EU Programme · 2021–2027

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Invests in infrastructure, innovation, and economic development at regional level. Managed nationally but funded by the EU. Targets less-developed regions.

Budget: €226 billion (combined Cohesion)Period: 2021–2027
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Part of our complete EU funding guide.

Who European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is for

Typical eligible applicant profiles. Each guide links through to open calls and eligibility notes.

How to apply

The standard EU funding process. Each European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) call publishes its own detailed requirements.

  1. 1

    Find open calls that match your profile

    Search by country, sector, applicant type, and deadline. EU funding is published across dozens of portals, so consolidation saves significant time.

  2. 2

    Check eligibility before investing effort

    Review applicant mode (single vs consortium), entity type requirements, geographic restrictions, and co-financing obligations. Disqualify early to protect team bandwidth.

  3. 3

    Build your consortium if required

    Many Horizon Europe calls require partners from multiple EU countries. Identify complementary organisations early — consortium formation often takes longer than proposal writing.

  4. 4

    Write and submit your proposal

    Follow the call documentation precisely. Most EU proposals require a work plan, budget breakdown, impact statement, and consortium description. Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

  5. 5

    Evaluation and grant agreement

    Proposals are evaluated by independent experts against published criteria. Successful applicants negotiate a grant agreement that defines deliverables, reporting, and payment schedule.

Common questions

What does ERDF fund?

ERDF funds five policy objectives: smarter Europe (innovation, digitalisation, SME competitiveness), greener Europe (energy transition, circular economy), more connected Europe (transport, digital networks), more social Europe (jobs, skills, inclusion), and Europe closer to citizens (urban and territorial development).

How is ERDF different from Horizon Europe?

ERDF is managed nationally by member states under shared management — each country and region runs its own operational programme with its own calls. Horizon Europe is managed centrally by the European Commission with single EU-wide calls. ERDF funds deployment and infrastructure; Horizon funds research and innovation.

Who can apply for ERDF funding?

Eligibility depends on each national or regional operational programme. Typical beneficiaries include SMEs, public bodies, research organisations, and NGOs based in the eligible region. Less-developed and transition regions receive higher co-funding rates than more-developed regions.

Where do I find ERDF calls?

ERDF calls are published on national or regional managing authority websites — not on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Each EU country has multiple operational programmes (national and regional). The EU Open Data Portal and the European Commission regional policy site list managing authorities.

What are the ERDF co-financing rates?

EU contribution rates are: up to 85% for less-developed regions (GDP per capita below 75% of EU average), up to 60% for transition regions, and up to 40% for more-developed regions. Some thematic objectives and outermost regions have specific higher rates.

Are UK organisations eligible for ERDF?

No. The UK is no longer part of EU cohesion policy following Brexit and has no access to ERDF for the 2021–2027 period. UK domestic equivalents (UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Levelling Up Fund) replaced ERDF in the UK.

Other EU programmes

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