Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 1 European Commission DG Research GRAHAM STROUD Increasing the interaction of Researchers from the CEEN countries with EU Research initiatives

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2 THE EU RESEARCH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (FP)  To improve competitiveness  To support policy  Based on excellence (several aspects)  Based on collaboration (except ERC)

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 3  Scientific excellence a sine qua non  Expected impact of the project (added value)  Quality of management EXCELLENCE IN EU RESEARCH PROJECTS

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 4 WHY PARTICIPATE IN THE FP?  To gain access to complementary skills/expertise  To assemble a critical mass of resources for tackling large problems  To accelerate developments  To build/develop academic partnerships  To build/develop commercial partnerships  To gain access to EU funding

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 5 COMPETITION IN THE FP  Only the very best succeed  20% success rate overall  It is not sufficient just to be “good”

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 6 Building collaboration  Work with people you know (or know by reputation)  Take all opportunities to work abroad and build up links  Use the EU mobility programmes  Use other mobility programmes  (Use partner search facilities)

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 7 SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Understand the context of the call  Read the call text  Read and understand the part of the work programme linked to the call  Read and use the Guide for Applicants  Read and understand the evaluation criteria All of these can be found on CORDIS (

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 8 Seek help from knowledgeable people, in particular:  Use the NCPs (National Contact Points)  Use the Commission enquiry service and project officers  Use experienced project participants  Listen to experienced evaluators SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 9 CONTENTS OF PROPOSALS  Must be easy to read, well structured  Be very critical of the partnership - Evaluators will penalise “sleeping” partners - Evaluators will penalise unbalanced budgets  Be clear about source(s) of matching funding  Watch the language!

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 10 SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Your proposal:  Is it complete?  Is the partnership right?  can we all work together?  clear roles responsibilities, critical mass, etc.  Have you understood the purpose of the funding schemes  Does it address all the questions?  see Guide for Applicants

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 11 Your proposal:  Does it address the work programme?  check with the call!  Are the objectives clear?  Can a non-specialist understand them?  Is the novelty clear?  Say why it is novel  Is it clear how the project will be managed?  Requires very particular attention in the case of large projects  “A picture is worth a thousand words” SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 12 SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Common misunderstandings:  Credible NoEs should not involve very large numbers of laboratories  Goal is durable integration  NoEs are not large Coordination Actions  Their purpose is to change the way people work together

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 13 SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Common mistakes:  Not reading the call and work programme  Leads to proposals that are out of scope  “Optimistic” reading of the work programme  Also leads to proposals that are out of scope  Read and understand what is written, not what you hope is written

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 14 SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Final comments/advice (1):  Be very careful with re-submissions  FP7 work programmes evolve  Good science is not enough!  Apply to be an evaluator  Gives very good insights into what is required

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 15 Successful proposal submission Final comments/advice(2):  Role of “research offices”/ Rectors’ offices in universities  Demand good service from NCPs  Never underestimate the time needed to prepare a proposal  Think twice before being a coordinator  Keep trying!

Ninth CEEN Meeting October 2007, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 16 For more information  FP7:  FP7: http :// cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html  The European Researchers’ Mobility Portal:  The European Researchers’ Mobility Portal:  Newsletter “Europe4Researchers”  Newsletter “Europe4Researchers”:  EU DG Research  EU DG Research: