Expert knowledge: How to build a strong consortium for your EU project.

Science is teamwork. If you have ambitious goals, you need robust partners and a solid structure. Building a successful consortium requires careful planning, perseverance, and an extensive network. BayFOR is happy to assist you.

Here are the most important rules for building a successful consortium for your European R&I project:

• Think about what you want to achieve and who can really help you do it.
   
• Start early. Building a strong consortium can take a long time because good partners don't appear overnight. Start by forming a core team and expand it in a targeted manner.
   
• Use the right platforms and secure the support of external experts at an early stage:

1. If you belong to an organisation based in Bavaria, BayFOR will support you free of charge in your proactive search for international project partners.
2. The ‘Funding & Tenders Portal’ (EU Funding and Tender Portal) is ideal for finding project partners. You can search by topic, organisation type or location.
3. The Horizon Europe NCP Portal offers advice on all aspects of participating in Horizon Europe, including partnerships.
4. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is the largest advisory network for start-ups, scale-ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions. It has a partner matching tool that allows you to search for potential partners by profile, country, sector and more. BayFOR is a partner in the EEN.
5. The EURAXESS Partnering Portal allows you to register your institution so that others can find you.
6. RADIANCE is a partner platform for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions that helps you to find grant holders, companies, and academic institutions.

• Benefit from the experience of previous or ongoing projects. Get in touch with project partners from existing consortia via the Cordis website, the ‘Funding & Tenders’ portal or LinkedIn.
   
• Outsource project management, dissemination and communication. This allows researchers to focus on their scientific work. Find a reliable and experienced administrative project management partner who always keeps track of everything. BayFOR, for example, regularly takes on project management and dissemination/communication mandates for EU projects coordinated in Bavaria. Please contact us if you require support in these areas.
   
• Maintaining balance is important, so pay attention to the geographical distribution of partners, gender equality, and interdisciplinary approaches. Collaboration between partners from different disciplines can significantly improve the development of solutions.
   
• Don't forget industry: Consider partners from industry or other non-academic fields. Companies, in particular, can contribute practical knowledge and innovation potential, thereby increasing your chances of success.
   
• Network. Matchmaking events, conferences and information days help you to find suitable partners more quickly if you are visible. BayFOR regularly organises networking events and keeps you up to date on future events via its newsletter and LinkedIn page.
   
• Clear rules and no double appointments. From the outset, it should be clear which partner is responsible for which tasks in the project. Each partner should have a clear, distinct role. This saves time and hassle later on.

BayFOR: Your partner for strong projects.

BayFOR connects Bavarian players in research and innovation with European and international partners. We help set up consortia, advise on EU funding and, if desired, also take on project management and communication.

You can find successful projects with BayFOR as a project partner here.

Are you planning a research or innovation project and need support? Talk to our scientific officers. Together, we will get your project off the ground.

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