1. IH2020 Info day on ICT WP 2019 - Photonics topics
Brussels, 18 January 2019
IH2020 Info day on ICT WP Photonics topics
Photonics Proposals
Lessons learned from earlier photonics calls in H2020
Christoph Helmrath

2. DO NOT FORGET
Respect the page limitations in your proposal – RIA/IA 70 pages – CSA 50 pages.
Do not put information relevant to sections B1 to B3 in sections B4 or B5
Make sure you address and submit under the correct topic
Read carefully the work programme/call texts including introduction text and address all the requirements
Read carefully the proposal template and its instructions and guidance – and implement them properly, be aware of the evaluation criteria
Check SME status, SME budget is potentially a ranking criterion (in case of ties)
Re-submission: high risk of failure if not truly addressing the new call
Get somebody who was not involved to read your proposal "it was so obvious to the proposers what they were planning that they forgot to mention it“
Check the PDF conversion of your proposal
Do not wait until the last minute (= last day) to submit
Don't focus only on those parameters which are to be improved (higher speed, higher bandwidth, lower energy consumption, ...) but also on other parameters, e.g., on a module or subsystem level (not on a chip level only)  this is also linked to the "progress beyond the state of the art" For example, if a chip enables much higher operation speed, the cost of related driving electronics is of high relevance and too high driving electronics cost or the need of an RF package could completely counterbalance or undo any possible advantage . Therefore. Comparisons should also be made with SoA at subsystem, module level
Promising exploitation potential can be expected if an in-depth comparison between commercially available solutions and a module, subsystem, ... based upon the targeted project results does suggest such potential. However, there is one additional ‘caveat’ in this respect: Comparisons should be made not only with commercial solutions available today, but extrapolate the performance of current commercial solutions to what their expected performance will/might be in about four (or even more) years ahead (“Moore’s law” and similar dependences for optoelectronic chips)

3. IPR Addressing (… and assessing) IPR Issues
Do not postpone IPR issues to the consortium agreement but outline in the proposal your strategy for management of IPRs and their protection
For example:
Check existing patents – state whether they can be a barrier to exploitation and how you intend to overcome it  Freedom to Operate
Clearly outline the expected IPRs from your project (capable of commercial/industrial exploitation)
Outline how you will handle / share background information and expected project results and how do you envisage to protect your results

4. Exploitation strategies
Strong exploitation strategies
Do not provide market potential in generic terms on possible sales.
Do not postpone exploitation strategies until the project starts.
Specify which fraction of these markets expected project outcomes will address
Include a reasonable comparison with competitors in the same technology and with solutions of competing technologies
Show where / why there is real competitive advantage and exploitation potential; identify the applications and business cases - foresee to regularly monitor the market
Provide exploitation strategies /plans that are:
well thought-through, complete, and concrete enough (including possibly measurable targets)
coherent and consistent with the proposed implementation
Don't focus only on those parameters which are to be improved (higher speed, higher bandwidth, lower energy consumption, ...) but also on other parameters, e.g., on a module or subsystem level (not on a chip level only)  this is also linked to the "progress beyond the state of the art" For example, if a chip enables much higher operation speed, the cost of related driving electronics is of high relevance and too high driving electronics cost or the need of an RF package could completely counterbalance or undo any possible advantage . Therefore. Comparisons should also be made with SoA at subsystem, module level
Promising exploitation potential can be expected if an in-depth comparison between commercially available solutions and a module, subsystem, ... based upon the targeted project results does suggest such potential. However, there is one additional ‘caveat’ in this respect: Comparisons should be made not only with commercial solutions available today, but extrapolate the performance of current commercial solutions to what their expected performance will/might be in about four (or even more) years ahead (“Moore’s law” and similar dependences for optoelectronic chips)

5. Value chain and commitment
Cover the value chain as appropriate, demonstrate commitment
In general, successful proposals
covered all or major part of value chain
included relevant and committed players from industry
included relevant and committed end-users
Commitment means:
Show engagement in the expected project outcomes by having a substantial participation in "important" project work packages and/or by leading essential project tasks
Include a larger effort during the proposal preparation to either include partner(s) with clearer commercialisation ability or to incorporate activities in the project for ensuring commercialisation  Identify in the project possible product owner(s)!
Don't focus only on those parameters which are to be improved (higher speed, higher bandwidth, lower energy consumption, ...) but also on other parameters, e.g., on a module or subsystem level (not on a chip level only)  this is also linked to the "progress beyond the state of the art" For example, if a chip enables much higher operation speed, the cost of related driving electronics is of high relevance and too high driving electronics cost or the need of an RF package could completely counterbalance or undo any possible advantage . Therefore. Comparisons should also be made with SoA at subsystem, module level
Promising exploitation potential can be expected if an in-depth comparison between commercially available solutions and a module, subsystem, ... based upon the targeted project results does suggest such potential. However, there is one additional ‘caveat’ in this respect: Comparisons should be made not only with commercial solutions available today, but extrapolate the performance of current commercial solutions to what their expected performance will/might be in about four (or even more) years ahead (“Moore’s law” and similar dependences for optoelectronic chips)
Device /
Materials
Providers
Equipment
Providers
Components Manufacturers
Systems
Integrators /
Systems Vendors
End-users

6. Pilot lines The key elements are amongst others: Open access
Industrially relevant business cases
Well elaborated plan addressing the long term-sustainability
Credible strategy for future high volume production

7. Coordination and Support Actions
Often very clear on the objectives (as stated in work programme text) but very generic about what they will do.
Proposals should
Be very specific on how exactly the action will serve the target group
Describe any links to ongoing actions in the field to ensure complementarity, coordination and added value.
Don't focus only on those parameters which are to be improved (higher speed, higher bandwidth, lower energy consumption, ...) but also on other parameters, e.g., on a module or subsystem level (not on a chip level only)  this is also linked to the "progress beyond the state of the art" For example, if a chip enables much higher operation speed, the cost of related driving electronics is of high relevance and too high driving electronics cost or the need of an RF package could completely counterbalance or undo any possible advantage . Therefore. Comparisons should also be made with SoA at subsystem, module level
Promising exploitation potential can be expected if an in-depth comparison between commercially available solutions and a module, subsystem, ... based upon the targeted project results does suggest such potential. However, there is one additional ‘caveat’ in this respect: Comparisons should be made not only with commercial solutions available today, but extrapolate the performance of current commercial solutions to what their expected performance will/might be in about four (or even more) years ahead (“Moore’s law” and similar dependences for optoelectronic chips)

8. Impact, Gender & Other Impact Gender Other
Provide the baseline, targets and metrics to measure the impact
Gender
Do not confuse "gender dimension" (i.e. integrating sex and gender analysis into the content of the action) with "gender balance" of the research teams (especially in case of the biophotonic themes and CSA in ICT-05)
Other
Monitor your mailbox and react immediately if contacted
Monitor the call/topic website for updates and Q&As/FAQs
Home:
Search for "ICT-03" or "ICT-05"
Don't focus only on those parameters which are to be improved (higher speed, higher bandwidth, lower energy consumption, ...) but also on other parameters, e.g., on a module or subsystem level (not on a chip level only)  this is also linked to the "progress beyond the state of the art" For example, if a chip enables much higher operation speed, the cost of related driving electronics is of high relevance and too high driving electronics cost or the need of an RF package could completely counterbalance or undo any possible advantage . Therefore. Comparisons should also be made with SoA at subsystem, module level
Promising exploitation potential can be expected if an in-depth comparison between commercially available solutions and a module, subsystem, ... based upon the targeted project results does suggest such potential. However, there is one additional ‘caveat’ in this respect: Comparisons should be made not only with commercial solutions available today, but extrapolate the performance of current commercial solutions to what their expected performance will/might be in about four (or even more) years ahead (“Moore’s law” and similar dependences for optoelectronic chips)