7. Step by step
From the submission of your application to commencement of your project
EU- projects offer an enormous potential as regards results and their exploitation, reputation and networking. Participation can therefore prove to be quite lucrative also for enterprises.
EU projects are famous for being administratively time-consuming and complicated in the application and processing stages. Sufficient preparation and - this in particular should be known in advance - what exactly one is getting involved in, are essential therefore for successful participation.
How can one take part in an EU project?
a) Announcements for the call for proposals
Submissions of application and/or project filings are basically always connected with a certain “call for proposals”. The topics, for which projects may be filed, are exactly defined in the calls, i.e. the respective work programmes.
It is important to note here:
- that the application to be submitted corresponds exactly to the topic for the “call for proposal” content in the “Call Fiche“, i.e. fits into the work programme, and that all formal criteria are fulfilled.
- that thematically free requests are only possible in exceptional cases or a few specific programmes (e.g. “Ideas”, or “People”, as well as research benefiting SMEs)
- that, depending on the topic, one to three calls per year can be expected.
The official calls for proposals are announced, respectively, in the Internet at the following site:
CORDIS:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html
Moreover, the respective National Contact Points (NCP) (NCP)for the specific programmes and their subject areas offer the applicants corresponding information.
b) Preparing the project filing
- First of all, a forceful European consortium (usually with partners from at least three different EU member-states or associated countries) must be formed.
- The partners must, thereafter, agree upon the contents and corresponding work packages, for which, respectively, one realistic budget calculation per partner is to be determined, e.g. developed. One should make sure in this regard that the total budget for the project remains within the perimeters of the framework of the funding volume announced in the Call.
- The actual application for a research plan must be developed by the project partners (consortium), the majority thereof however by the “lead partner”, exactly according to the specified criteria of the European Commission. The “application language” should be orientated closely as possible, regarding content, to the respective work programme and formally comply with the corresponding “Guide for Applicants”. It is also advisable to place oneself in the role of an evaluator, in order to be able to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of one’s own project plan / application, and improve the language respectively.
- For preparation and fine-tuning of an effective application, several meetings of the consortium partners should be planned in advance, if possible.
As a rule, the duration of time from the announcement of the Call to the deadline for the submission of the application is typically estimated too short, in order to react appropriately. It is therefore absolutely advisable, regardless of a specific Call, to develop project drafts, to find the appropriate partners and, if possible, to get an idea early on what exact contents are to be announced for future Calls.
Schedule:
c) Submission of the application
Applications are now to be submitted, in FP7, only electronically through the “Electronic Proposal Submission System” (EPSS).
An assessment will ensue thereafter as regards compliance with the minimum prerequisites (e.g. formal criteria such as participation by at least three legal persons from three EU member states or associated states, completion of the document pages, etc)
The Call for Proposals procedure usually consists of a single stage. But sometimes a second submission procedure is necessary. In the first phase, in this case, only a short project description (approx. 10-15 pages) is to be submitted.
Pending positive evaluation in the first stage, the applicants will be summoned to develop and submit a complete application for the second level.
d) Evaluation of the application
Evaluation of the applications is accomplished by independent experts according to specified criteria published in the “Guidelines”:
- Scientific and technological excellence
- Quality and effectiveness of the consortium as well as project implementation
- Potential impact through development, dissemination and benefits from the results
Are you interested in working as an evaluator for the EU Commission? The staff of the BayFOR will be glad to help you further with the submission of your application.
Contact
e) Grant negotiations
EOnly after a positive evaluation and examination by the respective FP7 financial committee will the European Commission declare its willingness to fund a project.
Corresponding allocations from Brussels require however the completion of a contract or “specific grant agreement” between the respective consortium and the European Commission. The “Grant Agreement” provides information regarding the consortium, the duration of the project, the level of financial contribution by the EU, reporting system, forms of payment, etc.
In addition, the partners in the consortium must, as a rule, be able to provide a consortium agreement that regulates the rights and obligations, jurisdictions and responsibilities of the partners among one another (e.g. intellectual property, patent utilisation rights, rights to access, project management, etc.)
f) Project execution
The precise beginning and end of the project are specified in the grant, as is the reporting system style vis-à-vis the EU Commission. The project structure is orientated, in this context, to these specifications. Adequate management structures, which must be represented in a detailed fashion, contribute considerably to, in addition to the scientific excellence, the success of a project.
