Proposal preparation?
Proposal evaluation?
Key things to know.
Eoghan O'Neill
Unit F2 ("Innovation")
DG CONNECT
Disclaimer: The contents of this presentation are for informal guidance and discussion purposes only.
These slides do not replace any formal legal or guidance texts published by the European Commission.
Know your
Instrument!
Innovation Actions
vs.
Support Actions (CSAs)
'Innovation' actions
Projects selected for funding…
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will primarily consist of activities directly aiming at producing plans and
arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes
or services.
may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale
product validation and market replication.
are expected to demonstrate that innovations they develop meet the needs
of European and global markets; and,
address the delivery of such innovations to the markets
may include limited research and development activities.
will be funded at 70% (except for non-profit orgs)
ICT 35 a, b & c
'Coordination & Support' actions (CSA)
Projects selected for funding…
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Will primarily consist of 'accompanying measures'
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'Accompanying measures' include:
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standardisation, dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking
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coordination or support services,
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policy dialogues
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mutual learning exercises and studies (including design studies for new
infrastructure)
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may also include complementary activities of networking and coordination between
programmes in different countries.
ICT 35 d, e & f
For ICT 35 a, b & c
Why 'Innovation Actions'? Why not CSA?
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We
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We
seek strong commitment from project partners
seek close links with industrial players.
want actions with real impact.
want actions that are innovative in their approach(es).
want actions that are sustainable beyond life of a project.
'Innovation Actions' are the instrument
best suited to these goals.
Know your
evaluation criteria!
Innovation Actions
(i.e. ICT 35a, b & c)
SME instrument
(i.e. ODI)
Evaluation criteria
• Different aspects of innovation are embedded in each
of the 3 evaluation criteria used for selecting projects
• The same criteria will be used to evaluate:
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'Research and Innovation' actions (100% funded)
'Innovation' actions (70% funded)
SME actions (70% funded)
• Investors (VCs, BAs) & market experts (biz mentors,
incubators…) will be secured for panels evaluating
proposals.
Criteria will be interpreted by evaluators within the
context of the topic addressed by the proposal,
taking into account the WP text, the type of action
and the nature of the proposed activities.
In concrete terms….
'Excellence' criterion
(excerpt)
• Extent that proposed work is ambitious, has innovation potential, and is
beyond the state of the art
'Impact' criterion
(excerpt)
• Enhancing innovation capacity and integration of new knowledge;
• …developing innovations meeting the needs of European and global
markets; and, where relevant, by delivering such innovations to the
markets
'Quality & efficiency of the implementation' (excerpt)
• Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including
risk and innovation management.
Note: For 'Innovation' & SME actions the score for
'impact' will be weighted by a factor of 1.5
Coordination & Support Actions
(i.e. ICT 35 d, e & f)
Criterion 1
'Excellence' criterion
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Clarity and pertinence of the objectives;
Credibility of the proposed approach;
Soundness of the concept;
Quality of the proposed coordination and/or support measures.
Criterion 2
'Impact' criterion
• The expected impacts listed in the WP under the relevant topic;
• 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.
Criterion 3
'Quality & efficiency of the implementation'
• Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriateness of
the allocation of tasks and resources;
• Complementarity of participants within the consortium (when relevant);
• Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including
risk and innovation management.
Note: Experts will also be asked to assess the
operational capacity of applicants to carry out
the proposed work.
Know your
proposal template!
Proposal templates
Innovation actions
• http://tinyurl.com/ri-i-template
CSAs
• http://tinyurl.com/csa-template
SME instrument
• http://tinyurl.com/sme1-template (phase 1)
• http://tinyurl.com/sme2-template (phase 2)
Top tip: Proposal templates are known to provide more
detail on how to interpret the evaluation criteria…
Know your
page limits!
(a.k.a. less is more )
Less is more…
Page limits to encourage clarity in proposals
• SME instrument:
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10 pages for phase 1
30 pages for phase 2
• Support actions: 50 pages
• 'Innovation' / 'Research & Innovation' actions: 70p
• [PCP / PPI proposals: 90 pages]
(cited page limits relate to 'Part B' of a proposal)