Why most Erasmus+ bids fail in the first 2 pages
Assessors don't admit it, but the first two pages of an Erasmus+ application set the tone for everything that follows. By the time they finish the executive summary and the statement of need, they've usually formed a working hypothesis about whether this bid will be funded. Here's what we see go wrong in those two pages.
Pattern 1: Generic statement of need
Bids that open with "international experience is increasingly important in today's globalised world" lose the assessor immediately. Strong openings are specific to the applicant — name the organisation, name the gap, name why this activity, this year, with this partner.
Pattern 2: Theme without activity
Bids that describe a theme ("sustainable tourism", "inclusive sport", "language acquisition") without saying what participants will actually do day-by-day read as aspirational rather than planned. Assessors want to see the activity at a verb level.
Pattern 3: No answer to "why abroad?"
Every Erasmus+ bid is implicitly answering one question: why does this activity need to happen abroad? If pages 1–2 don't give a clear answer, the rest of the bid is on the back foot.
Pattern 4: Bid that's only been read by people who built it
The project lead, the finance officer, the senior sponsor — they all know what the bid is trying to say, so they read what they meant rather than what's on the page. A red-team review by someone outside the project, a week before submission, is the single highest-value step you can take.
The 27-point Bid Checklist below gives you a final pass before submission — including a sharper version of the four patterns above. Download it or book a Bid Clinic to walk through your draft live.