Writing successful proposals for European projects is a tough task. Calls are increasingly competitive and the general quality of the proposals is extremely high. Only those with evaluation scores close to the maximum in all sections (excellence, impact and implementation) have possibilities for being funded. Writing a competitive proposal requires a great effort, planning and coordinating a group of people, typically with a variety of background and expertise. In this coffee talk researchers from different CIMNE groups with strong background on consortium creation and proposal writing will share their experience and provide key ideas to keep in mind to be efficient in these endeavors.

1. Hints &Tips for
preparing Successful
proposals for European
research projects
Experiences from
CIMNE XR research group Javier Mora
12 Abril 2023
Pre-award series
?!
PART 2

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Diagrama de flujo
Documentos clave:
✓ Nota de concepto (tráiler)
✓ Objetivos (contexto)
✓ Resultados (impacto)
✓ Cronograma (tareas)
✓ Presupuesto (ventas)
✓ Consorcio (CV, prestigio)
✓ Acuerdos (legal)

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para terminar, lo no escrito…

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1st Hint: Budget always clear
❑ Month 1.When preparing Concept Note: first idea about the budget
distribution attending to concepts, not partners
❑ Month 2. First draft proposal: First Person x Month (PM) distribution
❑ Month 4. First complete proposal candidate: Final Budget proposal
The primary goal of preparing a proposal is to
secure funding by outlining a plan of work
within a defined (non arbitrary) budget.

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2nd Hint: Ask for contributions (before you start writing)
❑ Drum-Buffer-Rope (Goldratt)
❑ Provide maximum time for contributions
❑ Collaborative vs individual writing workflow
❑ Minimum vs. maximum partner contributions
go/no go vs. the best proposal
Gather and organize as much relevant information
and material as possible to ensure a well-supported
and comprehensive project proposal before
beginning the writing process

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3rd Hint: Inertia vs. novelty
Solid background is essential in serious research as it
provides a thorough understanding of the topic and
helps to focus the research, whereas relying on hypes
can be misleading and may not accurately represent the
true nature of the research topic.
❑ hearsay vs. expert
❑ hummingbirds vs. persistence
❑ hype vs. timelessness

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4th Hint: The team makes the difference
❑ multi eyes
❑ multi perspectives
❑ fresh, diverse, youthful and not stale ideas

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Corollary: Engage partners with your idea
❑ many more multi eyes
❑ many more multi perspectives
❑ much more multi vision

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Mnemonic: BAIT
✓1st Hint: Budget always clear
✓2nd Hint: Ask for contributions before you start writing
✓3rd Hint: Inertia vs. novelty
✓4th Hint: The team makes the difference
✓Corollary: Engage partners with your winning idea

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Bonus track: chase a “retweet” more than a “like”
A “retweet” is a step above “likes”.
✓ “Like” means that you agree with the author
✓ “Retweet” means that you want to share the author's content
It’s a bigger stamp of approval and importantly, helps promote
the content.
What do you want for your proposal?
Clear enough to be:
❑ easy to explain
❑ easy to share
❑ easy to summarise
If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old,
you don’t understand it yourself
Albert Einstein
https://www.insurtechworld.org/post/102g38a/the-feynman-technique-the-best-way-to-learn-anything

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To Sum up
✓BonusTrack: Retuit better than like
✓Corollary: Engage partners with your winning idea
✓ 1st Hint: Budget always clear
✓2nd Hint: Ask for contributions before start writing
✓3rd Hint: Inertia vs. novelty
✓4th Hint: Team make the difference

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preaward “Starter Pack” for Horizon Europe
Goals:
❑ automate
❑ supervise
❑ focus on diff content
Supporting the Building of
Horizon Europe Proposals
with Templates and content
References

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preaward “Public” project folder

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preaward “Public” project files
❑ Bird's-eye view of partners
❑ Concept Note
❑ Workplan and related
effort

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preaward “Public” project files
❑ Part A
❑ Part BTemplates
❑ LoS

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preaward “Public” project files

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preaward Private project folder

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preaward Private project files
❑ Bird's-eye view of partners
❑ Message sequence for partners
❑ Overall budget

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preaward Private project files
❑ proposal calendar
❑ proposal follow-up
❑ % completion

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Call to action: hands-on time
Write your name and email address in the chat or
❑ write to Preaward preaward@cimne.upc.edu
if you want the “Starter Pack”
❑ write to Pere-Andreu Ubach ubach@cimne.upc.edu
or Javier Mora mora@cimne.upc.edu
if you want to join us to prepare a
Destination Earth Horizon Europe proposal
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/destination-earth