Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way entrepreneurs, local governments and other organizations access EU funds. While previously project applications and reports required hours of manual analysis, rewriting and checking, today it is possible to automate and optimize a significant part of this process using advanced digital tools. AI is far from being a replacement for expertise, but it is a powerful tool that can ensure greater accuracy, faster preparation and reduced risk of errors.
AI tools are particularly effective in the documentation analysis phase. In calls such as IRI S3, where the documentation includes dozens of attachments and hundreds of pages, the user can use tools based on natural language processing to identify key eligibility conditions in just a few minutes. Instead of searching manually, the user asks a question such as: “What are the eligible costs for experimental development?” or “What does effective cooperation mean for increasing the intensity of support?” and immediately receives a precise answer. Such interaction saves time and enables better preparation even with short application deadlines.
In the application writing phase, AI can generate preliminary descriptions of problems, goals, activities, and expected results based on the basic data entered. For example, an entrepreneur planning to develop new software for educational institutions can get a narrative skeleton that matches the structure of the application form in a few steps. AI can suggest keywords that match the evaluation criteria (e.g., “digital transformation of education,” “inclusive approach to learning”) and thus increase the score.
Users involved in multi-year projects with multiple partners particularly appreciate AI as support in implementation. Automated tools can send reminders of deadlines, track the progress of activities against the plan, and analyze risk patterns. For example, in a project involving three educational institutions and the development of a new STEM methodology, AI can monitor the status of each institution’s tasks, compare planned and actual costs, and suggest corrective measures in real time.
In preparing reports, the tools can extract analytical summaries, indicator calculations from existing data and format them in the format required for semi-annual or final reporting. In practice, this means that the project team does not have to re-enter data or search through old documents, but AI generates a draft report that is immediately ready for refinement and review.
Applicants with limited resources, such as small municipalities, schools or associations, can benefit in particular. In projects where one employee is responsible for everything (from application to implementation), AI provides technical support, reduces errors and enables better preparation. For example, a municipality applying for an energy renovation project can use AI to check whether all required attachments are included, generate statements and budget estimates and simulate the project’s scoring according to given criteria.
It is important to emphasize that AI tools should never replace expert control. Regulations, operational programs and instructions are constantly changing, and even the most advanced tool cannot interpret the legal consequences or context of a particular call like an experienced consultant. AI tools are also prone to random errors, and in the context of applying for calls for EU funds, this can be a big problem. However, used correctly, these tools become an extended arm of project teams and a valuable source of information at key stages of the process.
Artificial intelligence does not change the rules of EU funds, but it does change the way we approach them. Those who integrate AI tools in time into the preparation, implementation and reporting of projects gain a significant time and quality advantage. In a world where deadlines are getting shorter, documentation is getting more complex, and evaluations are getting stricter, skillful use of new technology is truly a prerequisite for success.
