V'Spiridonov: How we succeeded in FP6

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• Vesselin Spiridonov, CEO
• VIRTECH Ltd.
• Sofia, Bulgaria

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• TOPICS
• 1. About VIRTECH and our experience in FP5 and
  FP6 IST Programmes.
• 2. What was helpful for participation of a small
  company in FP6.
• 3. How as a small company we found our place in
  the Framework Programmes.
• 4. How a small company can be competitive in
  European Research.
• 5. Conclusions

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 1. About VIRTECH
• 1.1. A small company (15-20 staff), established
  in 1996.
• 1.2. Structure project teams, lead by team
  leaders.
• 1.3. Since 2000 wide use of teleworking.
• 1.4. Close ties with Sofia University from the
  beginning.
• 1.5. Main activity area development of software
  systems for eWork, eLearning and other Internet
  applications.
• 1.6. Commercial development and research 50-50.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 1. About VIRTECH (continued)
• 1.7. Participation in European research since
  1998. First two projects of FP4 (INCO Copernicus
  Programme).
• 1.8. Participation in FP5 IST Programme five
  projects.
• 1.9. Participation in FP6 IST Programme two
  projects one of them is an on-going Integrated
  project (ECOSPACE).
• 1.10. Participation in other European Programmes
  and initiatives SOCRATES, PHARE, 3 completed and
  2 on-going projects of Leonardo da Vinci
  Programme.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 2. What was helpful for participation of a small
  company in FP6
• 2.1. The understanding by the EU of the
  importance of small companies participation in
  European research, because
• The small companies promote innovation in IST
  field
• They develop new visions in IST and transform
  them into business assets.
• The small companies were welcomed partners in FP6
  IST project consortia because of their ability
  for solving practical problems and implementation
  of projects outcomes.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 2. What was helpful for participation of a small
  company in FP6 (continued).
• Note The small companies get even more support
  in FP7. The ICT Work Programme 2007-08 provides
  major opportunities for SMEs to finance
  high-risk, early-stage research and development,
  to build strategic partnerships and to operate
  outside their local markets with higher value
  innovative products and services. The EU
  financial contribution of small companies total
  eligible costs in FP6 was up to 50. In FP7 ICT
  it is more up to 75.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 2. What was helpful for participation of a small
  company in FP6 (continued).
• And more about FP7
• As mentioned in FP7 ICT Work Programme The ICT
  theme in FP7 is therefore expected to draw a high
  number of innovative SMEs that are ready to
  undertake research and development both in
  emerging technology fields with high growth
  potential and in key ICT application fields. The
  aim is to ensure that SMEs constitute an
  important part of the ICT research consortia
  together with large companies, universities, and
  public research labs.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 2. What was helpful for participation of a small
  company in FP6 (continued).
• 2.2. The availability of rich information about
  the programme, the main directions and rules of
  proposing and running the projects. Many
  different sources of information are available in
  FP7, too. We especially relied on
• Officially published materials by the EC
• CORDIS and other Community websites
• Information days about the programmes and the
  calls
• Direct information from the NCPs
• Information from colleagues from the country and
  abroad.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 2. What was helpful for participation of a small
  company in FP6 (continued).
• 2.3. Now there is much more information about
  participating in FP7 and other European
  Programmes and initiatives. To the list on the
  previous slide of information sources and
  contacts building facilities should be added
• Special European CSA projects for encouraging and
  enabling the participation in FP7, for finding
  partners for proposal consortia (such as
  Ideal-ist), etc.
• Participation in networking activities and,
  especially, in the new initiative ICT European
  Technology Platforms (ETP).

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 2. What was helpful for participation of a small
  company in FP6 (continued).
• 2.4. The European Technology Platforms
  establishment is an important initiative of the
  European Commission, which formally is not in the
  frames of FP7, but it has huge impact on creating
  contacts, sharing ideas, forming policies,
  developing ERA and orienting to FP7. Now there
  are 9 ICT ETP, two of them (ARTEMIS and ENIAC)
  are fully created and others are under
  establishment. NESSI (Networked European Software
  Services Initiative) is the platform with 22
  founders and 285 partners, where we participate.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 3. How as a small company we found our place in
  the Framework Programmes.
• 3.1. For a small company with its ability of of
  promoting innovation, developing new visions and
  transforming them into business the natural
  instrument for participation in the framework
  programmes is STREP (the Specific Targeted
  Research Projects). We also have been
• - a partner (but not coordinator) in FP6 IST
  Integrated Project (ECOSPACE).
• - a partner in FP6 IST SSA (specific
  support actions) project (COMIST).

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 3. How as a small company we found our place in
  the Framework Programmes (continued).
• 3.2. In the case of STREP proposals our small
  company actively proposed ideas, shared them
  with potential partners and helped for creating
  consortia and proposals.
• In the case of proposals for Integrated
  projects or CSA (coordinated or support actions)
  we were invited by the coordinator to
  participate. Of course, in these cases we were
  selected because of our previous activities and
  of the contacts with the coordinators and
  partners, established during last years.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 4. How a small company can be competitive in
  European Research.
• 4.1. When searching for partners and joining
  consortia it must
• Make a very good presentation of its expertise in
  both company Profile and company Site, register
  in sites, join professional groups and networks,
  contact leading persons and organizations in
  order to get invitations to join their project
  consortia.
• Be an active partner, giving proposal ideas,
  writing parts of proposals and supplying on time
  all needed information.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 4. How a small company can be competitive in
  European Research (continued).
• 4.2. When preparing a proposal it must
• Select the right call and challenge, present the
  project ideas in a very clear and concise way,
  find the right partners and coordinator, use
  properly the proposal guide and EPSS tool and
  together with the partners be able to prepare
  carefully all sections of the proposal (not the
  content part only, neglecting the other parts)
• Make internal evaluation of the proposal having
  in mind the evaluation documents.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 4. How a small company can be competitive in
  European Research (continued).
• 4.3. When running a project it must
• Create on time the project team. (We used for
  some more sophisticated tasks researchers from
  Sofia University)
• Manage well the project team. The limited number
  of staff requires some developers to work on
  several projects
• Carefully plan the activities on each working
  package and report on time to the coordinator and
  the partners
• Be trying all the time to provide the best RD
  solutions for the tasks allotted to the company
• Perform precisely the administrative and
  financial work.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 4. How a small company can be competitive in
  European Research (continued).
• 4.4. Performing implementation and dissemination
  activities during the project the small company
  can
• work easily with the end users during
  implementation and exploitation of the project
  outcomes
• extend its activities to geographic regions.
  Examples with VIRTECH participation E-MUNIS
  (e-Government best practice transfer to 8
  Southeast Europe municipalities) and ECOSPACE
  (eProfessional Collaboration Space) to
  organizations in 3 Balkan states.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 5. Conclusions
• Several important advises from our experience
• 5.1. Be well informed about the next Calls, the
  challenges and the rules for participation. Check
  are there any specific advantages for new member
  and accession states, West Balkans, etc.
• 5.2. Create an idea which may lead you to
  successful proposal. Use your contacts from
  conferences, working groups, networking events,
  information days to select potential partners.
  Share your idea with them.
• 5.3. Evaluate the feasibility of the project
  idea, analyzing the state of art, opportunity,
  other proposals, roles, partners, selection of
  instrument, objectives.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 5. Conclusions (continued)
• 5.4. Select the proper proposal instrument.
• 5.5. Find proper partners, select the
  coordinator.
• 5.6. Read well the corresponding Guide for
  Applicants.
• 5.7. Design the proposal in accordance with the
  Guide.
• 5.8. Read the Evaluation manual in order to be
  acquainted with the criteria and requirements of
  the reviewers.
• 5.9. Prepare and agree with the partners a work
  plan of preparing the proposal with duties of all
  partners.

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How we succeeded in FP6 IST Priority The view
of a small company

• 5. Conclusions (continued)
• 10. Prepare some technical facilities for
  information exchange site, FTP server (if
  needed), group e-mail, blackboard, etc. Check do
  all the partners approve them.
• 11. Have enough time for the whole work on the
  proposal at least 3 months starting from
  consortium organization or 2 months for effective
  writing the proposal. The work on Call 3
  proposals should have started in 2007, now you
  may only join consortiums needing new partners.
• 12. Be ready for multiple writing, agreeing and
  improving the most concise and difficult parts of
  the proposal.
• 13. Have an experienced person for budget
  preparation.
• 14. Meet the deadlines!

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Vesselin Spiridonovvspirid_at_virtech-bg.comTha
nk you for your attention!