©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 1 How to participate in the 6th EU Framework Programme Manfred Horvat BIT - Bureau for International Research and Technology Cooperation, AT An initiative of the Austrian Government and the Economic Chamber Austria New opportunities for academic institutions and enterprises to participate in EU RTD programmes TU Kosice, December 2002

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 2 Source of information 1  Decision of the Framework Programme  Decision of the Specific Programmes  Work Programmes  Call for Proposals  Information Packages  Guide for Proposers for the instrument choosen  the proposal submission forms for the instrument choosen  Evaluation Manual  the Model Contract  the rules for participation  background documents on FP6 instruments

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 3 Source of information 2  National Contact Points, regional contact points, university contact points, etc.  practical information & advice on modalities and rules  National delegates in Programme Committee  background information on EU policies  experienced (critical) colleagues  the project coordinator and partners   Calls for Proposals  all documents for FP6  results of Call for Expressions of interest  projects data base

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 4 Short vs. full proposal  One stage submission of proposals  full proposal with all details  evaluation criteria defined in the work programme  Two-stage submission of proposals  first stage: short (outline) proposal (15-20 pages) use of limited set of criteria successful proposers invited to submit full proposal  second stage: like one-stage proposal  to be defined in the work programme: first call(s) mostly one-stage submission

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 5  Integrated projects (IP)  Networks of excellence (NoE)  “Article 169”  Specific targeted research projects (STREPs)  Specific Coordination Actions (CA)  Specific Support Actions (SSA)  Human resources and mobility actions  Horizontal measures for SMEs  CRAFT  Collective Research  Specific information material will be available for each area of FP6 (thematic priorites, etc.) and for each instrument! Choice of modality for participation There is a spectrum of instruments!

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 6 Parts/content of a proposal Part A: FORMS  A1: General info on proposal (Title, abstract, keywords, etc.)  A2: Info on the coordinator and the other partners (one form per partner)  A3: Cost breakdown (one sheet for the whole consortium; one line per partner with information on costs and funding requests per activity *) * e.g. for IPs and STREPs: RTD and innovation related activities, demonstration activities, training activities, consortium management Part B: CONTENT (e.g. IP)  Objectives and expected impact  Implementation plan and associated budget  consortium and the project resources  project management  exploitation and dissemination plans  ethics, safety, and other issues (where relevant) There may be recommendations as to the lengths of certain parts!

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 7 Fundamental issues for IPs and NoEs  Integrated projects  Integration of disciplines, activities, actors, sectors and finance  scale of ambition  Networks of Excellence  bring about structural change, mutual specialisiation  more than just coordination  top management (and budgetary authorities) must be involved  unified management structure

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 8 Some recommendations 1  Check priorities and objectives of the Work Programme and the Call for Proposals (objectives, contents and instrument!)  ensure completeness of proposal: Part A and B  use correct forms and instruments  eligibility of partnership!  a convincing consortium assembling the critical mass of expertise and resources  well designed management structures & procedures!  address all evaluation criteria (Guide for Proposers!)  address ethical issues

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 9 Some recommendations 2  Choose a strong expressive title & a good acronym  prepare an interesting project summary  convincing technical (and political) backgound  How will your projects contribute to integrating and/or structuring European research (ERA!)  present clear objectives and results, methods  How will results be exploited and disseminated?  edit your proposal carefully before submission

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 10 Some recommendations 3  Use concise standard English  don’t address the ultimate expert - he/she may not be around...  make the text well structured, precise, clear, understandable, easy to read, not “wordy”  add a Table of Content  choose a type face that is attractive & easy to read  use short paragraphs  use bullet points to break up lists  highlight key points in italics  make your proposal visually attractive and inviting, using graphic devices

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 11 Some recommendations 4  Get early advice by your National Contact Point and the EC help desk  submit your complete proposal before the deadline  inform National Contact Point and national delegates about your submitted proposal  don’t contact Commission services in the first two weeks after submission!

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 12 Proposal submission  On-line preparation and submission using the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS)  Preparation off-line using the same tool as EPSS, followed by on-line submission via EPSS  Off-line preparation using the same tool as EPSS followed by submission on CD or diskette  On paper

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 13 Experiences from previous FPs Why proposals failed!  Too ambitious, too complex to be believable  unclear, chaotic  not relevant for the Call and the Work Programme  not innovative, going beyond the state of the art  objectives, methods, approach unclear  results neither clear nor quantified, no exploitation  all results at project end, no intermediate results  unrealistic cost estimates  unbalanced project consortium, “alibi” partners  management structure & processes not appropriate

©M. Horvat, BIT, AT - Nr. 14 Thank you for your attention! Prof. Manfred Horvat Director Tel (-109) Fax (-18)