An EU grant: a budget, a deadline and an obligation to spend

Most buying signals describe a change after which a company might start buying: a new site, a new board member, a hiring push. A grant says more. The project has a description, a value and a schedule, and the spending is planned before the first złoty goes out.

Second, the beneficiary cannot simply keep the money. It has to deliver the project and account for the spending. If the project includes machines, software, training or advisory services, somebody will sell them. The only question is whether you hear about it in time.

Third, and this one works against the seller: purchasing inside EU projects often has its own rules. Some beneficiaries must ask for quotes publicly and choose by published criteria. That changes how you sell, and it also makes those purchases even easier to spot.

• Mapa Dotacji UE. mapadotacji.gov.pl has been online since 2007 and shows EU co-financed projects in Poland with the beneficiary, title, value and location. You can filter by programme, region and theme.
• Lists of operations from managing authorities. Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 requires the authorities that manage each programme to publish a list of operations and update it at least every four months. In practice every national and regional programme also publishes the list of projects selected after each call.
• Baza Konkurencyjności. Beneficiaries bound by the so-called competitiveness rule publish their requests for quotation in the Baza Konkurencyjności (bazakonkurencyjnosci.funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl). This is not a sign that a company might buy. It is a notice that it is buying, with a description and a deadline for offers.

A grant does not change what a company is. A furniture maker that received money for robotics has not become a client for a marketing agency. First check whether the company fits your offer: industry, size, region, exclusions. Only then treat the grant as a reason to reach out now.

The second trap is the project's purpose. The title and description say where the money goes. If the project is about solar panels and you sell warehouse software, the grant tells you about the company's health, not about a reason to discuss your product.

Third: if a purchase falls under the competitiveness rule, a sales conversation will not replace an offer submitted on time and against the criteria in the request. Then the best thing you can do is spot the notice early.

Funding or an EU grant is one of the eight signal types Pursiva looks for in public sources in every run. Every stored signal carries the address of its source page and a date. No why-now sentence is written without a source.

In the score, fit with your offer weighs more than timing. A grant lifts a company in the ranking when it relates to what you sell and the company already matches your ideal customer profile. A grant for something unrelated does not turn a poor fit into a good lead.

Pursiva describes companies, not people. Beneficiary lists include sole traders whose business name is a person's name. Those are filtered out, and people inside a company are described by role only. The run delivers itself within an hour of payment.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find Polish companies that received EU funding?

On Mapa Dotacji UE (mapadotacji.gov.pl) and on programme websites, which publish the projects selected after each call. Beneficiaries' requests for quotation are in the Baza Konkurencyjności. All of these sources are public.

When is the best time to contact a company with a grant?

Between the project's selection for funding and its first purchases. The company is planning its spending and has not chosen suppliers yet. If the purchase falls under the competitiveness rule, what counts is an offer submitted by the deadline in the Baza Konkurencyjności notice.

Is a grant enough to put a company on a Pursiva list?

No. Fit with your offer and the hard exclusions in your ideal customer profile come first. A grant is a timing signal. It lifts a company that already fits, but it does not add a company that does not.

Read next

• Buying signals
• Paste your website address
• Start a run