surprises in the scheduling as well as working long hours in the last month of preparation.

Call analysis cannot be overemphasized

A crucial step in project preparation is to carefully analyze the call text by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable sections. This structured approach enables a thorough understanding of the requirements and expectations outlined in the call. The aim, objectives, and intended impact of the project should be linked to the call and serve as the red thread running through the entire application.

These elements must be clearly defined at the very beginning, as they provide the foundation for the proposal and guide the development of all other sections. After this the actual writing may take place.

Learning from prior successful applications but bringing in added value

Having previous successful applications supports the overall planning and writing process strongly. However, copying them is not the way to go. The European commission is looking for proposals that bring in something new, necessary and added value.

The needs analysis section is where this should be emphasised. This section should answer to why the proposed joint master’s program is necessary in terms of academic innovation and societal and market demand. Not only should this section include theory and linkage to the needs of the labour market and the European Union, but also primary data is necessary to show an actual demand for what is proposed.

Consortium building is strategic

Consortium building needs to be highly strategic as the EMJM call has high expectations for strong and deep collaboration between its members. Firstly, institutional integration is called for between the consortium members joint student selection and promotion processes, shared degree awarding mechanisms—often resulting in a joint degree—and unified administrative and financial management across partner institutions (European Commission 2025).

Secondly, many of the programmes, such as the UlysseusAI programme, are also accredited jointly using the European Approach (see more details on the European Approach in European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education 2025), which is a demanding work on its own. This high level of coordination ensures that the programme functions as a truly cohesive and collaborative international offering, rather than a collection of separate national contributions.

Additionally, the majority of EMJMs have various associated partners, typically including companies, NGOs, public sector actors and associations and other higher educational institutions both from the EU and beyond. They should all contribute to the development or implementation of the programme. This strong organizational collaboration is something that sets EMJM programmes apart from many of the normal degree programmes.

An EMJM programme is actually an ecosystem

Although there are many other important aspects to consider as well when writing an EMJM application, these four outlined are in my experience the most important ones to consider before the actual writing takes place.

Perhaps the most valuable insight from the application process is that an EMJM programme is not just a degree: it represents the creation of an international European ecosystem. In this ecosystem, higher education institutions collaborate closely with companies and other stakeholders to advance and enrich the European Higher Education Area.

This deep, cross-border collaboration is essential for building a more innovative, inclusive, and resilient Europe, which is now in the current global situation more important than ever before.

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