Pierantonios Papazoglou

Pierantonios Papazoglou
Research Promotion Foundation
Scientific Officer
National Contact Point “SPACE”

 The Proposal is NOT a Paper/ Article for a Journal…
 It is a… “marketing/ sales” pitch of your research…
 so as to receive funding…!
 EC has been doing this for quite a few FPs… There are
particular policy and mandate backgrounds. There’s a
particular language-jargon, structure, process…
 The philosophy is “Competitive Calls” for Proposals…
NOT “subsidies”…!
 EC publishes the Call, but Proposal evaluated by external
Expert Evaluators… you “need” both audiences…
“Truths” to…
Realize
Before
Starting…!!!

 You need EUROPEAN ADDED VALUE…!
 Problem/ Issue attempted to be solved or the technology/ innovation
attempted to be developed cannot be of local or regional character
but rather of pan-European… scale/complexity of the “solutions” for EU
and not “just X-Country”.
 Transnationality, replicability and transferability should be the
keywords for both the “challenges”/ “problems” addressed, and the
“solutions” proposed.
 not just through “transfer of knowledge” or “networking” or “EU-wide
dissemination”, but rather it should be clearly shown in the proposal
how the issue addressed is of a “wider interest” and how the solution
proposed indeed has wide applicability.
2014 Main Report of DG RTD:
https://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/publications/Final_European_Added_Value_inco_MainReport.pdf
Strategic Forum for International S&T Cooperation (SFIC):
http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/sfic/sfic-annual-report-2011_en.pdf#view=fit&pagemode=none
“Truths” to…
Realize
Before
Starting…!!!

EUROPE 2020 & 7 flagship initiatives, but mainly:
“H2020… Policy…!!”

Overall Useful Links…!
 Participant portal
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/
desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/index.html
 Horizon 2020 Helpdesk
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/supp
ort/research_enquiry_service.html
 Horizon 2020 On-line manual
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/fundi
ng/index.html
 Annotated Model Grant Agreement (version 30Oct2015)
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_
manual/amga/h2020-amga_en.pdf
 EURAXESS (Charter-&-Code, Policy…)
http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/rights/index
http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/services/researchPolicies
“Hints”… “Tips”…

Proposal – Writing “General Advice” by NCP…!
Successful Proposals are…
S
M
A
R
T
Specific
Measurable, verifiable
Achieveable
Relevant
Timely

Good to have a... “one-page” proposal, where the
“Logical Framework” approach will be followed:
•WHY a project is carried out
•WHAT it is expected to achieve (and what not…)
So, Project Objectives (and non-Objectives)
•WHO is going to do the work…
So, Consortium and the synergies and
complementarity of Partners
•HOW the project is going to achieve the above…
So, Work-Plan and Phases of Work, as well as Means/
Resources to be utilized.

Then, in your... ABSTRACT
(...and Summary)
 It should be easy for the reader to
clearly see in-a-nutshell:
•Why bother? (what problem are you trying to
solve?)
•Is it a European priority? Could it be solved at
National level?
•Is the solution already available (product, service,
transfer)?
•Why now? ( What would happen if we did not do
this now?)
•Why you? (Are you the best people to do this
work?)
2000 characters…!

• Know the Evaluation Criteria – their Weightings – and their ExAequo
Priority
• In all H2020 we have: “Excellence – Impact – Implementation”
• However, MUST consider also “Cross-Cutting” Issues:
- Gender Balance in the Research Teams
- Social Dimension and Impact
- Inclusion / Involvement of Private Sector, particularly SMEs
- Ethics and Security Issues
• Address the Specific Challenge – the Scope – and the Expected
Impact !!!
• Try to present your proposal against the background of the relevant
Policy Context (Strategies, Initiatives, Directives, Communications,
White/Green Papers, etc, etc...)

Excellence Impact Implementation
Weighting and
Ex Aequo
Priority
Check Calls!!!
“Content”
•Clarity and
pertinence of the
objectives;
•Credibility of the
proposed approach.
•Soundness of the
concept;
•Quality of the
proposed
coordination and/or
support measures;
•Progress beyond the
state-of-the-art.
•The expected impacts listed
in the work programme under
the relevant topic;
•Enhancing innovation
capacity and integration of new
knowledge;
•Strengthening the
competitiveness and growth
of companies by developing and
delivering innovations meeting
the needs of European and
global markets;
•Effectiveness of the proposed
measures to exploit and
disseminate the project
results (including management
of IPR), to communicate the
project, and to manage
research data where relevant.
•Coherence and effectiveness of
the Work Plan, including
appropriateness of the allocation
of tasks and resources;
•Complementarity of the
participants within the
consortium (when relevant);
•Appropriateness of the
management structures and
procedures, including risk and
innovation management.
“Official” Criteria

Excellence Impact Implementation
“Hints…”
Objectives and
overview
Research
methodology and
approach: highlight
the type of research
and innovation
activities proposed
Explain the
contribution that
the project is
expected to make to
advancements within
the project field.
Describe any novel
concepts,
approaches or
methods that will be
employed.
•Important field of research
for Europe
•High practical value of the
project and also results can
be applied to larger class of
problems (tackling also
multidisciplinarity)
•Comparison of experience in
relevant field in USA/Japan
and showing that project will
promote European
research and excellence
and EU competitiveness
(also showing potential for
new jobs creation)
•Dissemination,
Exploitation and Outreach
of the project results IPR,
Open Access, Scientific
Community but also Wider
Public.
Work Packages description
Deliverables (= tangible output:
report, document, technical
diagram, software, etc.)
Milestones (=control/ decision
points that help to chart progress)
Gantt Chart (=Table of Activities
over planned time) and PERT-
gram
•Synergies of Partners: each
has clear contribution and role
Progress monitoring and
management structure,
including the financial
management strategy
•Risk management for Risks
that might endanger reaching the
project's objectives and the
contingency plans to be put in
Deciphered Criteria

Proposal – Writing for SPACE by NCP…!
Develop end-to-end applications!
Showcase and build on trials, and develop/
further enhance any early prototypes…
Underline the Innovative, Beyond-the-State-of-
Art character f your solution/ project…
Provide Public Benefits from your solution/
project…
Strengthen the community of relevant
developers of technologies!
Exploit (if any) mature business concepts…
Don’t forget Technology Readiness Level(s)…!
Take into account relevant standards and
regulations (eg. Safety and security)…!

Write with the eyes of an
Evaluator

Evaluation Comments
Comments from REAL Proposals NOT funded…!
Although the proposal has been highlighted as a resubmission,
it has not been taken into account as such during the
consensus stage as it is has been submitted against a topic of
a different Call with another scope and other expected
impacts…
Some of the detailed objectives are not fully clear or convincing
with respect to both parameters and numerical values.
The proposed approach has a degree of uncertainty that is not
convincingly addressed.
The soundness of the concept is not sufficiently justified with
relevant references in the text to other related projects and
work.
The proposal does not demonstrate convincing advancements
beyond the state of the art.

Evaluation Comments
Comments from REAL Proposals NOT funded…!
The companies involved in the consortium may benefit from
funding their participation in the project, but the business case is
not fully clear as contradictory information is given.
The resource allocation could not be properly assessed as the
related information is provided in excess pages, and thus
disregarded. This is a significant weakness. In some cases the
role of participants is not given in a Work Package at the Task
level.
The management structure and procedures are described
adequately. However, the implementation is considered too
complex for the number of partners involved.
Proposed mitigation measures for the critical implementation risks
are insufficiently presented.
A suitable approach for addressing innovation management is
missing.

Evaluation Comments
Comments from REAL Proposals that were funded…!
The overall objectives and aims of the proposed project
are very clear, well formulated and relevant to the Call.
The proposed approach is credible and based on the
experience gained under previous FP7 projects.
The work plan is well described, coherent and
appropriate. It includes seven clear and well organized
work packages. The work plan logic and the
dependencies between individual work packages and
tasks also clear and well presented. The time table of
the project is convincing and gives an excellent
overview of the whole project execution.
The overall allocation of resources to work packages
and of the workload to the participants is good.

Evaluation Comments
The management structure is simple but appropriate.
The roles of the coordinator, the steering committee, all
partners and third parties are clear.
The proposal has clear and well-defined scientific and
technological objectives. The objectives are well in line
with the scope of the specific Call topic. The work is put
into an international perspective. The proposed work
extends from the initial mapping requirements of the
existing landscape through gap analysis to development
of improved integration and calibration/validation
strategies. The scope of the proposed project extends to
several….using a novel multi-model analysis approach
to enhance the data set.

Evaluation Comments
The approach is credible as it builds on existing efforts
by individual space agencies and researchers. The
credibility is further sustained by bringing together a
diverse partnership to work to address deficiencies and
develop new improved methodologies.
Trans-disciplinary considerations are well covered.
The proposal has identified a number of key innovations
as part of its outputs. The innovations include tests of
new instruments as well as new methods.
The proposal claims a significant number of expected
impacts, for example in providing new tools and
strategies for harmonizing long-term data records, and
contributions to international programs.

Evaluation Comments
The approach is credible as it builds on existing efforts
by individual space agencies and researchers. The
credibility is further sustained by bringing together a
diverse partnership to work to address deficiencies and
develop new improved methodologies.
The proposal presents a plausible scenario for engaging
industry… It proposes to explore various pathways to
SMEs for products resulting from it.
The consortium is large and complementary with no
significant overlap of experience. A significant strength of
the consortium is that it gathers experts of techniques, as
well as experts in instrumentation and modellers.
Innovation and quality management are treated
appropriately in the proposal.

Evaluation Comments
The objectives of the proposal are aligned with the call. It identifies 4 logical objectives,
leading from development through to the market, which are clear and pertinent to the
proposal’s aim. The approach is described at length and exemplified by a useful
diagram, which identifies the key milestones of development.
The proposal is in line with the listed impacts of the work programme. It compares the
impacts expected by the Call’s Work Programme with those anticipated by it. It sets out
a strategy, with a number of actions, that will enable it to create the impacts. This
strategy is sensible, coherent and achievable.
The proposal is based on a multidisciplinary approach integrating knowledge from
different partners, which has the potential to strengthen the competitiveness of the
companies.
The proposal is clear as to how it will contribute to strengthening competitiveness and
growth in Europe, noting in particular, the size of the potential market for its product. Its
assessment of other European market sectors that could use its system, is credible, as
is its assessment of the global opportunities, which could be significant. The draft
business plan is sufficiently detailed to allow a reasonable assessment of the
commercial viability.
The proposed dissemination and exploitation strategy and associated plans are
complete, coherent and practicable.

Start early… Get Guidance and Info from NCP…!
Create/Join Consortia on time, based on whom
you know/ have worked with or valid suggestions
Get your “Policy Background” together  Impact…
Follow the Template-GfA  cover all requested
Divide effort over the Evaluation Criteria!
When you write...KISS (keep it simple & short)
When you image/table...KILL (keep it large & legible)
Details! Details!
Get your Proposal PRESCREENED…(NCP) and
PROOF-READ…!
Make sure you submit the latest, complete version in
the system...!
Proposal – Writing “General Advice” by NCP…!

 The NCP at RPF offers
free and confidential
pre-screening of the
proposal:
proof-reading
(“commas” and
“fullstops”)
Addressing of
Template’s Questions
Strategy and Text
Suggestions
NCP Services and Guidance…!
Services..! Guidance
Useful RPF Links
 www.research.org.cy
 http://horizon2020cyprus.blogspot.com
 www.facebook.com/horizon2020cyprus
 Direct RPF-H2020 Tel-line: 22 20 5050

More Information:
Pierantonios Papazoglou
Research Promotion Foundation
NCP SPACE
Tel.: 22 20 50 48
Email: ppapazoglou@research.org.cy
Libens, Volens, Potens…
(Ready, Willing, Capable)
Thank… You…

Pierantonios Papazoglou

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (18)

Similar to Pierantonios Papazoglou

Similar to Pierantonios Papazoglou (20)

More from European University Cyprus

More from European University Cyprus (15)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Pierantonios Papazoglou