EPSS in IST

1. EPSS in IST The FP6 Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS) Directorate D Information Day Brussels 17th January 2005

2. EPSS in IST Two ways to prepare your proposal • “Online preparation” - on our server using your normal Internet access • “Offline preparation”- on your own PC using our EPTool But always online submission Proposals are prepared and submitted under password protection • No signatures required • Confidentiality assured

3. Online preparation (recommended) 1. Coordinator registers for the correct call (FP6-2004-IST-4) and instrument, and obtains coordinator and partner passwords by return email 2.Consortium completes the Part A on our server, accessed from our Cordis website • Coordinator completes the A1 and A3 form • Each partner completes his own A2 3. Coordinator prepares the Part B on his own PC using the (.rtf) template provided • Finally saved as .pdf file 4.The coordinator uploads his Part B to our server, joining the existing Part A, and signals his proposal is now complete by pressing the submit button 5. Coordinator receives an acknowledgement of receipt by email

4. Online preparation (recommended) “Submission” is when you press the submit button, not when you commence uploading your Part B • If you commence uploading only in the last moments of the call, you have greatly increased your chance of failure • If you have not pressed the submit button, you have not submitted a proposal We make absolutely no allowances for the late arrival of a proposal for any reason !

5. Offline preparation 1. Coordinator registers for the correct call (FP6-2004-IST-4) and instrument, and obtains a coordinator password by return email 2.Coordinator downloads the EPTool and a package of the Part A forms and Part B template for this call and instrument 3. Coordinator prepares the Part A and B on his own PC using the EPTool • there is a facility to import and export files to the other partners 4.The coordinator, using the EPTool, packages the Part A and B together as a .zip file on his PC, then goes online and uses his password to submit this file by locating it then pressing the submit button. 5. Coordinator receives an acknowledgement of receipt by email

6. Offline preparation “Submission” is when you press the submit button, not when the proposal package arrives on our server • Theoretically you could press the submit button in the last moments before the deadline. The fact that the file arrives shortly after the deadline is of no consequence • But if you have any technical problem which causes that submission to be unsuccessful, you will not have time for a second attempt We make absolutely no allowances for the late arrival of a proposal for any reason !

7. Plan for a successful submission Each new submission of your proposal over-writes the previous one ! • Make a trial submission several days in advance, so you practice the procedure and have plenty of time to correct any problems (You can make a trial submission of a partly-written proposal : error messages about missing fields or partners do not block submission!) • Submit a refined version of your proposal each day in the last days of the call • Aim to submit your final version at mid-day on the last day

8. EPSS - Errors and problems • Registering for the wrong instrument • Registering for the wrong call • Mixing online and offline preparation If you make a registration error, just abandon these passwords and register again • Not reading the manual, leaving it till the last day to read the manual • Waiting till too late to call for help

9. EPSS - Errors and problems • Virus infected files • Excessively long files (> 10Mb) • Providing a Part B as other than a .pdf file • Submitting a Part A/Part B only Your submission will be refused, you will be asked to correct the problem and try again • (Online preparation) Failing to press the “submit” button • Leaving submission till the last minute !

10. EPSS help Manuals http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/find-doc.htm#userguides EPSS Helpdesk support@epss-fp6.org tel + 32 2 233 3760

11. Last advice Electronic submission is easy; writing a good proposal is hard ! 1.Make it easy for the evaluators to give you high marks. Don’t make them work at it ! • Don’t write too little; cover what is requested • Leave nothing to the evaluators’ imagination • Don’t write too much • Don’t leave them to figure out why it’s good, tell them why it’s good 2. Divide your effort over the evaluation criteria. Don’t neglect any part of your proposal

12. Last advice 3. Each evaluator sees many proposals: think of the finishing touches which signal quality work in content • Part B sections directly reflect the evaluation criteria • ethical issues • gender issues in presentation • clear language • useful diagrams and summary tables • well-organised contents • no typos, no inconsistencies, no obvious paste-ins, no numbers which don’t add up, no missing pages ……..

13. General help and advice Commission contact person for each objective open in call link from call page on Cordis A help desk for proposers´ questions ist@cec.eu.int tel +32 2 296 8596 A network of National Contact Pointshttp://www.cordis.lu/ist/ncps.htm