Pre-announcement: Sustainable Water Management Call 2026

Applications are assessed in several stages, both nationally and internationally.

Typically, it works like this:

• First, it is checked whether the application meets the formal requirements
• Then the project is assessed by subject-matter experts
• The countries’ funders coordinate and agree which projects should be prioritised
• Finally, a decision is made on which projects receive funding

The exact process depends on the programme, so it is important to check the specific funding opportunity. Funding opportunities can be either one- or two-stage.

How your application is assessed depends on the funding opportunity. That is why you should always read the criteria for the funding opportunity in the call text before you apply.

You will receive an answer to your application once the final assessment has been completed. The result is typically announced by the international programme, after which Innovation Fund Denmark contacts the Danish participants if the project proceeds to a grant.

When you receive an answer depends on the specific funding opportunity and is stated in the call.

If the project is awarded a grant, the Danish participants are typically asked within approximately four weeks to upload additional material in e-grant:

• Acceptance of the grant terms
• Budget for your organisation
• Timeline (Gantt chart)
• Signed consortium agreement

Remember to ensure that the relevant people have access to the case in e-grant.

As a general rule, for international projects you should wait to start activities until a consortium agreement has been signed by all parties and submitted to Innovation Fund Denmark. In some cases, permission may be granted to start earlier.

The consortium agreement describes how you collaborate in the project, e.g.:

• How knowledge and results may be used
• How results are distributed between the parties
• Who gets access to the results
• Rules for publications and data
• What happens if partners join or leave the project

It can take time to get the agreement in place, so it is a good idea to start negotiations early.

The money is not paid out in one lump sum, but continuously as the project progresses.

Typically, it works like this:

• You receive a payout approximately every 6 months
• You must document your expenses to receive the payout
• At the same time, you must submit the necessary reports

Small and medium-sized enterprises can receive payouts more frequently if they wish.

If the requirements are not met, payouts may be stopped or required to be repaid.

If you receive an investment, you must continuously keep track of the project’s finances and progress.

This typically means that you must:

• Submit accounts when you request a payout
• Report on how the project is progressing
• Have the accounts audited annually

You must comply with requirements from both Innovation Fund Denmark and the international programme. If reporting is not in order, it may affect your payouts.

When the project ends, you must conclude both the professional and financial work.

This typically means that you must:

• Submit a final report on the project’s results
• Submit the final accounts
• Have the accounts audited

After the project, Innovation Fund Denmark may still request information about results and impacts.

Answer: No, there is still a maximum funding amount of EUR 300,000 per partner. However, it is correct that the total funding amount for Danish partners must be equal to or lower than EUR 500,000. This means that one partner can receive a maximum of EUR 300,000, and the other up to EUR 200,000. Also note that the maximum funding rates that apply to the specific types of organisations still apply.

Answer: Yes, specific overhead is included in the maximum funding from Innovation Fund Denmark, both in the maximum funding amount and the maximum funding rate. You can find the specific overhead rates that apply to your organisation in our guidelines. However, some types of organisations (e.g., regions and municipalities) do not receive overhead.

Answer: The funding rate (also called the investment rate) is calculated by dividing the requested funding amount by the total budgeted costs for a single partner. This means that the total budgeted costs for a partner are the sum of the requested funding amount and the partner’s own contribution to the budget.

• Answer: No. You are expected to contribute partially to your project activities. For example, if the maximum funding rate for your organisation is 75%, you must contribute at least 25% to your own budget. If your funding request corresponds to a funding rate of 100%, your application will be considered ineligible.
• If you apply for the maximum funding of EUR 300,000 and the funding rate is 75%, your organisation must contribute EUR 100,000. If you apply for the maximum funding of EUR 300,000 and are from a university where the funding rate is 90%, the university must contribute a minimum of EUR 33,333.

Answer: Yes. But you are expected to participate in all projects that are selected for funding.

Answer: Yes. You will receive an invitation from Innovation Fund Denmark with further instructions on uploading your application to e-grant. This typically happens 2–4 weeks after the application deadline.

Answer: No. Funding opportunities can be one-step (one-step) or two-step (two-steps). A two-steps funding opportunity will request a pre-proposal and a full proposal. A one-step funding opportunity will only request a full proposal. In addition, a funding opportunity may request a letter of intent at an early stage, but it is not the same as a pre-proposal.

Answer: You must submit the tasks “Consortium agreement” and “Acceptance of grant” as soon as possible. The latter task will set up the other E-grant tasks for the project. After that, progress reports and accounts must be submitted semi-annually. However, SMEs may request to report accounts quarterly. In addition, an audit statement must be submitted annually.

Answer: Organisations under the Danish National Audit Office must report ‘Appendix 5’, which is completed by the person responsible for finances. All other organisations must submit an independent audit statement prepared by an external state-authorised public accountant. Annual reports or management statements are not sufficient.