Additional notes to accompany Presentation on Irish Successes – Experiences - Tips for applicants given by Eddie Shaw, Carr Communications at Session 2 at EPA H2020 SC5 Info Day 7.10.16 http://www.slideshare.net/EPAIreland/epa-h2020-sc5-info-day-irish-successes-experiences-tips-for-applicants-eddie-shaw-carr-communications

1. EPA 2016 Annual Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 5
Information Day
Friday 7th
October 2016 – Croke Park Hotel and Conference Centre
Additional notes from Eddie Shaw on the presentation topic
H2020 - Irish Successes – Experiences – Tips for Applicants
SCENT Project
*
These notes are confidential and intended for the exclusive use of those who attended the
conference and saw/listened to the 10-minute presentation of this topic.
Others read them at their peril.
*The copyright of Bill Watterson as creator and author of Calvin and Hobbes is acknowledged in this non-commercial use of the
illustrations above. Everyone should buy everything Bill Watterson has ever created, written and published. He is a genius
simultaneous communicator to sensitive and imaginative adults, children and grandchildren.

2. In preparing this presentation and
these notes it seemed sensible to
talk to a few people to get their
views and feedback on slips, trips
and lessons learned in the H2020
arena. I talked to NCPs,
coordinators, researchers, partners,
researchers, end-users, developers
(as in software), people with EU
Commission experience and some
others experienced in administration
and financials. I have tried to collate
their feedback with my/our (as in
Carr Communications) experience. I
thank all for their help and support
on this brief but fascinating exercise.
The compilation is best taken as my
view and the responsibility for any
errors made, or upset caused to
sensitive souls is mine alone.
Forgiveness can’t be requested, only
given. That will be your contribution
and your choice. It anyone wishes to
contact me with questions or
additional insights my contact
details do not appear at the end of
these pages.

3. H2020 Societal Challenge 5, Work Programme 2016 - 2017 Climate action, environment, resource
efficiency and raw materials – my abbreviated speaking notes for 10-minute presentation
Irish Successes – Experiences - Tips for Applicants
The SCENT Project - poster
Brief introduction to Carr Communications in H2020
• H2020 success rate 28%
• Partner and role
• WP leader on communication, dissemination and exploitation
• Impact
H2020 Calls, Proposals and Winning
The context – proposals are about IMPACT and ACTION and CHANGING BEHAVIOUR
• Benjamin Franklin and Roy Keane – ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’
• H2020 - understanding and background reading
• Understanding the Commission, policy, their requirements, the call provenance, journey and
process, the proposal, the evaluator(s) (the first audience), impact
• Key words and phrases, cross-cutting, innovation, creativity, collaboration, cooperation,
knowledge transfer, GEOSS, COPERNICUS, definitions of communication, dissemination and
exploitation
Enterprise Ireland, Delegates and National Contact Points
• A gold mine of contacts and information
The Calls, the Impact, TRL, Research and Innovation, key words and phrases
• The politics, reading between the lines, the competition, the players, the favourites, the big
decision – go or no go
The Proposal
• Like a marriage,
• Standing out from the crowd, differentiating, being different
• Boring or riveting
• Linking back to completed and current projects in the same space – lessons learned
The Coordinator and The Partners
• Work as hard selecting the right consortia to be part of - as you do in developing a
proposal
• Great coordinators are gold dust

4. Writing the Proposal
• Purpose, military management, great ideas, time line, things will go wrong, review time,
leave edit and proofing time
• The first audience is/are the Evaluator(s) – implications, know and understand their task
• Make the proposal easy to read, easier to understand, easy to search for key words and
actions
Structuring the Proposal
• Working back from Impact – what does this mean?
• Visuals, figures and grids
The Summary – DOs and DONTs and self-destruction
EAS 30 09 2016 (additional notes will be available with slides after the information day)
END of PRESENTATION
Additional Notes
For FirstTime Applicants and The More Experienced
Before The Call
Read all relevant documentation and follow links that are given. Research the Commission view of
Impact, Communications, Dissemination and Exploitation. Understand what the Commission want.
Talk to Enterprise Ireland and the NCPs. Follow their advice. It is gold dust.
The Call
Attend the information days. Read all of the preparatory documentation. Talk to the Commission
people present and ask questions. They are very helpful. They want Impact!
No-one pays enough attention to the wording of the call – particularly the expected impact
Each call is a challenging document to understand. Many hands may write each call.
Lots of great ideas searching for a call for funding!
This is the wrong way around. It is not what you think you can bring to the call. It is what the
Impact of the call requires from you and the consortium
Read the call carefully from the Impact perspective
Write the proposal from the Impact perspective
Be rigorous in your assessment of whether the proposal meets the call
Get background information (NCP and Information day)
If you think it is a bad proposal idea – it usually is!

5. Don’t waste time on bad ideas/ consortia
Face to face partner meetings, if at all possible, are good for exploring and agreeing
The quality of coordinators varies massively
This has a huge impact on the amount of time invested in proposal preparation
Writing the proposal is a massive investment of time and resource
Don’t be afraid to pull out, but do so appropriately and timely
Build a good network with successful partners
Don’t be afraid to ask people their real proposal success rate
Some of the larger (experienced) organisations are running many horses (proposals) - sometimes
two in the same race (call)
They put most effort into their favourites! Know them
Read between the lines of the call – know the competition
Talk to the NCP and PO responsible for the call to review your idea
Ideally face to face
Get a list of SMEs who you can ‘bring’ with you
Be willing to support the SMEs initially
Work as hard selecting the right consortia to be part of - as you do in developing a proposal
Writing The Proposal
If you are the Coordinator make a plan and leave a clear 10 days at the end for final review (EI and
NCP) revisions, editing and proofing
If you are not the coordinator, ask the coordinator to make a plan and leave a clear 10 days . . .
The most frequent and destructive error is rushing the last few days to complete. This can destroy
the integrity of a potentially great proposal
Coordinating a proposal is demanding. The plan will give your first insight into the coordinator.
Excellent coordinators are scarce and invaluable
Rather have a great coordinator with a bad call than a bad coordinator and a great call?
Work harder selecting the right consortia to be part of – and enjoy developing a great proposal!
Write the summary Impact first. Even the summary must address every Impact requirement in the
call. Draft the proposal from the Impact back to the start. Expand the detail of the Impact as the
proposal develops - always checking back to the call Impact requirement.
Remember your first audience is the evaluators. If you do not convince them, you have no project.

6. Make the proposal easy for the evaluators to evaluate in the way they evaluate.
Talk to evaluators. Listen to evaluators. Talk to NCPs during the drafting. Leave time.
Is the proposal really creative, innovative? Does it convince? Can the consortium deliver what it says
on the tin? Read previous evaluations. Examine the difference between success and failure.
There is an issue in the way proposals are written and presented. The maximum number of words
are squeezed into the available space. This is not a good idea but is a common outcome. Make the
critical parts of the proposal easy to read with proper layout and spacing. Use creative effective
visuals.
Sometimes evaluation can feel like a lottery - after the event! It doesn’t matter. Once you commit,
you give it 100 percent.
Some words about the Future – focus on Impact
H2020 Calls – IMPACT and ACTION
Some calls, and the language used, can be difficult to understand and identify what Impact is really
required and how to achieve? Better editing and clearer focus could improve the quality of the
proposal response
The Academic Challenge
Research (Academics/Scientists) and Communication, Dissemination, Exploitation and Impact
Science matters and it needs to be communicated in a way that is understandable
Communicate in language that various audiences, stakeholders, end users and ordinary folk
understand
Be engaging, interesting and understandable.
Talking about benefits. What are the benefits? Are the benefits relevant, meaningful and really
beneficial? Are they crystal clear and innovative?
More research required that investigates and produces case studies of successful Impact in EU
research Projects – identifies barriers, blockages
Research that connects Behavioural Science to Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation to
Impact and Action and behavioural change results – measurable and successful Impact results
Behavioural Science
Behavioural Science – economics and psychology, potential contribution is huge in improving Impact
Applying Behavioural Science research in the’ Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation
Triangle’ will improve Impact and action and behavioural change for the Common Good
This is Science in Action

7. Eddie Shaw
Carr Communications
October 7 2016
086 2463635
eddie@carrcommunications.ie