Do you receive funding to carry out a project under Horizon Europe or any other EU programme? Then you should not forget to communicate about your project and its outcomes.
Making your EU-funded project visible is crucial to reach out to relevant stakeholders and build new collaborations. It is also a legal obligation under your grant agreement.
Read this page and find out why and how you should communicate about your work. We have also compiled all you need to know in a leaflet - check it out below.
Six reasons to communicate about your EU-funded project
Watch the video below that highlights the importance of communication.
How to communicate about your EU-funded project
Looking for tips? This video gives six top tips to enhance your visibility.
Social media
Social media is an effective and engaging tool that allows you to instantly communicate to your audiences at a low-cost. Check out our leaflet on social media below to get started and take your communication to the next level!
The European Research Executive Agency (REA) has a Twitter/X and a LinkedIn account. All REA-managed projects are welcome to connect with us.
There is also a dedicated Twitter/X account on EU green research (dedicated to Horizon Europe Cluster 6 – Food, bio-economy, natural resources, agriculture and environment).
In an interview with two EU-funded research projects, we talked about the challenges and the opportunities of communicating about research using social media.
Being on social media does not replace the obligation of having a web presence. This can either be a dedicated website or integrated within a pre-existing one. This online presence should provide details about your project's objectives, actions, progress and results.
Success stories
If your project has achieved outstanding results relevant to EU citizens, then it could be promoted via some of the European Commission’s free-of-charge channels such as:
- Research & innovation success stories
- Horizon Magazine
- Cordis Results in Brief
- CORDIScovery podcasts or
- during events such as the R&I Days or European Week of Regions and Cities.
Liaise with your REA Project Officer for further information.
Acknowledge EU funding
Obligations for recipients of EU funding programmes 2021-2027
Since 2021, all recipients of EU funds have the legal obligation to acknowledge that their action has received EU funding.
This requirement applies to all programmes, including Horizon Europe (Article 17), the Research Fund for Coal and Steel and the Promotion of Agricultural Products.
All beneficiaries, managing authorities and implementing partners have to display prominently the EU emblem and funding statement on all the communication materials, dissemination activities and any equipment, infrastructure, vehicle, supply or result financed by the grant.
How to display the EU emblem and funding statement
Make sure to display the European flag (official EU emblem), do not use the European Commission logo. Add the funding statement next to the official EU emblem (in local languages, where appropriate)
Projects that receive 100% EU funding should use funding statement 1 – Funded by the European Union. Projects that are not funded by the EU at a rate of 100% are considered co-funded and must use funding statement 2 – Co-funded by the European Union
Third-party funding (including associated partners from other national sources) can be acknowledged by displaying relevant logos next to the EU emblem (the principle of proportionality should be respected).
Support kit for EU visibility
- Operational guidelines for recipients of EU funding
- 10 tips on how to communicate and raise visibility about EU funding
- Download centre for EU emblem and the funding statement (for REA-managed projects only use of the two funding statements portrayed above)
- Online funding statement generator
Communication, dissemination and exploitation
Communication, dissemination and exploitation are interlinked concepts that are sometimes confused.
Check out our leaflet to learn what the difference between these concepts is and what European Commission tools are available to support your project.
More information is also available on the dedicated page on dissemination and exploitation.
Data protection and GDPR
Since May 2018, anyone who collects or in any way uses personal data of individuals for professional purposes must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Find out more about EU data protection rules for businesses and organisations.