What are partnership opportunities under the EEA and Norway Grants?

Partnership opportunities under the EEA and Norway Grants are structured ways for organisations in donor countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) to work with organisations in the 15 EU Member States that receive funding. The site describes these partnerships as "central to the Grants," because they foster knowledge sharing, joint solutions and stronger bilateral relations across Europe. If you represent a public body, NGO, business or research institution, partnership is usually the route to cross-border cooperation rather than a separate funding stream you apply to on its own.

How partnerships fit into the Grants

The EEA and Norway Grants are funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and support 15 EU Member States. Funding is awarded through open calls managed in each country, and those calls are open to public bodies, NGOs, businesses and research institutions.

Partnerships sit inside that structure:

• Donor-side partners come from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway.
• Beneficiary-side partners come from the country running the call.
• The project is what gets funded; the partnership is how the project is delivered and how knowledge moves between countries.

The stated purpose is not only project delivery. The site frames partnerships as a way to build "knowledge sharing, joint solutions and stronger bilateral relations across Europe."

What a partnership can look like in practice

A partnership is typically a named cooperation between at least one donor-country organisation and one beneficiary-country organisation, tied to a specific call. For example, a research institution in Norway might join a Polish applied research project, or an NGO in Iceland might work with a Slovak organisation on a social inclusion initiative.

The exact shape depends on the call. Some calls expect a partner from a donor country; others focus on bilateral cooperation between organisations in different beneficiary countries. The call text is where you confirm what is required.

Finding partnership opportunities

There are two practical entry points on the site:

1. Calls — the list of open and rolling calls, each with its own submission deadline and eligibility rules. Partnership requirements are set in the individual call.
2. Partnership guide — a dedicated guide explaining how partnerships work under the Grants.

The calls section shows the range of what is currently open. Examples from the site include:

The Slovak bilateral cooperation call is a direct example of a funding route built specifically around bilateral initiatives rather than a single-country project.

How to approach a partnership

• Start from the call, not the partner. Read the call text to see whether a donor-country partner is required, encouraged or optional, and what the deadline is.
• Check the partnership guide. It explains the framework the Grants use for cooperation between donor and beneficiary organisations.
• Match your organisation type to eligibility. Calls are open to public bodies, NGOs, businesses and research institutions, but each call narrows this further.
• Confirm the country pairing. The Grants cover 15 EU Member States, and funding levels reflect each country's needs. A partnership only works if both sides are eligible under the specific call.

What partnerships are not

A partnership is not a standalone grant. It does not replace the application to an open call, and it does not guarantee funding. The site presents it as a component of how projects are designed and delivered, with the call as the mechanism that awards funding.

If your goal is simply to apply for funding, the starting point is the calls list and the "Apply for funding" route. Partnership becomes relevant once you have identified a call where cross-border cooperation is part of the design.