Organised by research funding needs: grant search, proposal writing, project management and administration
Universities and research centres face some of the most demanding grant management challenges. They prepare dozens—or even hundreds—of proposals every year, coordinate complex international consortia, manage multi-million-euro projects and ensure compliance with increasingly stringent funding requirements.
No single software platform covers every aspect of this process. The best choice depends on whether your priority is finding funding opportunities, writing stronger proposals, managing funded projects or handling institutional research administration.
This guide reviews the most widely used solutions for universities and research organisations involved in Horizon Europe and other international funding programmes, organised by key functional needs.
1. Grant Search & Funding Discovery
Finding the right funding opportunities is the first step in the research funding lifecycle. Universities need tools that help researchers identify relevant calls early and efficiently.
Grant 360 – Grant Radar
Grant 360 includes Grant Radar, a dedicated tool for funding discovery.
It helps researchers and research support offices:
- Identify relevant Horizon Europe calls
- Track funding opportunities across programmes
- Match projects with suitable calls
- Stay updated on new funding openings
Best for: Universities that want a structured and proactive approach to funding discovery.
Grantbites
Grantbites is a grant discovery platform focused on simplifying access to funding opportunities through curated and digestible insights.
It helps research teams:
- Discover relevant funding calls in a simplified format
- Stay informed about new opportunities without information overload
- Quickly scan and filter grants by relevance
- Support early-stage ideation for research projects
Best for: Universities and researchers looking for a lightweight, easy-to-digest funding discovery tool.
AISEMA
AISEMA is an AI-assisted funding intelligence platform designed to support advanced grant search and opportunity matching.
It enables institutions to:
- Use AI to identify highly relevant funding opportunities
- Match research profiles with suitable calls
- Analyse funding landscapes across programmes
- Improve strategic funding decisions
Best for: Research offices and institutions seeking AI-driven funding intelligence and strategic grant scouting.
2. Grant Writing & Proposal Preparation
Proposal writing is one of the most resource-intensive phases of the grant lifecycle. It requires coordination between researchers, administrators and external partners.
Grant 360 – Grant Genius
Grant Genius supports AI-assisted proposal writing and structuring.
It helps research teams:
- Draft and refine proposals
- Structure Horizon Europe applications
- Improve clarity and coherence
- Accelerate writing processes
Best for: Institutions aiming to improve proposal quality and reduce writing time.
WinGrant.ai
WinGrant.ai is an AI-powered grant writing platform designed to support researchers and proposal teams throughout the drafting process.
It enables users to:
- Generate structured grant proposals
- Improve narrative quality and consistency
- Align content with funding requirements
- Accelerate early-stage drafting and refinement
Best for: Research teams looking for AI-assisted proposal drafting and content optimisation.
Review IQ
Review IQ focuses on proposal evaluation and quality assessment before submission.
It helps institutions:
- Review grant proposals against evaluation criteria
- Identify weaknesses and missing elements
- Improve clarity, structure and competitiveness
- Simulate reviewer-style feedback
Best for: Universities aiming to strengthen proposal quality through structured pre-submission review.
Opaly
Opaly is a collaborative platform designed to support research teams during the grant writing process.
It provides:
- Structured proposal collaboration
- Version control and document organisation
- Team-based editing workflows
- Centralised feedback management
Best for: Institutions needing coordinated, multi-author proposal development environments.
3. Project Planning & Consortium Management
Once a project is funded, universities must manage complex consortia, deliverables and reporting obligations.
Grant 360 – Grant Planner
Grant Planner is designed for Horizon Europe project execution.
It supports:
- Work package planning
- Consortium coordination
- Project structuring
- Timeline and deliverable tracking
Best for: Universities managing collaborative European research projects.
EMDESK
Beyond proposal writing, EMDESK is also widely used for project execution.
It offers:
- Project planning
- Reporting tools
- Budget tracking
- Consortium collaboration features
Best for: Large Horizon Europe consortia requiring structured project management.
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a powerful general-purpose planning tool.
It is commonly used for:
- Scheduling research projects
- Resource allocation
- Internal project tracking
However, it is not tailored to Horizon Europe requirements such as reporting or consortium governance.
Best for: Institutions already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem.
OpenProject
OpenProject is an open-source project management platform developed in Europe.
It provides:
- Task and milestone tracking
- Project planning
- Collaboration features
- Self-hosting options
Best for: Universities prioritising open-source infrastructure and digital sovereignty.
4. Internal Collaboration & Operational Management
Many research teams also need flexible tools for day-to-day coordination and internal workflows.
ClickUp
ClickUp is a highly flexible project management platform.
It allows research teams to:
- Organise internal workflows
- Manage tasks and documentation
- Customise project structures
Best for: Internal coordination beyond formal grant requirements.
Asana
Asana is known for its simplicity and ease of use.
It supports:
- Task management
- Team collaboration
- Lightweight project tracking
Best for: Small research teams and departmental coordination.
Monday.com
Monday.com offers visual workflow management and automation.
It is often used for:
- Cross-team collaboration
- Process automation
- Internal project tracking
Best for: Research support teams and administrative coordination.
Final Thoughts
Universities and research centres rarely rely on a single software solution.
Instead, they build ecosystems of complementary tools that support each stage of the research funding lifecycle—from identifying opportunities to writing proposals, managing projects and coordinating internal teams.
The most effective grant software is not necessarily the most feature-rich platform, but the one that aligns with institutional workflows and reduces administrative burden for researchers.
As European research funding becomes increasingly complex, modular and interoperable solutions that support Horizon Europe processes end-to-end are likely to play a growing role in the research ecosystem.