Contracting authority: European Commission
Global Gateway Early-Stage Investment Mechanism
Annex A.1 – Grant application form - Concept note
Budget line(s): 14.020240, 14.020241, 14.020142
EuropeAid/184659/DH/ACT/Multi
Deadline for submission of concept notes:
16/03/2026 at 12:00 (Brussels date and time)
(in order to convert to local time click here)

[Number & title of lot]		
Title of the action:		
Name of the lead applicant		
Nationality of the lead applicant		

Dossier No		
(for official use only)

NOTICE
If processing your reply to the call for proposals involves the recording and processing of personal data (such as names, contact details and CVs), they will be processed solely for the purposes of the management and monitoring of the calls for proposals and of the contract by the data controller without prejudice to possible transmission to the bodies in charge of monitoring or inspection tasks in application of EU law. In addition, as the contract relates to an external action in Partner Countries outside the EU and as the EU, represented by the European Commission, is acting as contracting authority on behalf and for the benefit of the Partner Countries, transmission of personal data may occur to the Partner Country, solely for the purpose of complying with its obligations under the applicable legislative framework and under the financing agreement concluded between the EU and the Partner Country with regard to this grant award procedure. Details concerning processing of your personal data are available on the privacy statement at 
https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/ExactExternalWiki/Annexes#Annexes-AnnexesA(Ch.2):General  
In cases where you are processing personal data in the context of participation to a grant award procedure (e.g. contact details of legal representatives of co-applicants, CVs) and/or of the implementation of a contract you shall accordingly inform the data subjects of the details of the processing and communicate the above mentioned privacy statement to them.
The controller of call for proposals is the head of legal affairs unit of DG International Partnerships

Table of contents

1.	CONCEPT NOTE
1.1.	Summary of the action
1.2.	Description of the action: cover all the 6 points in the instructions: (max 2 pages)
1.3.	Relevance of the action (max 2 pages)
1.4.	Maturity and expected impact of the action (max 2 pages)
1.5.	Lead applicant, (co-applicants and affiliated entities, if any)
1.6.	Project details
2.	DECLARATION BY THE LEAD APPLICANT
2.1.	Summary of the action
2.2.	Description of the action: (max 2 pages)
2.3.	Relevance of the action (max 2 pages)
2.4.	Maturity and expected impact of the action (max 2 pages)
2.5.	Lead applicant, (co-applicants and affiliated entities, if any)

1.	CONCEPT NOTE
You must follow the instructions at the end of this document on how to fill in the concept note.
1.1.	Summary of the action 
1.1.1.	Fill in the table below:
Objectives of the action	<Overall objective(s) (i.e. Impact)>
<Specific objective(s) (i.e. Outcome(s)>	
Final beneficiaries		
Expected outputs		
Main activities		
Target group(s)		
1.2.	Description of the action: cover all the 6 points in the instructions: (max 2 pages) 
<insert text here>
1.3.	Relevance of the action (max 2 pages) 
1.3.1.	Relevance to the objectives/sectors/themes/specific priorities of the call for proposals 
<insert text here>

1.3.2.	Particular added-value elements 
<insert text here>

1.4.	Maturity and expected impact of the action (max 2 pages) 
1.4.1.	Level of maturity and local engagement 
<insert text here>

1.4.2.	Expected impact and viability 
<insert text here>

1.4.3.	Cross-cutting issues 
<insert text here>

1.5.	Lead applicant, (co-applicants and affiliated entities, if any)
[Delete this section if you are applying via PROSPECT]

Name of the lead applicant		
EuropeAid ID 		
Participant Identification Code (PIC 9-digit number)		
Nationality/ Country and date of registration		
Legal status		

Lead applicant contact details for the purpose of this action	
Postal address of the organisation:		
Organisation email address:		
Telephone: (fixed and mobile) 
Country code + city code + number		
Contact person for this action:		
Postal address:		
Contact person’s email:		
Co-applicant(s) 		
Name of the co-applicant		
EuropeAid ID		
Participant Identification Code (PIC 9-digit number)		
Nationality/ Country and date of registration		
Legal status 		
Affiliated entity(ies) 		
Name of the Affiliated entity 		
EuropeAid ID		
Nationality / country and date of registration		
Legal status: 		
Specify to which entity you are affiliated (lead applicant and/or the co-applicant).
Specify the kind of affiliation you have with that entity.
Specify also your status		
1.6.	Project details
[Delete this section if you are applying via PROSPECT]

Title of the action:	
	
[Lot number you are applying to: ]	e.g. Lot nº 2	
Location(s) of the action:	Specify country(ies), region(s), area(s) or town(s) that will benefit from the action>	
Total duration of the action (months):	months	
Requested EU contribution as an amount and as a percentage of the total eligible costs of the action (indicative) (only necessary where the grant takes the form of reimbursement of costs, entirely or partially)	
[Reimbursement of costs]	
EUR <…>	
<…>%	

[Total requested EU contribution]	
EUR<…> 	
N/A	

Total indicative budget	<EUR>	

2.	DECLARATION BY THE LEAD APPLICANT 

The lead applicant, represented by the undersigned, being the authorised signatory of the lead applicant, and in the context of the present application, representing any co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies) in the proposed action, hereby declares that:
i.	the lead applicant undertakes to comply with the obligations laid down in the affiliated entities' statement of the grant application form and with the principles of good partnership practice; 
ii.	the lead applicant is directly responsible for the preparation, management and implementation of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), if any, and is not acting as an intermediary; 
iii.	the co-applicants and affiliated entities (if any) in this application have given their consent to be included and the lead applicant can provide proof of that consent immediately upon request from the contracting authority;
iv.	the lead applicant, the co-applicant(s) and the affiliated entity(ies)are not in any of the situations excluding them from participating in contracts which are listed in Section 2.4.2. of the practical guide (available from the following Internet address: https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/ExactExternalWiki/2.+Basic+rules);
v.	the lead applicant, the co-applicant(s) and the affiliated entity(ies) are not in detected in EU restrictive measures as laid down in Section 2.4.1. of the practical guide;
vi.	the lead applicant and each co-applicant and affiliated entity are in a position to deliver the supporting documents stipulated under Section 2.2 of the guidelines for applicants; 
vii.	the lead applicant and each co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies) (if any) are eligible in accordance with the criteria set out under Sections 2.1.1 of the guidelines for applicants; 
viii.	if recommended to be awarded a grant, the lead applicant, the co-applicant(s) and the affiliated entity(ies) accept the contractual conditions as laid down in the standard grant contract annexed to the guidelines for applicants (Annex G) (or the Contribution Agreement where the lead applicant is an organisation whose pillars have been positively assessed by the European Commission). 
We acknowledge that if we participate in spite of being in any of the situations listed in Section 2.4. of the practical guide or if the declarations or information provided prove to be false we may be subject to rejection from this procedure and to exclusion decisions and/or financial penalties up to 10 % of the total estimated value of the grant being awarded and that this information may be published on the Commission website in accordance with the Financial Regulation in force. We are aware that, for the purposes of safeguarding the EU’s financial interests, our personal data may be transferred to internal audit services, to the early detection and exclusion system, to the European Court of Auditors, to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office or to the European Anti-Fraud Office.

Signed on behalf of the lead applicant
Name		
Signature
		
Position		
Date		

[Please delete the instructions below before submitting your concept note]
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DRAFTING THE CONCEPT NOTE
The lead applicant must ensure that the concept note:
•	includes Page 1 of this document, filled in and submitted as a cover page of the concept note;
•	includes the table of the summary of the action (without any limitation of size); 
•	includes the description of the action (not exceeding 2 pages) and the relevance of the action (not exceeding 2 pages), the format for both documents being A4 size with 2 cm margins, Arial 10 font characters and single line spacing;
•	provides the information requested under the headings below, in the order requested, and in proportion to its relative importance (see the relevant scores in the evaluation grid in the guidelines for applicants);
•	provides full information (as the evaluation will be based solely on the information provided);
•	is drafted as clearly as possible to facilitate the evaluation process.
2.1.	Summary of the action 
2.1.1.	Fill in the table
2.2.	Description of the action: (max 2 pages)
i.	Give the background to the preparation of the action, in particular on the sector/country/regional context (including key challenges). Mention any specific analysis/study carried out to inform the design (context analysis).
ii.	Explain the objectives of the action given in the table in Section 1.1.
iii.	Describe the key stakeholder groups, their attitudes towards the action and any consultations held.
iv.	Briefly outline intervention logic underpinning the action, indicating the expected outputs, outcome(s) and impact as well as underlying the main risks and assumptions towards their achievement.
v.	Briefly outline the type of activities proposed, including a description of linkages/relationships between activity clusters. 
vi.	Outline the broad timeframe of the action and describe any specific factor taken into account.
2.3.	Relevance of the action (max 2 pages)
2.3.1.	Relevance to the objectives/sectors/themes/specific priorities of the call for proposals
Please provide all the following information:
i.	Describe the relevance of the action to the objective(s) and priority(ies) of the call for proposals.
ii.	Describe the relevance of the action to any specific subthemes/sectors/areas and any other specific requirements stated in the guidelines for applicants, e.g. local ownership etc.
iii.	Describe which of the expected results referred to in the guidelines for applicants will be addressed.
iv.	Describe if and how the proposal demonstrates the integration of specific EU know-how or standards in the action, or alignment with established EU practices.
2.3.2.	Particular added-value elements
Indicate any specific added-value elements of the action, e.g. innovation, best practices, potential to have a strong Team Europe component, etc. 
2.4.	Maturity and expected impact of the action (max 2 pages)
2.4.1.	Level of maturity and local engagement
Please provide all the following information:
i.	Describe any concrete groundwork already carried out by the applicant.
ii.	Describe how advanced is the proposed initiative in terms of concept development, planning, and implementation readiness.
iii.	Describe the engagement with local actors and their commitment with the proposal (i.e. demonstration of local ownership, stakeholder participation, local presence in the partner country, letter of interest to justify endorsement by the local authorities, etc.)
iv.	Describe any previous engagement or involvement in the form of Team Europe dialogues around the proposal.

2.4.2.	Expected impact and viability
Please provide all the following information:
i.	Describe if the proposal has potential to generate new opportunities for future EU private sector investments.
ii.	Describe if the proposal demonstrate significant financial involvement and commitment from EU private sector in the next stages of the project?
iii.	Describe the catalytic effect of the requested EU support on the project.
iv.	Describe if the proposal is part of a project with significant economic, social and environmental impact, or any other positive externalities. 

2.4.3.	Cross-cutting issues
Indicate any relevant cross-cutting elements that the proposal integrates, such as environmental/climate change issues, promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities, needs of disabled people, inequality reduction, building local capacities, etc.?

2.5.	Lead applicant, (co-applicants and affiliated entities, if any)
Any change in the addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers or e-mail, must be notified in writing to the contracting authority. The contracting authority will not be held responsible in the event that it cannot contact an applicant.

[Please delete the checklist below before submitting your concept note]

Checklist for self-guidance 

EuropeAid/184659/DH/ACT/Multi
(To be filled in by the lead applicant only for self-guidance purposes)

Title of the Proposal:				
Before sending your concept note
check that each of the criteria below have been met in full:	Yes	No	N/A	
1. The correct grant application form has been used. 				
2. The Instructions for the concept note have been followed. 				
3. The proposal is typed and is written in an eligible language for this call. (Where more than one language is allowed, the proposal is drafted in the language most commonly used by the target population in the country in which the action takes place.)				
4. An electronic version of the concept note (CD-ROM) is enclosed (Please write ‘Not applicable’ (N/A) if you are applying via PROSPECT).				
5. One original and the number of copy(ies) foreseen in section 2.2 of the guidelines are included (Please write ‘Not applicable’ (N/A) if you are applying via PROSPECT)				
6. The budget is enclosed, in balance, presented in the format requested, and stated in EUR.				
7. The logical framework has been completed and is enclosed.				
8. The Declaration by the applicant has been filled in and has been signed.				
9. Each co-applicant has completed, signed and submitted the mandate. (If co-applicant(s) are not mandatory for this call (or lot): Please write ‘Not applicable’ (N/A) if you have no co-applicant(s))				
10. Each affiliated entity has completed, signed and submitted an affiliated entity's statement (If affiliated entity(ies) is not mandatory for this call (or lot): Please write ‘Not applicable’ (N/A) if you have no  affiliated entity(ies).)				
11. The action will be implemented in an eligible country(ies).				
12. The action will be implemented in the minimum number of countries required (If a minimum number of countries is not mandatory: Please write ‘Not applicable’ (N/A))				
13. The duration of the action is equal to or higher than the minimum allowed in section 2.1.3 of the guidelines.				
14. The duration of the action is equal to or lower than the maximum allowed in section 2.1.3 of the guidelines.				
15. The requested EU contribution (amount) is equal to or higher than the minimum allowed in section 1.3 of the guidelines.				
16. The requested EU contribution (amount) is equal to or lower than the maximum allowed in section 1.3 of the guidelines.				
17. The requested EU contribution as a percentage of the total eligible costs is equal to or higher than the minimum percentage allowed in section 1.3 of the guidelines.				
18. The requested EU contribution as a percentage of the total eligible costs is equal to or lower than the maximum percentage allowed in section 1.3 of the guidelines.