Successfully applying for funding begins with establishing which programme the planned undertaking falls under, which institution is responsible for the call and which sources will provide the data substantiating the project. The following overview sets out the architecture of the system for implementing European Funds for 2021–2027 in Poland and defines the terms programme, managing authority, intermediate body and implementing body and presents in tabular form the sources of information on calls and the sector data used in application documentation.
What a programme is in the context of European Funds
Programme is the basic planning and implementation document setting out the objectives of the intervention, priorities, specific objectives, planned results (indicators), the budget and the institutional system responsible for implementation. Programmes for 2021–2027 are approved by the European Commission and implement the Partnership Agreement – the document setting out the strategy for using cohesion policy funds in Poland.
The conditions for applying for funding derive from lower-level documents. The table below sets out the conceptual structure that determines whether an application is correctly addressed.
| Level | Term | Scope of regulation | Practical significance for the applicant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Partnership Agreement | Strategy for using EU funds in a Member State | Context; not applied directly when applying |
| 2 | Programme (e.g. FEnIKS, FENG, FERS, European Funds for Warmia and Mazury) | Priorities, specific objectives, allocation, indicators | Establishing whether the type of undertaking falls within the intervention logic at all |
| 3 | Priority | A distinct part of the programme with a common thematic objective | Indicates the area of support (e.g. health, innovation, energy) |
| 4 | Measure | Implementation unit of a priority, described in the SzOP | Specifies project types, the list of eligible beneficiaries and the level of funding |
| 5 | Call (project selection procedure) | Project selection rules, criteria, document templates | Source of binding formal and substantive conditions |
Hierarchy of programme and call documentation
Knowledge of the rules for implementing a project is dispersed. There is no single document containing the full set of requirements. Each institution may introduce additional requirements in a specific call. From the point of view of preparing an application, two layers of documentation are distinguished.
Programme documentation
- Programme content – priorities, objectives, indicators, budget.
- Detailed Description of Priorities (SzOP) – types of projects supported, funding levels, list of eligible beneficiaries, limits and eligibility conditions specific to the measure.
- Guidelines on the eligibility of expenditure for 2021–2027 – rules for recognising expenditure as eligible, the principle that the cost must actually be incurred, the competitiveness principle, rules on the purchase of real estate, VAT, depreciation and leasing, and project staff costs.
- Call schedule – updated at least once a quarter and covering planned calls for the next 12 months.
Call documentation
- project selection rules,
- project selection criteria,
- instructions for completing the grant application together with the application template,
- grant agreement template,
- templates of annexes and supporting documents specific to the given call.
According to the guide published by the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy “European Funds – a guide for businesses” in competitive procedures, the call for applications lasts at least 10 days, and the period from the announcement of the call (publication of the complete documentation) to the closing date for applications must be at least 40 days. In practice, calls last from several weeks to several months, and the institution may shorten the deadline (e.g. when the value of applications submitted significantly exceeds the allocation) or extend it (e.g. in the event of an IT system failure).
Operational conclusion: documentation should be assembled in advance, before the call is announced. Assuming that the deadline will be extended is a risk that should not be built into planning.
Managing authority, intermediate body and implementing body – division of tasks
The system for implementing European Funds is based on the delegation of tasks. The legal basis is Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council (the Common Provisions Regulation, CPR) and the Act of 28 April 2022 on the principles of implementing tasks financed from European funds in the 2021–2027 financial perspective (the so-called Implementation Act).
Managing authority (IZ)
The entity responsible for implementing the entire programme, for its management, monitoring, control and promotion, and for the correct spending of funds. In national and supra-regional programmes, this function is as a rule performed by the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy; in regional programmes, by the voivodeship board (performing its tasks with the assistance of the Marshal’s Office). The managing authority may entrust some of its tasks to specialised institutions, while retaining responsibility for the programme as a whole.
Intermediate body (IP)
An entity to which the managing authority has entrusted, by agreement or contract, the performance of some tasks in relation to a specific priority, measure or group of measures. In practice, it is most often the intermediate body that announces the call, assesses applications, concludes grant agreements and settles projects.
Implementing body (IW)
An entity to which the intermediate body has entrusted a further part of the implementation tasks. It exists only in some programmes, most often where the substantive scope requires additional specialisation (e.g. the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in the environmental area).
| Criterion | Managing authority | Intermediate body | Implementing body |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope of responsibility | Entire programme | Entrusted priority or measure | Entrusted portion of the intermediate body’s tasks |
| Basis for entrusting tasks | Act and decision on the implementation system | Agreement / contract with the IZ | Agreement / contract with the IP |
| Typical tasks | Guidelines, criteria, document templates, monitoring, programme promotion | Announcing calls, assessing applications, agreements with beneficiaries, settlement and audit | Handling calls and settlements in a narrow, specialised area |
| Who is usually the beneficiary’s counterpart | Rarely (programmes without an IP) | Most often | In selected measures |
| Examples | MFiPR, voivodeship boards | PARP, NCBR, BGK, Ministry of Health, voivodeship labour offices | NFOŚiGW, Oil and Gas Institute – PIB |
In addition, the system includes the European Funds Ombudsman, who receives and analyses reports of problems in programme implementation, examines procedures and proposes improvements to institutions. Ombudsmen operate within national programmes, while in the regions persons performing similar tasks are designated.
Institutions in national programmes 2021–2027
| Programme | Managing authority | Intermediate bodies | Implementing bodies |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment (FEnIKS) | Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy | Ministry of Climate and Environment; Ministry of Culture and National Heritage; Ministry of Health; Centre for EU Transport Projects | National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management; Oil and Gas Institute – PIB |
| European Funds for a Modern Economy (FENG) | Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy | National Centre for Research and Development; Polish Agency for Enterprise Development; Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego; National Information Processing Institute – PIB; Foundation for Polish Science | – |
| European Funds for Social Development (FERS) | Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy | Centre for European Projects; Chancellery of the Prime Minister; Ministry of National Education; Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy; Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy; Ministry of Health; NCBR; PARP; BGK; Digital Poland Projects Centre | – |
| European Funds for Digital Development (FERC) | Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy | Digital Poland Projects Centre | – |
| European Funds for Eastern Poland (FEPW) | Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, Department of Supra-regional Programmes | Polish Agency for Enterprise Development; Centre for EU Transport Projects; Ministry of Climate and Environment | National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management |
| European Funds for Food Aid | Ministry of Family and Social Policy | – | – |
| European Funds for Fisheries | Fisheries Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development | Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture | – |
| Technical Assistance for European Funds | Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy (Department of Assistance Programmes) | – | – |
Institutions in regional programmes 2021–2027
| Regional programme | Managing authority | Intermediate bodies |
|---|---|---|
| European Funds for Lower Silesia | Marshal’s Office of the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship | Lower Silesian Intermediate Body; Lower Silesian Voivodeship Labour Office |
| European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze | Marshal’s Office of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship | City of Bydgoszcz; Voivodeship Labour Office in Toruń |
| European Funds for Lubelskie | Marshal’s Office of the Lubelskie Voivodeship | Lublin Enterprise Support Agency in Lublin; Voivodeship Labour Office in Lublin |
| European Funds for Lubuskie | Marshal’s Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship | Voivodeship Labour Office in Zielona Góra |
| European Funds for Łódzkie | Board of the Łódzkie Voivodeship | Entrepreneur Service Centre; Voivodeship Labour Office in Łódź |
| European Funds for Małopolska | Marshal’s Office of the Małopolskie Voivodeship | Małopolska Entrepreneurship Centre; Voivodeship Labour Office in Kraków |
| European Funds for Mazowsze | Board of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship | Mazovian Unit for the Implementation of EU Programmes; Voivodeship Labour Office in Warsaw |
| European Funds for Opolskie | Marshal’s Office of the Opolskie Voivodeship | Opole Centre for Economic Development; Voivodeship Labour Office in Opole |
| European Funds for Podkarpacie | Marshal’s Office of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship | Voivodeship Labour Office in Rzeszów |
| European Funds for Podlaskie | Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Voivodeship | Voivodeship Labour Office in Białystok |
| European Funds for Pomorze | Marshal’s Office of the Pomorskie Voivodeship | Pomeranian Development Agency SA; Gdańsk–Gdynia–Sopot Metropolitan Area Association; Voivodeship Labour Office in Gdańsk |
| European Funds for Śląskie | Board of the Śląskie Voivodeship | Silesian Entrepreneurship Centre; Voivodeship Labour Office in Katowice |
| European Funds for Świętokrzyskie | Marshal’s Office of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship | Voivodeship Labour Office in Kielce |
| European Funds for Warmia and Mazury | Board of the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship | Warmia and Mazury Regional Development Agency SA; Voivodeship Labour Office in Olsztyn |
| European Funds for Wielkopolska | Marshal’s Office of the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship | Voivodeship Labour Office in Poznań; Regional Development Agency SA in Konin |
| European Funds for Pomorze Zachodnie | Board of the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship | Voivodeship Labour Office in Szczecin |
Source of Tables 3 and 4: own compilation based on “European Funds – a guide for businesses” (Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy), the European Funds Portal and the Detailed Descriptions of Priorities of the individual programmes. The composition of intermediate and implementing bodies may change – before submitting an application, verify the current status in the SzOP and the call rules.
Where to look for information on funds and calls
The primary source is the European Funds Portal (funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl). The programme websites tab provides descriptions of national and regional programmes and the KPO (National Recovery Plan). All websites have a similar structure, which makes it easier to compare conditions.
Search tools
- Grant Search Engine – an AI-powered tool available at https://wyszukaj.dotacje-online.pl/. It contains up-to-date information on available calls and support programmes, which are continuously added and verified by Dotacje Online experts.
- Call schedules – published on each programme’s website, updated at least quarterly and covering a 12-month horizon.
- Mapa Dotacji (mapadotacji.gov.pl) – a database of projects already funded: titles, values, descriptions and beneficiaries. Useful for benchmarking and estimating the competition in a given measure.
- European Funds Information Points – the Central Information Point in Warsaw, Main Information Points in each voivodeship and Local Information Points. Consultations are free of charge.
| Programme | Website address |
|---|---|
| European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment | feniks.gov.pl |
| European Funds for a Modern Economy | nowoczesnagospodarka.gov.pl |
| European Funds for Social Development | rozwojspoleczny.gov.pl |
| European Funds for Digital Development | rozwojcyfrowy.gov.pl |
| European Funds for Eastern Poland | fepw.gov.pl |
| European Funds for Food Aid | gov.pl/web/rodzina (programme tab) |
| European Funds for Fisheries | rybactwo.gov.pl |
| Technical Assistance for European Funds | pomoctechniczna.gov.pl |
| European Funds for Lower Silesia | funduszeuedolnoslaskie.pl |
| European Funds for Kujawy and Pomorze | funduszeue.kujawsko-pomorskie.pl |
| European Funds for Lubelskie | funduszeue.lubelskie.pl |
| European Funds for Lubuskie | funduszeue.lubuskie.pl |
| European Funds for Łódzkie | funduszeue.lodzkie.pl |
| European Funds for Małopolska | fundusze.malopolska.pl |
| European Funds for Mazowsze | funduszeuedlamazowsza.eu |
| European Funds for Opolskie | funduszeue.opolskie.pl |
| European Funds for Podkarpacie | funduszeue.podkarpackie.pl |
| European Funds for Podlaskie | funduszeuepodlaskie.pl |
| European Funds for Pomorze | funduszeuepomorskie.pl |
| European Funds for Śląskie | funduszeue.slaskie.pl |
| European Funds for Świętokrzyskie | funduszeueswietokrzyskie.pl |
| European Funds for Warmia and Mazury | funduszeeuropejskie.warmia.mazury.pl |
| European Funds for Wielkopolska | funduszeue.wielkopolskie.pl |
| European Funds for Pomorze Zachodnie | funduszeue.wzp.pl |
| National Recovery and Resilience Plan | kpo.gov.pl |
Cohesion policy funds vs the KPO – differences that matter when choosing a source of funding
- Similarities: financing from the EU budget, availability of non-repayable support (grants) and repayable support (loans), the requirement to comply with environmental principles (including DNSH), support for the digital and green transition.
- Differences: cohesion policy operates in seven-year budget perspectives (2014–2020, 2021–2027) and serves to reduce development disparities between regions; the KPO is a temporary instrument (2021–2026) aimed at rebuilding the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing its resilience.
Where to look for sector and statistical data
The justification of the need for the project, market analysis, baseline values of indicators and financial analysis require data from sources that the assessor can verify.
Data without a stated source and date of access are a typical reason for lower scores under the substantive criteria.
| Data category | Source | Use in the application |
|---|---|---|
| Official statistics – national and regional data | Statistics Poland – GUS (stat.gov.pl), Local Data Bank (bdl.stat.gov.pl), Thematic Knowledge Bases, Geostatistics Portal | Diagnosis of the socio-economic situation, demographic data, baseline values of indicators, justification of location |
| European statistics | Eurostat | National and regional benchmarking, demonstrating the development gap, European context of the project |
| SME sector and entrepreneurship | Polish Agency for Enterprise Development – reports on the state of the SME sector, sector analyses, Development Services Database | Market characteristics, justification of training and advisory needs |
| Data on business entities | REGON search engine (BIR), CEIDG, National Court Register, financial statements in the Financial Documents Repository | Competition analysis, verification of contractors and partners, determination of SME status (linked and partner enterprises) |
| State aid and de minimis | State Aid Data Sharing System (SUDOP) run by UOKiK | Determining the de minimis aid limit, verifying support received to date |
| Projects already funded | Mapa Dotacji UE; lists of projects selected for funding published by institutions | Benchmarking budgets and scopes, assessing the level of competition in the measure |
| State of the art, innovation | Patent Office of the Republic of Poland (UPRP database search engines), Espacenet, scientific publications and bibliographic databases | Demonstrating the level of innovation, state-of-the-art search, justification of R&D work |
| Specialisations and development priorities | National Smart Specialisation; regional smart specialisations published by Marshal’s Offices | Demonstrating the project’s compliance with specialisation criteria |
| Labour market | Voivodeship and district labour offices, occupational barometer, GUS data on unemployment and wages | Justification of training and employment projects, calculation of staff costs |
| Foreign trade and exports | GUS data on trade in goods, Eurostat statistics, PAIH foreign trade offices | Target market analyses in internationalisation projects |
Most common mistakes in selecting sources
- Basing the diagnosis on press materials and commercial studies instead of official statistics or data from sector institutions.
- Using an outdated version of the SzOP or guidelines after they have been amended.
- Failing to check the de minimis aid limit in SUDOP before planning the financing structure.
- Not monitoring the call schedule and starting work only after the call has been announced.
- Assuming that the call deadline will be extended.
- Providing data without indicating the source and date of access, which makes it impossible for the assessor to verify them.
Frequently asked questions
How does a managing authority differ from an intermediate body?
The managing authority is responsible for the entire programme and retains this responsibility even after entrusting some of its tasks. The intermediate body performs the tasks entrusted to it in relation to a specified priority or measure. In practice, it most often announces calls, assesses applications and settles projects.
Who signs the grant agreement?
The entity indicated in the project selection rules. As a rule, this is the institution running the call, which is most often the intermediate body, and in some programmes the implementing body or the managing authority directly.
Where can I find information on planned calls?
In the call schedules published on each programme’s website and in the Grant Search Engine on the European Funds Portal. The schedules are updated at least once a quarter and cover a 12-month horizon.
What data is best used to justify the need for a project?
Official statistics (GUS, Local Data Bank), data from sector institutions relevant to the industry and, in health projects, healthcare needs maps and NFZ (National Health Fund) statistics. All data should be referenced to the source and date of access.
Author: Dariusz Kozakiewicz
EU funding expert