1. Dimitra Koutsantoni John Montgomery
Workshop on EU FP7
Dimitra Koutsantoni
John Montgomery

2. Overview of workshop What is new in FP7?
Programmes, themes, funding schemes
Rules of participation/eligibility
Funding opportunities for Social Scientists:
New themes
New programmes (ERC-Starting researcher grant)
Changes in existing programmes (Marie Curie)
Calls timetable and deadlines
Making an application
Forms (electronic forms, parts of the form)
Structuring a proposal-what to include
Evaluation criteria-how to address them
Where to go for information (websites, etc)
Partners (where to find them, paperwork needed)
Costing issues
Dos and Don’ts

3. What is new in FP7? More money! (€54 billion vs. €19 billion in FP6)
New terminology
New programmes and themes
New costing rules
Simplified application guidelines and procedures
Fewer evaluation criteria (for example no 'relevance to Commission objectives' criterion, though they still need to be addressed!)
Higher rates of reimbursement
Changes to reporting and audits

4. New terminology FP6 FP7 What does this mean? Instruments
Funding Schemes
Types of Project allocated by Commission to a topic
Contract
Grant Agreement
Binding contract between Commission and participants
Participants/Contractors
Beneficiaries
All main participants in project, who sign grant agreement
Audit Certificate
Certificate on the Financial Statements
Independent auditor certifies that the costs claimed are correct
Pre-Existing Know-how (PEKH)
Background
Intellectual Property brought into project by participants
Knowledge
Foreground
New knowledge created by participants during project

5. The programmes
Cooperation (new theme: Socio-economic sciences and humanities)
Ideas (new, European Research Council-ERC)
People (Marie Curie-changes)
Capacities
EURATOM
Joint Research Centre (similar to UK Research Councils)

6. FP7 Funding Schemes Collaborative Projects (CP) Networks of Excellence
Coordination and Support Actions (CSA)
Support for Frontier Research (ERC)
Research for the Benefit of Specific Groups
Support for Training and Career Development of Researchers (Marie Curie)
Combinations – e.g. CP and CSA

7. General eligibility criteria
Three independent participants from three different Member States (MS) or Associated countries (AC)
Additional conditions can be established by the work programme or specific programme
Co-ordination and Support Actions/Training – at least one legal entity (no limit on place of establishment)
Frontier research actions (ERC) – at least one legal entity established in a MS or AC

8. Member States (MS), Associated countries (AC), Third countries
EU-27
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta,
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, UK
Associated Countries (FP7)
Croatia, Iceland, Israel,
Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia,
Switzerland, Turkey
Third Countries (not EU-27 or AC)
low-income, lower-middle-income or upper-middle-income country, identified as such in the work programmes
Note: Industrialised third countries (such as Australia, Canada and the USA) can participate under the FP7 ‘Rules for participation’, but under their own funding, unless specifically set out differently in the relevant work programme

9. Funding opportunities for Social Scientists
Cooperation:
Socio-economic sciences and humanities
ICT
Energy
Transport
Read work programmes carefully to identify suitable research questions
ERC-Starting Research Grant
Marie Curie Actions
ITNs (International Training Networks)
Industry Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPPs)
Capacities:
Science in Society
Research Infrastructures

10. Cooperation: themes Health Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology
Information and CommunicationTechnologies
Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Production Technologies
Energy
Environment and Climate Change
Transport
Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (new theme)
Space
Security Research

11. Socio-economic sciences and humanities: research questions to be addressed
Growth, employment and competitiveness in a knowledge society
(innovation, competitiveness and labour market policies; education and life
long learning; and economic structures and productivity)
• A combination of economic, social and environmental objectives in a
European perspective (socio-economic models within Europe and across the
world; economic and social and cohesion across regions, the social and
economic dimensions of environmental policy)
• Major trends in society and their implications (demographic change,
reconciling family and work, health and quality of life, youth policies, social
exclusion and discrimination)
• Europe in the world (trade, migration, poverty, crime, conflict and
resolution)
• The citizen in the European Union (political participation, citizenship and
rights, democracy and accountability, the media, cultural diversity and
heritage, religions, attitudes and values)
• Socio-economic and scientific indicators (the use and value of indicators in
policymaking at macro and micro levels)
• Foresight activities (the future implications of global knowledge, migration,
ageing, risk and the emerging domains in research and science).

12. Ideas: European Research Council (1)
Two funding schemes:
ERC Starting Grant attract & retain the next generation of researchers
ERC Advanced Grant attractive & prestigious grants for established leaders

13. Ideas: European Research Council (2)
Eligibility for ERC Starting grant:
Applicants should have at least 2 years of experience after their PhD, but no more than 9 years
This can be extended by up to 12 years after the PhD in special circumstances (maternity/paternity leave, military/civil service)
No allowance for part-time work (e.g. 2 yrs half time=2 yrs full time)
Preference for projects NOT to be collaborative
Need for collaborators MUST be absolutely justified

14. People: Marie Curie actions (1): Funding schemes
Host actions
Individual actions
Initial training of researchers (ITN) : Marie Curie Networks
Life-long training and career development: Individual Fellowships; Co-financing of regional/national/international programmes
Industry-academia pathways and partnerships: Industry-Academia Scheme
International dimension: Outgoing International Fellowships; Incoming International Fellowships
International Cooperation Scheme; Reintegration grants

15. People: Marie Curie actions (2)
Host Actions-This means:
Host institutions/network applies for a number of fellows/researchers
Host’s proposal is evaluated
Selected host/network advertises fellowship position and selects fellows/researchers
Contract duration with host, usually 4 years
Fellows’ stay depending on Action (up to 3
years)

16. ITNs Multi-site projects, mono-sites or twinnings
At least at post-graduate or equivalent level researchers, typically during the first five years (or full-time equivalent) of their careers in research (with some exceptions)
Typical Activities of an ITN:
Training activities
Networking
Visits and secondments
Visiting scientists
Organisation of international conferences and other training events open to external researchers
Recruitment procedure should be in line with the principles set out in the European Charter for Researchers and in the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. See:
For a number of European policy links, see:

17. Industry-academia partnerships and pathways
Two-way partnership with at least one commercial enterprise and one academic organisation in two different Member or Associated Countries
Typical activities:
Staff secondments between both sectors within the partnership
Temporary hosting in both sectors of experienced researchers recruited from outside the partnership
workshops and conferences
As an SME specific measure: a contribution to small equipment related to their participation in the co-operation.

18. Marie Curie actions-Differences between FP7 and FP6
ITN
Research Training Networks, Host Fellowships for Early Stage Research Training
Initial training of researchers
Intra-European Fellowships, European Re-integration Grants
Industry-Academia Pathways and Partnerships
ToK-Industry Academia Strategic Partnerships
International Dimension
Outgoing International Fellowships, Incoming International Fellowships, International Reintegration grants 
Specific Actions
Excellence Awards

19. Capacities (1) Science in Society: 3 action lines
Action Line 1: A more dynamic governance on the science and society relationship
Action Line 2: Strengthening potential, broadening horizons
Action Line 3: Science and society communicate
Action Line 2:
The evolving role of universities
Defining better conditions for university research
Partnerships with the business sector
Reinforcing knowledge-sharing
Gender and research
Young people and science

20. Capacities (2) Research Infrastructures ‘soft’ tools databases surveys
e.g. SHARE-Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

21. Calls: timetable and deadlines
25 April: ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant- Call identifier: ERC-2007-StG –A
7 May: Initial Training Networks-Call identifier: FP7-PEOPLE ITN
10 May and 29 November: Socio-economic sciences and humanities-Call identifier: FP7-SSH
31 May: Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways: FP7-PEOPLE IAPP

22. Making an application (1)
Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS) (available at least four weeks before the call deadline)
Co-ordinator must register on CORDIS and be sent password and access details
Passes on access to other participants
Complete A forms
Upload .pdf file of Part B (10Mb limit)
Can revise up to deadline
Deadline strictly enforced
‘Submission’ must be selected
EPSS user guide on:

23. Making an application (2)
The application forms
Part A
Participant Identity Code (PIC) - a unique organisational identifier, not running for first calls
Basic info – call details, title, summary, partners, budget…
Part B
Cover Page, Table of Contents
S&T Quality (plus templates for work packages, deliverables and milestones)
Implementation
Impact
Ethical Issues
Consideration of gender issues

24. Writing the proposal-general guidelines (1)
Take the steer from the Work Programme
Understand the Commission’s objectives
Be aware of Lisbon and Barcelona objectives and mention them!!!
Also mention recent relevant communications from the European Commission (e.g. White and Green Papers)
Be aware of the outcome of previous programmes and the nature of ongoing projects
Understand the funding schemes
Know what the evaluator is looking for (read evaluation criteria in work programme)

25. Writing the proposal-general guidelines (2)
Involve all partners
Think about the impact of the project
European or Regional Economy
Impact on European Policy or Legislation
Social Impact
Ensure that ALL aspects are addressed (science, management, integration, training, technology transfer, dissemination….)
Pay attention to layout
Follow the guidance
Stick to the guidelines e.g. page and budget limits
Address ethical, safety, regulatory and gender issues

26. Cooperation: Evaluation criteria(1)
Impact
S/T Quality
Excellence
Implementation
3/5
3/5
3/5
3/5
Overall threshold 10/15
Relevance

27. Cooperation: Evaluation criteria (2)
Addressing ‘S & T Quality’:
Have you explained the concept of the project?
Have you clearly identified your objectives?
Are your objectives achievable within your project?
Have you addressed the state-of-the-art?
Do you have improvement or innovation?
Have you clearly described your aims and methodology?
Have you described your overall strategy of the work plan?
Have you used Gantt Charts ?
Are the work packages explained?

28. Cooperation: Evaluation criteria (3)
Addressing ‘Implementation’:
Have you described the management structure?
Do you have an information management strategy?
Do you have a knowledge management strategy?
Its it matched to the complexity and scale of the project?
Individual Participants and the Consortium as a whole:
Have you identified the role of the co-ordinator?
Have you described individual participants?
Have you explained the consortium structure?
Do you have the appropriate personnel/is it well balanced?
Can you demonstrate relevant management experience?
Do partners have the appropriate equipment?
Can they illustrate integrated financial planning?
Can they illustrate integrated project planning?

29. Cooperation:Evaluation criteria (4)
Addressing ‘Impact’:
Have you described how your project will contribute to the expected impacts in the Work Programme?
Does the project have suitably ambitious goals?
Can you illustrate a contribution to economic competitiveness?
Can you illustrate impact on quality of life?
Can you illustrate the effect of shaping research in the field?
Have you elaborated on your dissemination strategy?
What about exploitation of results, IP (if appropriate) and knowledge management?

30. ERC-Starting Grant: Evaluation criteria (1)
(1) Potential of applicant (?/5)
(2) Quality of project (?/5)
(3) Research Environment ("pass/fail" and commented but not scored)

31. ERC-Starting Grant: Evaluation criteria (2)
Principal Investigator: Potential to become a world class research leader
a. Quality of research output
Has the Principal Investigator published in high quality peer reviewed journals or the equivalent?
To what extent are these publications ground-breaking and demonstrative of independent creative thinking and capacity to go significantly beyond the state of the art?
b. Intellectual capacity and creativity
To what extent does the Principal Investigator's record of research, collaborations, project conception, supervision of students and publications demonstrate that he/she is able to confront major research challenges in the field, and to initiate new productive lines of thinking?

32. ERC-Starting Grant: Evaluation criteria (3)
(2) Quality of the research proposal
a. Ground-breaking nature of the research
Does the proposed research address important challenges in the field(s) addressed?
Does it have suitably ambitious objectives, which go substantially beyond the current state of the art (e.g. including trans-disciplinary developments and novel or unconventional approaches)?
b. Potential impact
Does the research open new and important, scientific, technological or scholarly horizons?
c. Methodology
Stage 1: Is the outlined scientific approach (including the activities to be undertaken by the individual team members) feasible?
Stage 2: Is the proposed research methodology (including when pertinent the use of instrumentation, other type of infrastructures etc.) comprehensive and appropriate for to the project? Will it enable the goals of the project convincingly to be achieved within the timescales and resources proposed and the level of risk associated with a challenging research project?

33. ERC-Starting Grant: Evaluation criteria (4)
(3). Research Environment
a. Transition to independence
Will the proposed project enable the Principal Investigator to make or consolidate the transition to independence?
b. Host institution [normally applicant legal entity]
Does the institution hosting the project have most of the infrastructure necessary for the research to be carried out?
Is it in a position to provide an appropriate intellectual environment and infrastructural support and to assist in achieving the ambitions for the project and the Principal Investigator?
c. Participation of other legal entities
If it is proposed that other legal entities participate in the project, in addition to the applicant legal entity, is their participation fully justified by the scientific added value they bring to the project?

34. Marie Curie: Evaluation Criteria (1)
(1) S & T Quality
Inter/multi-disciplinary, intersectoral and/ or newly emerging supra-disciplinary fields
Scientific quality of the research programme
Appropriateness of research methodology
Originality and innovative aspect of the research programme
Knowledge of the state-of-the-art
(2) Training and knowledge transfer
Quality of the training programme
Several methods of training
Complementary skills offered: Management, Communication, IPR, Ethics, Grant writing, Commercial exploitation of results, Research Policy, entrepreneurship, etc.
Conferences and training courses part of training package

35. Marie Curie: Evaluation Criteria (2)
(3) Implementation
Infrastructure, work plan, feasibility of project
Adherence to principles of Code of Conduct of the Recruitment of Researchers
Detailed management processes and plan
(4) Impact
Long-term collaboration prospects
Researcher professional development
For IAPPs: extent of SMEs’ participation, adequacy of infrastructure
Note: If you have received previous funding under the Marie Curie actions under the Seventh Framework programme or under similar actions under previous Framework Programmes, you have to clearly demonstrate the substantial added value of the new project in relation to the project previously financed.

36. Where to find information
CORDIS:
ERC Home page:
UKRO:
EC’s Framework Programme Websites:
Cass Research Support pages:

37. Policy websites Information on green and white papers, reports & press
releases:
EUR-Lex (EU legislation):
Official statistics agency of the EU - wide range of useful data
for your proposal:
Lisbon Strategy: ml
European Research Area:
Barcelona objectives:

38. Partners Where to find them: Documentation needed:
CORDIS:
Welcome Europe:
UKRO:
(electronic system currently down, but UKRO can put you in touch with partners)
Singleimage:
Documentation needed:
Consortium agreement (draft can be found on UKRO website)
Advice:
If you already have contacts in other countries, use those (safer!)
Network in conferences, seminars, etc.

39. Costing issues (1) Actual Incurred during the project
Costs are eligible if:
Actual
Incurred during the project
Determined according to usual accounting and management principles
Used solely for project objectives
Consistent with principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness
Recorded in accounts
Exclusive of non-eligible costs

40. Costing issues (2) Management costs include:
maintenance of the consortium agreement, if it is obligatory
the overall legal, ethical, financial and administrative management including [for each of the beneficiaries] obtaining the certificates on the financial statements or on the methodology
implementation of competitive calls by the consortium for the participation of new beneficiaries, where required by Annex I
obtaining any financial security such as bank guarantees, when requested by the Commission
any other management activities foreseen by the annexes, except coordination of research and technological development activities
NB 7% limit of total costs in FP6 limit removed but….participants are expected to self-regulate

41. Dos! Carefully read the text in the work programme
Research previous and current projects
Meet with consortium partners (if applicable)
Register in EPSS
Make sure all forms are completed correctly
Get someone to read through your proposal
Discuss budget early with us
For ERC: Absolutely adhere to page limits-longer proposals WILL NOT be evaluated
Submit before the deadline-STRONGLY advised!
Register as an expert with CORDIS (evaluator, reviewer or monitor expert):
Contact us for advice and support
Register with UKRO
Attend UKRO proposal writing training events

42. Don’ts!
Do not undertake co-ordination of a consortium if this is your first EU application
Do not submit a proposal without having obtained approval from the university (this involves contacting us and having us cost and process your application)
Do not submit proposals for collaborative projects to ERC
Do not solely rely on CORDIS/UKRO etc. for finding partners-use existing contacts
Do not submit on the last day of the deadline!!!

43. Any questions?

44. If you are thinking of applying for EU funding…
Call us on extensions:
0140 (Dimitra)
4193 (John)
us:
We are here to help!
We can give you detailed
information on:
the work programme
how to apply
how to structure the proposal
what documentation you need
eligible costs

45. Further training
UKRO (free):
Bluebell Research: