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Getting Ready for FP7 Thessaloniki, Greece, 8-9 March, 2007. Fundamental Concepts. Participation is via Trans-European collaborative projects and proposals In response to specific calls for proposals
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Fundamental Concepts • Participation is via Trans-European collaborative projects and proposals • In response to specific calls for proposals • Proposals may be written by any (or all) of the participating partners, however in practice they are most usually initiated and developed by a small number of core partners • Proposal preparation takes anything between a few months and a few weeks ahead of submission • Evaluation by external experts • Project implementation lasts typically around 2-5 years and is subject to contract
Fundamental ConceptsSummary of Key Phase Characteristics 5. Roll-Out & Implementation • Feasibility 2. Consortium Formation 3. Proposal Development 4. Contract Negotiation • Proposal idea & proposal summary • Technical Work • Negotiation & re-costing • EC templates & submission forms • Partner search • Establish contacts & agreements • Admin. & Legal Mgt • Consortium Agreement • Allocation of proposal parts among partners • Role in proposal & target budget • Payments & Financ. Mgt • Final contract signature = effective start of project • Explore initial contacts • IPR Mgt. • Final proposal submission • Auditing • Action Plan for proposal development • Reporting • Agree on overall budget & partner shares
Fundamental Concepts –Consortium Formation Core Points • FP7 consortia MUST be characterised by a range of complementarity in terms of • Expertise • Disciplines • Geography • Organisation types (e.g. academia, SMEs, etc) • Human resources • Number of partners depends on • Subject, tasks, project type - minimum three partners from three Member States or Associated Countries • An experienced co-ordinator is an important plus
Fundamental Concepts – Finding Partners 1/2 • Established contacts • Previous or current project partners • Business partners • Internal organisation / company networks and communication channels • Private Partner Search • Databases in ICT-related projects like SEE-INNOVATION, EASIER, SECURE-FORCE, etc • Public Partner Search • Cordis, IDEAL-IST FP7, etc
Fundamental Concepts – Finding Partners 2/2 • And also • ETP Partner Searches • Targeted potential customers / distributors • FP6 projects database • Patent databases • EU conferences and publications • Information Days and other events • National Contact Points & Innovation Relay Centres
Section 1 – Scientific and/or technical quality Concept & objectives Progress beyond the state-of-the-art S/T methodology and associated work plan Exploitation and Dissemination Section 2 – Implementation Management structure & procedures Individual participants Consortium as a whole Resources to be committed Section 3 – Impact Expected impacts listed in the work programme Dissemination and/or exploitation of project results, and management of intellectual property Section 4 – Ethical Issues A1 – General information on proposal (title, abstract, etc) A2 – Information on co-ordinator and other partners A3 – Cost breakdown by type of cost categories and partner Fundamental Concepts –Proposal Structure PART A – Proposal SubmissionForms PART B – Proposal Content
Fundamental Concepts – KeyProposal Elements • Focus • There should really be only one high-level objective • Consortium credibility and quality • Management aspects and resource allocation • Workable and realistic work plan with well-defined milestones / deliverables / and success metrics • Well-identified risks and contingency plans • Exploitation and anticipated impact
Fundamental ConceptsProposal Submission and Evaluation • One stage e-submission via EPSS – Electronic Proposal Submission System • Eligibility Check – time of receipt, min. partners, proposal complete, other specific to call • Evaluation via 3 independent experts incl. non-EU evaluators • Evaluators selected from central database and by invitation and checked for any conflict of interest • 3 evaluation criteria only – for each funding scheme per Work Programme • Feedback via ESR and later by official letter of outcome of ranking process (including unsuccessful applications)
FP7 ParticipationThe Current EU Offer • FP7 – the EU offer • Almost € 50m in top-down research priorities • ICT takes the lion’s share of this budget – close to € 1,2 b distributed among 7 strategic challenges (+ FET) • Two key modes of participation – as partner, or as co-ordinator • Three funding schemes – CP (IPs and STREPs), NOEs, CSA • Participation is through collaborative research projects funded at 50%-100% depending on activities • Research by public institutions and SMEs is funded at 75%
Participation ModalitiesTwo Case Scenarios Project idea Co-ordinator Research offer Partner Technological offer
Entering in FP7 projectsParticipating as Partner • Three key things to consider – • (A) What projects need • A good partner, that shares the consortium vision and is able to perform a given set of activities • A partner who is reliable and sticks to its mission • A partner who communicates well and understands how EU projects work from a financial and administrative point of view • (B) What kind of project you want • A project that helps you implement a strategy or reach an important objective • (C) How do you get onboard the project that you want • Customizing your research offer
Entering in FP7 projectsGrasping an Opportunity • When identifying an FP7-related opportunity, you need to • Screen proposal idea • Check role proposed and also • Man effort, cost and ROI (Return on Investment) involved • Other potential benefits accruing from role – e.g. new market opportunities, improved efficiencies, access to new technologies (avoid missing the train) , etc • If in agreement, supply required info • Organisation profile and 2-3 short CVs • Man month rate & and – if applicable – overhead rate • A2 forms, Letter of Commitment, technical input, etc
Entering FP7 ConsortiaResponding to an Idea • Remember the basics of partneship formation – consortia require complementary partners with distinct, well-justified roles • Participation of the right partners in consortia is ESSENTIAL to success – key successful partner features include • Interest and motivation • Inherent capabilities in IST domains • Familiarity with FP procedures, past experience in EU RTD projects • Access to local IST market, contacts • Reliability, good command of English • Resources • Critical mass / sustainability
Building a Profile for Research Co-Operation1/2 • Research expertise offered • Brief description of the benefits of the research / technology including key technical and competitive advantages • Innovative aspects and specific features • What does the research / product do, and in what applications can it be used? • State-of-the-research / technology / closeness to the market • Specify / describe the particular market sectors in which this technology could be applied • IPR, patents, etc
Building a Profile for Research Co-Operation2/2 • Shared Vision • Why do you want to participate in this specific research project • Suitability • How does your profile match that of the type of partner sought? • Complementarity • What is your unique contribution to the project and the consortium? • Capacity • Do you have enough AND suitable resources?
Strategy for FP7 In Brief… • Develop or participate in an excellent idea for an excellent project • Develop and cultivate contacts with European research institutes and organisations • Render your profile and scientific / technology potential visible and accessible • Make yourself familiar with • FP7, the ICT workprogramme and call specifics, procedures, regulations • The EU-policy in your specific field ("European Added Value")
For Further Info • On participation in FP7 • http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/participate_en.html • On ICT in FP7 • http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/ • www.efpconsulting.com/tools (M. Morron FP7 book) • On proposal development and e-training courses • http://www.hyperion.ie/eTraining%20Courses.htm • ICT helpdesk for proposers’ questions • ist@ec.europa.eu • Partner search facilities • Cordis database:http://cordis.europa.eu/ist/partners/partner.htm • IDEALIST:http://www.ideal-ist.net/ • SEE-INNOVATION, IS2WeB, and other SSA databases:www.see-innovation.org,www.is2web.org,…
Thank You! • For more info, please contact • askam@planet.gr • planet@skypro.be • pecarsz@dmail.zsi.at • sepve@sepve.org.gr