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Writing Guide

How can AI be used for idea generation and application writing?

erasmusplus.ai6 min readFebruary 2025

Applying for Erasmus+ funding is demanding. Project ideas must be clearly formulated, priorities must align, and the application follows a strict logic. This is exactly where artificial intelligence can provide support — not as a replacement for professional expertise, but as a tool that creates structure, saves time, and supports thinking processes.

AI as support for idea generation

Many projects do not fail during implementation, but because the initial idea is not clearly defined. AI can help to structure thoughts and open up new perspectives.

Tip 1

Structuring project ideas

AI can develop initial project approaches from rough bullet points: which social problem should be addressed, which target groups are in focus, which Erasmus+ priorities are relevant. The result is not a finished project, but a solid basis for discussion within your team or with potential partners.

Tip 2

Alignment with Erasmus+ priorities

AI can systematically compare project ideas with horizontal priorities such as inclusion, digitalisation, or sustainability. This makes it clear at an early stage whether an idea is fundamentally eligible for funding — or still needs refinement before it fits the programme logic.

AI in preparing the application

Once the project idea is defined, the actual work on the application begins. Erasmus+ applications follow a clear logic — and this is precisely where AI can add consistent value across several steps.

Structure and logic in the application

  • ✓Formulate project objectives with greater precision
  • ✓Present the links between needs, objectives, activities, and results clearly
  • ✓Align text sections logically with each other across a long application
  • ✓Identify gaps in the argument that might lose evaluator points

This is especially helpful for large applications — keeping a clear line of argument throughout a 40-page form is genuinely difficult without a structural aid.

Linguistic clarity and readability

  • ✓Simplify dense technical passages without losing precision
  • ✓Shorten sections that exceed word limits while retaining key information
  • ✓Normalise language across sections written by different partners
  • ✓Check for passive voice, vague terms, and evaluator-unfriendly phrasing

It remains essential that all content is technically accurate and fits the project. AI provides suggestions that must always be reviewed and adapted by someone who knows the project.

Concrete use cases of AI in the application

Typical areas where AI can be used effectively include:

  • →Formulating project objectives and expected results in measurable terms
  • →Describing target groups and the added value your project brings them
  • →Structuring work packages with clear deliverables and timelines
  • →Creating first drafts of project summaries and abstracts
  • →Checking existing text for clarity, consistency, and logical flow

Limitations of AI in Erasmus+ applications

As helpful as AI can be, it has clear and important limitations:

AI does not know your organisation. It cannot access your track record, your team's expertise, or the specific context that makes your project credible. Evaluation criteria, the context of the call, and the internal project logic must always be understood and developed by the applicants themselves.
  • ✓AI does not know your organisation's specific experience or history
  • ✓AI does not replace strategic decision-making about priorities and partnerships
  • ✓AI cannot take responsibility for the content it generates
  • ✓AI may produce plausible-sounding but factually incorrect claims about the programme

AI as a tool, not a shortcut

AI can make the application process easier, but it cannot automate it. Successful Erasmus+ applications are built on professional expertise, experience with the programme, good coordination within the consortium, and a clear project logic. AI supports exactly where time is limited or structure is needed — it does not replace the thinking behind the application.

In practice: Those who use AI as a thinking partner and drafting aid — while maintaining full ownership of the content — tend to produce better applications faster. Those who use it as a ghostwriter without review risk submitting applications that sound polished but lack the specific, credible detail that evaluators look for.

Conclusion

AI can be a valuable tool for idea generation and application writing within the Erasmus+ programme. It helps to structure, formulate, and reflect on project ideas — and to produce cleaner, more readable text. What matters most is conscious and responsible use. Those who see AI as support rather than a replacement can significantly improve the quality of their applications and reduce the time investment involved.

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