PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

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PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL
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3 PHASES

• Preparation Submission

Negotiations
Project work
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STRATEGIC DECISIONS

• Role Co-ordination or Partner

Write proposal alone or
together with your partners
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STRATEGISCHE ENTSCHEIDUNGEN
RISKS WHEN PARTICIPATING AS PARTNER

• Is the budget enough to carry out all the tasks
  foreseen for me?
• Are there enough travel costs?
• Is there any translation foreseen and does
  there exist budget for translation?
• Do I get regular information on the progress of
  the project?
• Do I have a voice in decisions within the
  project?
• Do I have all rights of all results / products
  for exploitation?
• Co-ordinator submitts the money very late to
  the partners
• Communication between co-ordinator and partners
  is poor
• Unexperienced co-ordinator

• Koordination oder Partner

Proposal selbst oder
gemeinsam Schreiben
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OPPORTUNITIES AT THE BEGIN

• Text of the call fits very well to my own
  project idea

• Cofinancing is already fixed.

• Experienced partners / co-ordinator in the
  consortium

• Resources exist (English knowledge, Excel,
  Layout, Communication etc.)

• Start of proposal preparation as early as
  possible

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SET UP A CONSORTIUM

• Geographical aspekts
• Balance of geographical areas (this doesnt
  exclude 2 partners from the same country!)
• Content / Know How
• Which Know How do I need? (Management,
  Communication, Layout,
• Which contents do I need? (depending from the
  call text)
• Mix out of experienced partners and new comers
• Political aspekte
• Partners from new member countries should be
  included
• the big 5 European countries should be partners
  (IT, UK, DE, ES, FR)
• stakeholders / key actors should be included

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CONSIDERATION CONCERNING BUDGET
Ask EU about approx. possible total budget of the
project
Efforts for project management shouldnt exceed 7
9 of the total budget.

• Expensive parts of the budget
• Translations
• Travels, Meetings

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STRATEGISCHE ENTSCHEIDUNGEN
RISKS

• Partner doesnt manage to get co-financing
• Well known institutions (persons) participate
  in the consortium, but a newcomer will work
  on the project.
• Political changes during the life time of the
  project reduce support.
• Long delays
• No common understanding concerning contents
  between partners and co-ordinator
• Partners arent able to carry out their tasks
• Consortium counts on contributions from outside
  of the project
• Unflexible institutions

• Koordination oder Partner

Proposal selbst oder
gemeinsam Schreiben
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CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS STEER - CHECKLIST

• Do we meet the formal / admin. requirements?
• Do we meet the demands of the call?
• Quality of the described activities
• Cost Benefit anylsis
• Comprehensibility of contents / methodologies /
  approach / message
• European Dimension
• Are stakeholders and key actors involved?
• Are partners from new member countries
  involved?
• Do we take European Policies in consideration?
• Partnerships
• The financial maximum fundings wont be
  exceeded ?
• Practical Implementation yes research no!
• Size of consortium (ø 6 9 partners)
• Consortium well balanced mix of partners

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CONTENTS OF CALL WORK PROGRAMM

• Call Text
• Vital instructions and requirements
• Work programme
• Guidelines for each of the specific fields and
  key actions
• Implementation arrangements
• Evaluation criteria
• Indicative timetable for implementation of the WP

SOURCE. Waltraud Schmid (IEEA) Call 2005 -
Essential steps and key issues modified
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FIRST QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

• Investigate the state of the art. What has been
  done before?
• What exactly do you propose to do ?
• What will be different when your project has
  ended ? (When you have finished, how will we
  know that you have succeeded ?)
• EXPLAIN THESE STEPS CLEARLY IN YOUR PROPOSAL !

SOURCE. Waltraud Schmid (IEEA) Call 2005 -
Essential steps and key issues
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DEFINING WORK PACKAGES

• Each work package should produce clearly defined
  deliverables (be ambitious, but dont
  exaggerate!)
• Delegate responsibilities to partners
  coordinators should not try to lead all work
  packages
• EU added value from partners working together on
  common tasks. Not one work package per country
• Work package texts should state very clearly what
  the partners will actually do !
• Separate work package for management, including
  regular consortium meetings and reporting
• Schedule deliverables with progress, interim or
  final reports. Typical project duration 24 - 36
  months

SOURCE. Waltraud Schmid (IEEA) Call 2005 -
Essential steps and key issues
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SOME HINTS AND EXPERIENCES

• It takes longer to write proposals than you think
  !
• Make it easy to read - evaluators must assess it
  in little more than about 2 hours
• Follow the guidance on the application forms
• Clearly show the roles of each partner
• Show how you will measure your performance during
  the project (performance indicators)
• Schedule the work appropriately not all work
  packages at the same time

SOURCE. Waltraud Schmid (IEEA) Call 2005 -
Essential steps and key issues
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DISSEMINATAION / COMMUNICATION

• Define target audience and establish dialogue
  with them from the beginning (not at the end)
• Web site (separate, clearly identified, easily
  accessible) for information transfer, and
  take action to ensure that it is visited (until 2
  years after project end)
• Develop simple messages and communicate directly
  to each specific target audience
• Reach out to new markets and actors at their own
  venues / events local, national or EU.
• Think about Common dissemination work package
  with budget of 7000-15000, for EC requested
  work

SOURCE. Waltraud Schmid (IEEA) Call 2005 -
Essential steps and key issues
15
FIRST QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

• Investigate the state of the art. What has been
  done before?
• What exactly do you propose to do ?
• What will be different when your project has
  ended ? (When you have finished, how will we
  know that you have succeeded ?)
• EXPLAIN THESE STEPS CLEARLY IN YOUR PROPOSAL !

SOURCE. Waltraud Schmid (IEEA) Call 2005 -
Essential steps and key issues
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TIME SCHEDULE WHEN PREPARING A PROPOSAL (1)
Phase Steps
- Read and understand call text - Take a look at
documents for proposals - Get information
- Short description of idea (1page)
- Internal discusion and decision

• - 1 Consideration to set up a consortium
• - First contact
• Submission of short description (1 page)
• Submission of statements of confidentiality
  and impartiality

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TIME SCHEDULE WHEN PREPARING A PROPOSAL (2)
Phase Steps
- Sbmission of admin. Forms to all partners,
Who signed the statements
- search and contact missing partners see
phase 4
- Details concerning the contents (Objectives,
Target groups, Work program, Expected results,
Performance Indicators etc.)
- external or via partners
1. Considerations for budget
- Rough calculation are we in the frame?
9.
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TIME SCHEDULE WHEN PREPARING A PROPOSAL (3)
Phase Steps
- Added values, contribution to policies,
management, consortium, summaries etc
- external or via partners
- Downloading of the tool - Get acquainted with
the tool
- Final calculations
- Layout and content /.financ. check
- electr. submission or. duplication and
submission by regular mail / courier service