FUNDING EXPERT ACADEMY LTD

What FUNDING EXPERT ACADEMY LTD does

Funding Expert Academy Ltd is a Cyprus-based training and consultancy firm focused on European Union research and innovation funding. Founded in 2020 by Nikolaos Floratos — a European Commission expert evaluator since 2003 with over 25 years of EU funding experience — the company trains individual researchers, universities, research support offices, and SMEs to secure grants through programs including Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions), ERC, EIC, and Digital Europe. The company states it has trained more than 50,000 researchers across 45+ countries and, via its OpenCosmos ecosystem, claims over €158M in awarded funding for clients.

The product portfolio spans a self-paced e-course catalog of 20+ courses, scheduled live bootcamps and retreats, in-house training, proposal evaluation services, and bespoke consultancy. The OpenCosmos platform bundles training with a community/membership component and an annual subscription tier. Pricing is granular and tiered: e-courses range from approximately €50 to €997, live bootcamps from €90 to €350, and in-house training is quote-based. Operations are lean, with the founder as the principal practitioner plus at least one additional trainer (Dafni Zarbi), structured under parent Key Innovations Cyprus Ltd with a London mailing address in addition to the Nicosia headquarters.

Go-to-market is primarily digital and direct, leveraging the founder's personal brand (ranked prominently on Google for "Funding Expert") and a free newsletter/CRM funnel. Institutional clients identified in materials include the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG). No external venture funding has been disclosed; the company appears to be bootstrapped within its parent structure, with revenue concentrated around EU funding call deadlines.

Name

FUNDING EXPERT ACADEMY LTD

Legal name

Funding Expert Academy Ltd

Website

https://fundingexpert.academy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Funding Expert Academy Ltd is a Cyprus-based training and consultancy firm that equips researchers, universities, and SMEs to win EU funding through e-courses, live bootcamps, and the OpenCosmos platform, founded and led by former EC evaluator Nikolaos Floratos.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

EU Funding Training and Consultancy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Finance, Banking & Capital Markets (EDAAAPAG)

Keywords

• EU funding training
• Horizon Europe proposal writing
• Grant writing consultancy
• Research funding advisory
• ERC MSCA training

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. E-Course Sales: Self-paced recorded training courses sold individually with lifetime access. Courses cover Pre-Award and Post-Award mastery across Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, MSCA, ERC, EIC, and financial management topics. Prices range from EUR 50 to EUR 997+ VAT depending on course depth and duration.
2. Live Training Events: Half-day and full-day live bootcamps, proposal labs, and retreats offered as scheduled events. Includes hands-on proposal work with evaluator-style feedback. Pricing at EUR 350 for bootcamps, EUR 180 for FP10 Champions Club (non-members), and EUR 90 (OC members).
3. In-House Custom Training: Tailored training sessions delivered online or on-site for institutions and companies. Any FEA course can be customised to organisational needs. No published pricing; quote-based engagements.
4. Proposal Evaluation Service: Expert evaluation by EC evaluators with 7-day delivery. Evaluates proposals against Excellence, Impact, and Implementation criteria. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee with money-back option. Currently offered at 50% discount.
5. One-to-One Consultancy: Three-session AI consultancy packages and half-day intensive sessions using AI-enabled workflow aligned with Excellence-Impact-Implementation. Includes expert evaluation of final drafts.
6. OpenCosmos Membership: Yearly subscription providing full access to all e-courses, live trainings, Q&A sessions, evaluation services, and Proposal Lab. Designed for institutional and corporate use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Funding Expert Academy provides expert-led, AI-enhanced training, evaluation, and consultancy services for professionals seeking European Union research and innovation funding. Core offerings include self-paced e-courses, live bootcamps and proposal labs, in-house customised institutional training, expert proposal evaluation by EC evaluators, one-to-one consultancy, and an annual OpenCosmos membership subscription covering Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, ERC, MSCA, EIC, and Digital Europe programmes.

Product overview

Funding Expert Academy is a specialized learning hub providing expert-led, AI-enhanced training for professionals seeking results in European funding. The platform operates as a multi-product training ecosystem consisting of: (1) Live Trainings & Events — interactive online/on-site sessions on EU funding topics; (2) e-Courses — self-paced recorded courses with lifetime access covering Pre-Award (ERC, MSCA, Horizon Europe proposals) and Post-Award (financial management, project management) mastery; (3) In-house Custom Trainings — tailored sessions for institutions and companies; (4) Proposal Evaluation Service — expert evaluation by EC evaluators; (5) One-to-One Consultancy — personalized AI-enabled consultancy sessions; and (6) OpenCosmos Platform — yearly institutional membership providing full access to all offerings. The curriculum spans Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, Digital Europe Programme, and covers proposal writing, consortium building, budgeting, project management, financial reporting, and innovation management across all experience levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Trainings & Events Online and on-site live training sessions designed for high engagement with guaranteed learning outcomes, covering Horizon Europe, MSCA, ERC, EIC, financial management, and proposal development topics. Includes half-day bootcamps, proposal labs, and retreats scheduled around EU funding deadlines.
• e-Courses Self-paced recorded training courses with lifetime access covering Pre-Award and Post-Award mastery across Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, MSCA, ERC, EIC, and financial management topics, based on practical methods, examples, and structured learning.
• In-house Custom Trainings Tailored training sessions for institutions and companies delivered online or on-site, customisable to organisational needs. Any FEA course can be adapted; designed for universities, RTOs, and SMEs. Quote-based pricing with unlimited participants.
• Proposal Evaluation Service Expert evaluation by European Commission evaluators for all major Horizon Europe schemes, providing detailed comments, strengths/weaknesses analysis, and guidance to improve fundability within 7 days. Includes 100% Satisfaction Guarantee with money-back option.
• One-to-One Consultancy Personalised AI-enabled consultancy sessions aligned with the Excellence-Impact-Implementation framework, including three-session packages and half-day intensive sessions. Includes a full expert evaluation of final draft proposals.
• OpenCosmos Platform Membership Yearly subscription platform providing full access to all e-courses, live trainings, Q&A sessions, evaluation services, and Proposal Lab. Designed for institutional and corporate use; OC members receive discounted live event rates.
• FP10 Champions Club Athens Retreat 2026 Invitation-only two-day peer strategy forum held October 15-16, 2026 at Dr. Floratos's private residence on the Athens Riviera for senior leaders developing FP10 institutional positioning strategy. Includes lifetime FP10 Champions Club membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• EUR 158M+ in awarded funding secured through OpenCosmos ecosystem
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Key Innovations Cyprus LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company and operator of Funding Expert Academy. Key Innovations Cyprus Ltd is the legal entity behind the training platform, consultancy services, and OpenCosmos ecosystem. The company is registered in Cyprus and manages all operational aspects of the academy.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AMIRES s.r.o. Czech consultancy providing strategic consulting, project management, and training for EU R&I projects under Horizon Europe and related programmes. Directly comparable in target customer (universities, RTOs, SMEs) and service mix (proposal support, training, project management).
• PNO Consultants: Netherlands-based innovation funding consultancy with a pan-European presence that supports applicants across Horizon Europe, EIC, national and regional schemes. Comparable as a multi-country EU funding training and consultancy competitor with similar proposal evaluation services.
• Steinbeis 2i GmbH: German consultancy affiliated with the Steinbeis Foundation that supports companies and research institutions in EU funding applications and EU project management. Comparable as an established EU funding consultancy with training and proposal evaluation services.
• Research Consulting Ltd: UK-based research management consultancy that advises universities and research organisations on research strategy, EU funding, and professional development for research support staff. Comparable in serving EU research support offices and Vicerectors of research/innovation with training and advisory services.
• accelopment AG: Switzerland-based EU project management and funding consultancy that supports researchers and SMEs across Horizon Europe, ERC, MSCA, and EIC programmes. Closely comparable in offering proposal-writing support, training, and project management services to EU funding applicants.
• Europa Media Trainings: Hungary-based training provider running public courses on EU project management, Horizon Europe proposal writing, and financial management for EU beneficiaries. Directly comparable in training format (live courses, e-learning) and EU funding focus.
• EURICE GmbH: German EU project management and funding consultancy supporting Horizon Europe beneficiaries with proposal development, project management, and training. Closely comparable in deep specialisation in EU R&I funding workflows and institutional customer base.
• ttopstart: Netherlands-based consultancy that helps life-sciences and health researchers secure EU funding (Horizon Europe, EIC, ERC) through proposal development and training. Comparable in methodology-led proposal support and institutional training focus.

Broad incumbents

• Innovate UK EDGE: UK government-backed innovation and growth support service providing advice, training, and funding navigation for innovative SMEs, including support for UK participation in EU programmes. Comparable as a broader, publicly funded alternative for training and consultancy on EU and domestic innovation funding.

Regional players

• Eureca Projects: Spain-based EU project management and training provider delivering Horizon Europe proposal support and project management courses. Comparable in service mix (training, consultancy, project management for EU funding) with a stronger Southern European footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/floratos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FUNDING EXPERT ACADEMY LTD