From idea to proposal

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From idea to proposal

• How to develop a Framework Programme proposal
• Kim Davis

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Agenda

• Project idea
• Why participate?
• Is the idea relevant to a work programme?
• Proposal timeline
• Types of projects
• Develop the project idea
• Finding partners
• Constructing the project
• Writing the proposal
• Submission
• What happens next?

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Why participate?
Why are you writing this proposal?

• Develop or gain access to advanced technology
• Collaborate with key international players or
  customers
• Facilitate investment in your company
• Access new markets / areas
• Develop international standard
• Fund something you are planning to do
• Train staff and develop know-how
• Help assure your company is not left out/behind

• Just for the money?
• To further our technical research interests?
• To fund bug fixing and development of a product
  we sell?
• To make our product more innovative?
• For other political / organisational reasons?
• A mixture of the above

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Step 1. Check idea against the work programme!

• The proposal must correspond to one or more of
  the topics, and associated funding scheme(s),
  indicated in the call for proposals (work
  programme).
• Long term and large potential impact (current
  generation plus two)
• Clearly advances state of the art
• Clear technological risk
• Does not repeat work under way (check previously
  funded projects and also that domain is not
  covered by scope of existing Integrated Project)
• Minimum 3 partners from 3 different countries

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Proposal timeline
Negotiations
Evaluation
Write proposal
Form consortium
Refine idea
STREP/ Research for SMEs 4-6 months (much
longer for IP and NoE )
6-9 months
Idea!
Submit to Brussels
Start project!
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Types of projects
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Step 2. General information on the project idea
needs to be written

• Funding scheme e.g. Small CP (STREP), Large CP
  (IP), NoE, CSA
• Proposal acronym or short title (Not more than 20
  characters. Example OBAN Open Broadband Access
  Networks)
• Proposal title (Understandable for non
  specialists. Max 200 characters)
• Duration in months
• Call identifier and objectives
• Free keywords
• The project abstract
• Not more than 2000 characters
• Give a clear understanding of the objectives, how
  they will be achieved and their relevance to the
  work programme
• To be used as a short description of the proposal
  in the evaluation process and in other
  communications
• Must be short, precise and not contain
  confidential information

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Presenting the project idea one page summary
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Marketing the project idea (Example courtesy J.
Gorman, SINTEF)
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Step 3. Finding partners

• Contacts from existing or previous projects
• Technical / business contacts and friends
• Ideal-ist, CORDIS and Technology Platform partner
  search
• Conferences, information meetings, exhibitions

Scientific Coordinator
Project manager / administrator
Technology developers
Integrators
Direct users of results
The consortium
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Constructing the project. Example MIDAS
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The Partners

• Any and all partners have real roles and
  significant effort allocation.
• The delete a partner rule of thumb
• If you can get rid of a partner without
  significantly changing the project then do so
• Individual partner descriptions must answer 4 key
  questions in order to be considered
• Type of organisation
• Specific skills/technologies brought to the
  project
• Role in the project
• Interest in project results

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Step 4. Writing the proposal

• Rule 1. Start as soon as possible. Do not wait
  for the call, read the work programme.
• Rule 2.  Meet with partners early to decide
  responsibilities. All partners must write their
  work package and another section. This shows
  their commitment.
• Rule 3. Delegate the work but have one person be
  the editor. Coordinating a proposal is a full
  time job.
• Rule 4. If your first language is not English
  then have someone with that expertise read your
  proposal.
• Rule 5. Get an outside opinion

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Workpackages

• Workpackage 1 Management
• All partners should lead a workpackage
• Limit number of partners in each workpackage
• Follow project logic

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Step 5. Submission

• Proposals must be submitted electronically, using
  the Commissions Electronic Proposal Submission
  Service (EPSS)
• Call deadlines are absolutely firmly and strictly
  enforced. If you wait until too near the close of
  the call to start uploading the proposal you risk
  not being able to submit in time.
• Submit a draft early and then update it often.
  You may submit successive drafts. Each one
  overwrites the previous.

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The evaluator or who are these people that
decide if my project gets money or not and how do
they decide.
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The usual suspects
The Nerd knows the science well
The Practical knows about research project
management
The visionary thinks about the future
The enthusiast knows a little and loves the
subject
and they dont do it for the money
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The evaluation

• Secret
• No conflicts of interest
• English language is King/Queen
• Assisted by a High Qualified Commission
  Scientific Officer
• Well organised

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The evaluators Holy Book(s)

• Guidelines - Call specific
• Guidelines for applicants
• Work programme
• Specific activity
• Guidelines pages

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(No Transcript)
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Individual Evaluation Report for a STREP
I declare that, to the best of my knowledge, I
have no direct or indirect conflict of interest
in the evaluation of this proposal
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Evaluation workload

• 16 projects
• 16 reviewers
• 5 days to do the job

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Evaluation schedule
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What goes on in a consensus meeting?

• Individual evaluations returned
• Reporter appointed or introduced
• Roundtable clarification of overall score
• Roundtable clarification of criteria score
• Adding up of scores, final comments

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What goes on in an overall consensus meeting?

• Projects are ranked according to score.
• Quick read of projects that have passed
  threshold
• Group meets together, reporter appointed,
• evaluation of projects distributed
• Group goes through the threshold projects
• Indication of how much money is available
• Suggestions for changes in ranking
• Discussion
• Final decision
• Report written then approved
• and signed by all evaluators.

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Ranking

• Listed according to score
• Discussion when there are several with same score
  (weak 12 or strong 12)
• Amount of money available
• Line drawn as to what projects can be funded

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Lessons

• 60 seconds rule
• entertain and educate
• balance
• justifiable budget
• no state of the art review as a WP
• all parts are important
• two different types of evaluators
• the "generalist"
• the "specialist"
• what is produced IN the project
• reemphasize the "good idea.