When should a go/no-go decision be made?

Before any proposal writing starts — ideally within the first week after a call is published. The most expensive mistake in EU funding is a slow no: teams that drift into writing without a decision burn weeks on proposals that were never competitive.

What is a reasonable fit threshold for a go?

As a working rule: below roughly 40% fit with the call scope, walk away regardless of how attractive the budget looks. Above roughly 70% with enough time to submit seriously, commit. In between, it is a review case — resolve the specific doubts before writing.

Who should own the go/no-go call?

One accountable person — usually the coordinator or the business owner of the project — using a written rule agreed in advance. Committee decisions without thresholds default to 'go' because nobody wants to kill a colleague's idea.

Decision rule

Go/no-go evaluation for EU funding calls

Most weak proposals were lost at the decision stage, not the writing stage. Use an explicit rule — eligibility gate, fit threshold, timing check — and apply it before anyone opens a proposal template.

Get the verdict computed for you

Call Evaluation applies this exact rule to any call: hard eligibility gates, profile fit, timing, and effort — returning GO, NO-GO, or REVIEW with the reasons.

Run Call Evaluation

The rule

Eligibility gate. If any hard requirement fails — country, entity type, consortium minimums, TRL window — it is a NO-GO. No exceptions, no "we'll find a workaround".
Fit threshold. Score how much of the call scope your project genuinely covers. Below ~40%: NO-GO, deprioritise unless there are strong external reasons. Evaluators fund the best fit in the pile, not the most enthusiastic outsider.
Timing and effort. Above ~70% fit with an actionable window before the deadline: GO — unless the preparation effort is high and your fit is not overwhelming, in which case confirm capacity first. Everything in between is REVIEW: name the doubt, resolve it, decide again.

Example

A digital-health SME finds a Horizon Europe call closing in nine weeks. Eligibility passes. Fit is high on three of four expected outcomes but the call demands clinical validation partners the company lacks — roughly 65% fit. Nine weeks is enough to write but tight to recruit a hospital partner. Verdict: REVIEW, with one action — secure the clinical partner within two weeks or convert to NO-GO. That single sentence saves a month of speculative writing.

Where GRANTIBASE helps

Call Evaluation runs this rule automatically: paste a call link or pick an opportunity, and it returns the eligibility gates, a profile fit percentage, difficulty, evaluation criteria, watchouts, and the GO / NO-GO / REVIEW verdict with its reasoning — the written rule your team can hold decisions against.

Go/no-go FAQ

When should a go/no-go decision be made?: Before any proposal writing starts — ideally within the first week after a call is published. The most expensive mistake in EU funding is a slow no: teams that drift into writing without a decision burn weeks on proposals that were never competitive.
What is a reasonable fit threshold for a go?: As a working rule: below roughly 40% fit with the call scope, walk away regardless of how attractive the budget looks. Above roughly 70% with enough time to submit seriously, commit. In between, it is a review case — resolve the specific doubts before writing.
Who should own the go/no-go call?: One accountable person — usually the coordinator or the business owner of the project — using a written rule agreed in advance. Committee decisions without thresholds default to 'go' because nobody wants to kill a colleague's idea.

Quantify a borderline case

When the verdict is REVIEW, Success Score breaks competitiveness into weighted factors so you can see whether the gaps are fixable before the deadline.

Open Success Score