1 Planning your proposal – the critical path GIVE DETAILED EXPLANATIONS IN YOUR PROPOSAL !  Starting point - What is the existing situation ? What is the problem to be solved ? What has been done so far, and by whom ? Where do you come into the picture – and why ?  Work packages - What exactly do you propose to do ?  Results - What will be different when the project has ended ? When you have finished, how will anyone know that you have succeeded ? – monitor your impacts ! TARGET GROUP: Who do you need to influence / engage? IMPACT: What measurable change will you achieve ?

2 Writing your proposal “Help” in Application Forms and Proposers’ Guide  Strong competition: you need a good idea !  Be imaginative, start early ! It takes longer than you think !  Easy to read? - evaluators assess it in ~2-4 hours. Have it read by an outsider (no jargon, simple for non mother tongue readers)  Respect limits of length, but give as much detail as possible in each work package, and explain what each partner will actually do, how (methodology), and what will be delivered  Provide evidence of :  the problem that you plan to address / solve (market failure),  your expertise (strong CV’s),  your co-financing (letters of support, with funding commitments),  stakeholders who are committed to use the results (ideally they will be partners or co-sponsors)

3 « European added value of IEE projects» Value generated by countries / cultures working together: Tackling barriers to the achievement of EU targets, by means of real collaboration, interaction, reflection and learning across countries / cultures, creating and sharing ideas together  IEE projects add value to local, regional & national actions  They cover the right countries – no rule ‘one fits all’: depending on the scope of the action and its markets  They offer high transferability – to other EU regions and/or with trigger effects on regional / local level  They have high visibility

4 More thoughts on ‘European Added Value’  Multi-cultural working is difficult and expensive, so it must really deliver added value, with results which are transferable to others  A consortium of partners from different countries is not enough  Working in parallel in different countries is not enough  Working on issues addressed by EU policies is not enough  Remember: Comparatively small (<500k€) actions can nevertheless have high added value and impacts at EU level  Actions, which fit better at national or local level, because of timescale, involvement of SME’s, intellectual property rights, etc, should be excluded

5 Co-financing  Funding from EU tax payers must be justified – who is interested in the project results?  Explain WHY your organisation is willing to co- finance the action – how will you use the results after end of project  State clearly the status of negotiations in case of an application for co-financing from a 3 rd party

6 Result / impact indicators “SMART” Indicators to measure the impact of your work: “ S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R ealistic, T imely” For example:  Increased 7% of solar collectors in EU to carry a new product label  Increased 10% of installers trained and certified in target regions  Planning approval delays reduced from 2 to 1 year  Audits leading to energy savings of 0,5 Mtoe per year in schools  Increased 5% of cyclists in target cities