RCSI Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in Éirinn
Grant writing for
H2020 Marie Sklowdska-Curie Actions
Brian Harvey
ADMIRECOSTESRSymposium
IRCCSSanRaffaele,Rome,22April2016
Brian Harvey : Experience in Research Grant writing and review
Vice-president for Research UCC 1998-2002, RCSI 2002-2010
Wellcome Trust Programmes Grant Holder 1992-2010
ERC Advanced and Synergy Awards Review Panel 2009-2015
Co-ordinator FP5-FP6-FP7 Marie Curie CPRU IF 1993-2007
Host Marie Curie EF & GF 2013, 2014,
Co-ordinator NBIP – ESFRI EuroBioImaging 2007Co-ordinator Erasmus EMIDS 2012-2014
Co-ordinator Marie Curie CEMP 2008-2012 ( 16 Post-Docs, €3Million)
Co-ordinator Marie Curie ASSISTID 2014-2019 (40 Post-docs, €9Million)
Vice chair and GH Scientific representative, COST Action ADMIRE 2014Expert Evaluator H2020
President, Scientific Evaluation Council Physiology/Payhiophysiology, ANR 2015-
How to Write a Competitive
Marie Sklodowska-Curie
Horizon 2020 Proposal
Scope
Rules
Evaluation
Writing Tips
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships
The call MSCA IF is currently open, with a deadline for
submission of proposals of September 11th 2016.
The scheme offers opportunities for both in-coming and outgoing European & Global Fellowships. It is open to
Experienced Researchers (postdoctoral or equivalent; no
upper limit of age or experience) in conjunction with a host
organisation for projects of 2 - 3 years duration. Funding
covers the salary of the Fellow as well as part of the research
and training costs along with management and overhead
costs. It’s open to all research areas.
European Research Council Awards
ERC grants support individual researchers of any nationality and age
who wish to pursue their frontier research. The topic is not prescribed.
They encourage in particular proposals that cross disciplinary
boundaries, pioneering ideas that address new and emerging fields and
applications that introduce unconventional, innovative approaches.
Starter Grants
Consolidator Grants
Advanced Awards
Synergy Awards
See http://erc.europa.eu/funding-schemes for more information.
The Guide for Applicants (now called 'Information for Applicants') is at
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/doc/call/h2020/
erc-2014-stg/1595102-info_for_applicants_stgcog_2014_final_en.pdf.
RCSI Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in
Éirinn
MarieSklodowska-CurieIndividual
Fellowships(MSCAIF)
Before you start writing your proposal
Contact your Marie Sklodowska-Curie National Delegate
In Ireland this service is provided by
The Irish Universities Association
http://www.iua.ie/mariecurie
Want to know more about the MSCA?
View the IUA Marie Curie webinar at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=lWI9eQ5PtrI&feature=youtu.be
Get the advice of an Expert
– either from your Research Office
or an EU Consultancy ( Alie Kwint [email protected] )
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are:
• Innovative Training Networks (ITN)
Innovative doctoral-level training providing a range of skills in order
to maximise employability
An ITN will be evaluated as: [ETN] [EID] [EJD]
• Individual Fellowships (IF)
Support for Experienced Researchers undertaking mobility between
countries, optionally to the non-academic sector
• Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE)
International and intersectoral collaboration through the exchange of
research and innovation staff
• Co-funding of regional, national and international
programmes (COFUND)
Co-financing high-quality fellowship or doctoral programmes with
transnational mobility
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions website can be found at:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/
Scope
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) aim at enhancing the
creative and innovative potential of Experienced Researchers who wish to
diversify their individual competence in terms of skill acquisition through
advanced training, international and inter-sectoral mobility.
Support is foreseen for individual, trans-national fellowships awarded to
the best or most promising researchers for employment in EU Member
States or Associated Countries.
The researcher must be an Experienced Researcher: s/he must, at the
deadline for the submission of proposals, be in possession of a doctoral
degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research
experience.
MSCA European Fellowships (EFs)
For European Fellowships proposals The researcher may be of any
nationality.
The researcher must move or have moved (transnational mobility) from
any country to the MS or AC where the beneficiary is located.
MSCA Global Fellowships (GFs)
The researcher must be national or long-term resident of a MS or AC.
Long-term residents are researchers who spent a period of full-time
research activity of at least 5 consecutive (without breaks in research) years
in one or more Member States or Associated Countries.
The researcher must move or have moved (transnational mobility) from
any country to the partner organisation located in the TC.
Global Fellowships are composed of an outgoing phase during which the
researcher undertakes a secondment to a partner organisation in a Third
Country, and a mandatory 12-month return period to a host
organisation (the beneficiary) located in a Member State or Associated
Country.
Duration
The duration for European Fellowships (standard EFs,
CAR and RI multi-disciplinary panels) is between 12 and
24 months.
For the Global Fellowships there is a first outgoing
phase between 12 and 24 months, and an additional
mandatory 12 months return phase, so the total
duration of this type of fellowship is between 24 and
36 months.
Key Factors for a Successful MSC Individual Fellowship
Mobility
Mobility is considered by the European Commission essential for the personal and career
development of researchers. It allows the enhancement of collaboration, and the acquisition
of new skills and knowledge which contribute to increased creativity, efficacy and performance,
thereby contributing to career development and a successful, competitive knowledge-based
society. Mobility is an eligibility criterion for receiving Marie Skłodowska-Curie funding. For each
type of IF a specific mobility rule applies.
Training activities
The Experienced Researcher should write in the proposal a concrete plan of training-throughresearch at the host organisation’s premises. The action should aim to reach a realistic and welldefined objective in terms of career advancement (by attaining a leading independent
position for example) or resuming a research career after a break. The action should be
created with the final outcome to develop and significantly widen the competences of the
Experienced Researcher, particularly in terms of multi/interdisciplinary expertise, inter-sectoral
experience and transferable skills.
All Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions have a bottom-up approach, i.e. research fields are
chosen freely by the applicants.
Career Development Plan
The Career Development Plan must be produced by the Experienced Researcher and the
supervisor prior to the start of the fellowship.
In addition to research objectives, this plan comprises the researcher’s training and career
needs, including training on transferable skills, planning for publications and participation in
conferences.
This dedicated and high-level plan will act as a reference for the Experienced Researcher to
monitor for her/himself the progress of work, training and publications, and to take corrective
measures if deviations and delays are observed in order to attain the professional development
targets.
Typical training activities
Typical training activities in MSCA IFs may include:
• Primarily, training-through-research under the direct supervision of
the supervisor and other members of the scientific staff of the host
organisation by the means of an individual personalised action;
• Hands-on training activities for developing scientific (new techniques,
instruments etc.) and transferable skills (entrepreneurship, proposal
preparation to request funding, patent applications, management of IPR.
*Management, task coordination, supervising and monitoring, take up
and exploitation of research results etc.);
• Inter-sectoral or interdisciplinary transfer of knowledge (e.g. through
secondments);
• Taking part in the research and financial management of the action;
• Organisation of scientific/training/dissemination events;
• Communication, outreach activities and horizontal skills;
• Training dedicated to gender issues.
Communication and Dissemination
In addition to publications and patents, communication of the Marie
Skłodowska-Curie actions should aim to demonstrate the ways in which
research is contributing to a European "Innovation Union”, and account for
public spending by providing tangible proof that the funded research adds
value by:
• showing how the creative and innovative potential of Experienced
Researchers is better achieved through training, international and intersectoral mobility, which contributes also notably to competitiveness, in
achieving research excellence, and where relevant, addressing societal
challenges;
• showing how the outcomes are relevant to our everyday lives, by
creating jobs, training skilled researchers, introducing novel technologies, or
by making our lives more comfortable in other ways;
• making better use of the results, by promoting their take-up by decisionmakers to influence policy-making, and by industry and the scientific
community to ensure follow-up
Public Engagement
In the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, the primary goal of
public engagement activities is to create awareness
among the general public of the research work
performed and its implications for citizens and
society. The type of outreach activities could range from
press articles and participating in European Researchers'
Night events to presenting science, research and innovation
activities to students from primary and secondary schools
or universities in order to develop their interest in research
careers. The frequency and nature of such activities
should be outlined in the proposal.
Gender Issues
Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions pay particular attention to gender
balance. In line with the European Charter for Researchers and Code
of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers10, all Marie
Skłodowska-Curie actions proposals are encouraged to take
appropriate measures to facilitate mobility and counter-act genderrelated barriers to it. Equal opportunities are to be ensured, both at
the level of supported researchers and that of decision-making/
supervision. In research activities where human beings are involved
as subjects or end-users, gender differences may exist. In these
cases the gender dimension in the research content has to be
addressed as an integral part of the proposal to ensure the highest
level of scientific quality.
Projects also should refer to sexual dimorphism if relevant
Financial Aspects
The financial support for Marie Skłodowska-Curie IFs takes the
form of a grant covering up to 100% of the costs. Funding is
calculated exclusively based on the unit costs set out in the work
programme.
What types of expenses are covered?
The European Union contribution and rates under this action are
set out in Part 3 of the Work Programme 2014-2015 and cover:
• the recruitment of the researcher to be trained;
• research, training and networking costs;
• management and indirect costs.
Typical EU contribution
IF 24 months €150,000
GF 36 months €250,000
Evaluation of Proposals
Each proposal will be assessed independently by at least three
experts chosen by the REA from the pool of experts taking part in
this evaluation. An expert will be designated as the proposal
"rapporteur" and will assume additional responsibilities at the end
of this phase and in the following phases of the evaluation session.
The proposal will be evaluated against the IF evaluation criteria
applying weighting factors, both set out in the Work Programme.
Proposals will not be evaluated anonymously. Proposals may be
evaluated remotely.
Evaluation scores will be awarded for each of the three criteria. All
of the separate elements of each criterion will be considered by the
experts in their assessment.
An example of the evaluation forms that will be used by the
experts in this call will be made available on the Participant Portal.
MSC Evaluation Criteria
Excellence 50%
Quality , innovative and credibility of research proposal
Clarity and Quality of transfer of knowledge /Training
Quality of the supervision and hosting arrangements
Capacity of the researcher to reach professional maturity in research
Impact 30%
Enhancing research and innovation skills of the fellow.
Effectiveness of the communication and results disseminiation measures.
Implementation 20%
Overall coherence and effectiveness of the work plan
Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures
Appropriateness of the host institution infrastructure
Competence , experience and complementarity of the participating labs
Commitment of host institution
Scores
0 – Proposal fails to address the criterion or cannot be assessed due
to missing or incomplete information.
1 – Poor. The criterion is inadequately addressed, or there are
serious inherent weaknesses.
2 – Fair. Proposal broadly addresses the criterion, but there are
significant weaknesses.
3 – Good. Proposal addresses the criterion well, but a number of
shortcomings are present.
4 – Very Good. Proposal addresses the criterion very well, but a
small number of shortcomings are present.
5 – Excellent. Proposal successfully addresses all relevant aspects
of the criterion. Any shortcomings are minor.
RCSI Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in
Éirinn
Marie Sklowdska Curie ITN
Innovative Training Network
Structured Training in
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action: Innovative Training Networks
(ITN)
Writing tips
Describe any existing structured training in your research area in Europe or
world-wide. For example:
Training provided on university level of the partners or on national level
Training provided in international context: bilateral collaborations, multilateral
collaborations (provide names of collaboration and partners involved in this
training)
Training provided within the framework of COST Actions
Training provided in previously funded ITN’s. Check
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/projects_en.html
Training provided in European or international associations, societies etc.
You should then come to the conclusion that some training exists in EU but that it
is fragmented: or parts of your training programme exist only on national level
or only as academic training etc. You then should write that your ITN will provide
a structured training programme in the area of x.
Describe how all the major players in Europe (complemented by others from the
USA etc if applicable) in your research area are involved in your consortium. This
allows you to claim that training set up, implemented by and recognized by the
most important players will become a reference for the entire field. This in turn
will help structure European training in your research area.
Writing tips:
Describe your ‘knowledge partnerships and stronger links between
education, research and innovation (the 'knowledge triangle') in
order to increase Europe’s innovation capacity’
Describe how you plan to mutually recognize the training offered
by all partners. Describe if and how you plan to develop a
sustainable joint doctoral degree structure. This is compulsory for
EJD projects. However, if you include this in ETN and EID projects,
it will be evaluated positively.
Decsribe how your ITN supports the Innovation Union flagship,
which says that ‘we need to get more innovation out of our
research. Cooperation between the worlds of science and the
world of business must be enhanced.’
Writing tips:
focus on the fact that the ITN is a research training network:
describe science as well as the training you plan to provide.
Describe the overall objective of the project: This ITN (EJD, EID)
aims to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and
innovative early-stage researchers in the field of …. through an
integrated research training program, covering disciplines …….
Describe why is it important that this research is carried out now.
E.g. social challenges, economic challenges, ageing population etc.
What is the need addressed by this proposal? Identify the
stakeholders who will be affected by this research breakthrough and
briefly indicate how the planned work will link to them. This section
is a good place to describe why an inter/multidisciplinary approach
is necessary. This section is also a good place to describe why
academia and industry should work together (intersectoral aspects).
Describe the research project objectives: formulate one overall
research objective, divided in a number of sub-objectives. Each subobjective should correlate to a specific Work Package.
Provide an overview: provide a more detailed description of each
WP. Indicate clearly that the individual projects of the recruited
researchers are integrated in the overall research programme/
doctoral training programme.
Recruitment:
The maximum number of researcher months in ETN, EJD and multibeneficiary EID is 540 researcher months. Assuming each ESR is recruited
for 36 months (highly recommended!), each network can recruit a
maximum of 15 ESRs. The maximum number of researcher months in a 2beneficiary EJD is 180, equaling to 5 researchers who are recruited for 36
months.
The maximum duration of an ITN is 48 months; the maximum duration for
each fellow in the network is 36 months. Allow a bit of time at the start of
the project to recruit the fellows. Determine how you will deal with the fact
that in some countries doctoral studies last 4 years.
Writing tips:
Describe the training content and training structure: say how many researchers will be
recruited by how many host organizations. Describe briefly the elements of your training
programme and say how they are embedded in the full training programme. Differentiate
between training at local level (IRP’s) and training at network-wide level. Also differentiate
between scientific training and transferable skills training (info-sheet in preparation).
Describe the training content for each element of the training programme, and describe the
objectives of these events. Describe the duration of the events, who is the lead organizer, the
role of partners etc.
Think of
Individual Research Projects: The network will provide training at local level, mainly through
Individual Research Projects. Each ESR will carry out an Individual Research Project that is
embedded in and contributes to the overall research project. Refer to table 4.1d for details on
each IRP.
Secondments: What is the overall idea of secondments? Refer to tables 4.1d and Gantt chart.
Summerschools / Winterschools
Introductory Meeting
Workshops
Final Conference
Visiting Researchers
Describe how researchers will be trained in both scientific and technological knowledge and
transferable skills.
ECTS
NB the Guide for Applicants says that ‘for doctoral programmes
(i.e. EID and EJD), the broad structure of the curriculum should
be outlined and preferably quantifiable by ECTS points (ECTS =
European Credit Transfer System). Course descriptions
contain ‘learning outcomes’ (i.e. what students are expected to
know, understand and be able to do) and workload (i.e. the
time students typically need to achieve these outcomes). Each
learning outcome is expressed in terms of credits, with a
student workload ranging from 1 500 to 1 800 hours for an
academic year, and one credit generally corresponds to 25-30
hours of work.
Project Month: Aim to organize 2 events per year. Take into
account that all ESRs may not be recruited at the same time.
Workpackage
WP = a major subdivision of the proposed project. Each work package aims to achieve one or
more of the project objectives. Breaking down the work into WPs enables multiple teams to work
simultaneously or sequentially on different components of the project. When all the WPs are
combined they should represent the project in its entirety. For ITN projects, it is recommended to
include a number of scientific WP’s, as well as a WP on Training, a WP on Management and a WP
on Dissemination and Exploitation. Depending on the nature of the ITN, other WP’s may be
relevant, such as an Intellectual Property and/or Commercial Development WP.
WP no: for an ETN or EJD of maximum size (540 research months), 3 – 5 WPs is a good division
of the work. For an EID of maximum size (180 researcher months), we recommend no more than
3 WPs.
Activity type: R&D (Research and Development), TRAIN (training), MGT (management), CDO
(Communication, Dissemination and Outreach), EIP (Exploitation and Intellectual Property)
Lead participant: the coordinator should be the lead participant for at least management, and we
recommend for at least 1 R&D WP as well. If Intellectual Property is important in the project, the
coordinator should lead this WP as well. Otherwise, select partners with the right expertise for
the right WP.
ESRs involvement: briefly state which ESR’s will be active in the WP (including the duration of
their involvement in the WP) and their role. Early stage researchers (ESR) refers to researchers
in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research activity, including the period of
research training’
Writing tips:
Provide a short introduction; tell how many WP’s there are in the project.
Explain how the WP’s relate to each other (e.g. all WPs run parallel; WP2 provides input for WP4
etc).
Describe the overall methodology and approach.
Then, for each R&D WP: describe objective, the content of the work (who does what,
intersectoral approach, specific methodology and approach used for this WP, which recruited
researchers will contribute to this WP?
Originality and innovative aspects of the research programme
Writing tips:
Describe the current state of the art (i.e. current status of the research in this field in
relation to the stated objective(s)), indicate ‘gaps’ in the current state of the art, and
describe the ‘progress beyond the state of the art’ (i.e. the innovation within your
project).Use recent, quality references to explain state-of-the-art and give due credit to
work that underpins your proposal.
For progress beyond state-of-the-art describe the aspects of your proposed work that
make it new and interesting. Is it using novel concepts and approaches; is it adding new,
novel knowledge; is it opening a new perspective in the field; is it bringing a technology
closer to application; is it is a scientific/technological/practice breakthrough? If the latter,
explain why it’s ground-breaking (why it’s relevant and significant, who/which sectors
will be impressed).
Describe the current state of play with regards to existing programmes/networks /
doctoral research training. There should be a gap here too. Then state that your project
will rectify this situation.
Describe originality and innovative aspects of the research programme: provide a
detailed description on how your project is original and innovative. Realise that your
project can be original and innovative in several aspects: research (discovering
something new, multidisciplinary approach, active involvement of industry), your training
programme (there is no such network yet, first time that industry is involved at this
level, extensive use of secondments etc), gap with other countries (say that this project
will close the gap with e.g. the USA and will bring the EU to the forefront).
Qualititative and Innovative aspects of the proposal
Writing tips:
Provide an overview of the training:
Importance of the training / doctoral programme: describe the training needs in your
area (e.g. need for interdisciplinary approach because …., need to advance the state of
the art in treatment of infectious diseases, need to involve industry more because ….)
Describe what kind of training exists today in your research area. Is this sufficient in
light of the training needs?
Clearly present a conclusion: the proposed ITN/EID/EJD aims to train (number)
creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers who will be able to ….
Describe the structure of the training programme. Example: This ITN/EID/EJD aims to
train x researchers in the field of…. Each researcher will be hosted by one beneficiary for
the period of 36 months, with relevant secondments to at least one other partner in the
ITN/EID/EJD. There will be x summerschools and one final conference in M42.
Describe the recruitment deliverables. Example: the 10 partners of this ITN recruit a
total of 15 ESR’s. Partners …. will all recruit 2 ESRs. Partners ….. all recruit 1 ESR.
Writing tips:
Describe how many non-academic partners will host how many ESR’s
Describe the role of the non-academic partners in the network-wide events
(secondments, summerschools, workshops etc)
Refer to the participation of non-academic partners in the Supervisory Board
Quality of the supervision
Writing tips:
Say that all supervisors are highly qualified and experienced in the supervision
of ESR’s. Describe the experience of partners in research training and
supervision (e.g. participation in European training networks, Erasmus
programmes etc. Refer for details to table 3.a. Is there previous collaboration
on supervision within the network?
Highlight any Co-tutelle arrangements for joint supervision between Member
States and examples of previous successful PhD cotutelles.
Quality of the proposed interaction between the
participating organizations
Writing tips:
Summarize the role of (groups of) beneficiaries in all aspects of the
programme. E.g. All beneficiaries are involved in the research programme.
Partners x, y, z all host 2 ESR’s. partners a,b,c all host 1 ESR. All
partners receive one or two ESR’s on secondment. All partners participate
in the Supervisory Board. Partners x,y,z participate in the Training
Committee, partners a and b are members of the Daily Board. Etc.
Writing tips:
Describe for researchers hosted by the academic sector how they will
engage with the private sector (or other social sector): through
secondments (length?), through activities during network-wide meetings,
through visits etc.
Describe for researchers hosted by the private sector how they will
engage with the academic sector: through secondments, network-wide
events, visiting researchers etc.
Impact
Enhancing research- and innovation-related human resources, skills, and
working conditions to realize the potential of individuals and to provide new
career perspectives
Writing tips:
Explain the impact of the research and training on the Fellows’ careers. In this
section, you should refer to the ‘expected impact’ as described on page 4 of the
2014-2015 Work Programme ITN. Also refer to 2.2.1 where you have described
the importance of the training (training needs and training (not yet) available.
Describe how the training
1) will enhance skills development and knowledge-sharing (refer to scientific
content of the project)
2) provides substantial training modules in key transferable skills such as
project management or IPR
3) is executed by high quality host organizations, excellent infrastructure etc.
Refer to the fact that each researcher will benefit from meaningful exposure to
the non-academic sector, and that this will open up new career perspectives.
Writing tips:
Conclude that through these measures, your network
4) will enhance researchers’ employability (give examples: e.g.
due to recent developments, researchers nowadays need skills on
the intersection of x and y. ESRs trained in this ETN will acquire
skills from both disciplines, which will make them attractive to
future employers.
5) will provide researchers with new career perspectives (refer to
the fact that researchers may find employment in the academic
sector, but also in the private sector or in another sector (e.g.
government). Claim that this ETN provides the right mix of
training that provides researchers with the skills to work in all
sectors.
6) will help shape future generations of entrepreneurial
researchers capable of contributing effectively to the knowledgebased economy and society.
Write that all of the above follows the EU Principles for Innovative
Doctoral Training
http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/pdf/research_policies/
Principles_for_Innovative_Doctoral_Training.pdf).
Contribution to structuring doctoral / early-stage research training at the
European level and to strengthening European innovation capacity,
including the potential for:
Writing tips:
This ETN contributes to achieving one of the main expected impacts for ITN projects:
‘ITN will create and contribute to high-quality innovative research and doctoral training,
build capacity, and have a structuring effect throughout Europe and beyond.’
Find out if structured training on European level exists on the topic you propose. Check
for example http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/projects_en.html. If such training exists, then
your ITN will duplicate and will not be funded. Describe training that exists on national
or regional level. Claim that your ITN contributes to structuring research training that is
currently fragmented, by bringing it together in one ETN.
Describe the role of the non-academic sector in the training programme, and claim that
this helps to structure the research training (both academia and relevant industry agree
on the type of training that is needed to address future challenges)
Describe if and how you plan to develop a sustainable joint doctoral degree structure.
Although this is compulsory for EJD only, for ETN and EID it will be a strong point. If
you cannot work towards developing joint doctoral degrees, then describe other
mechanisms, such as PhD cotutelle agreements, mutual recognition of training received
etc.
European innovation capacity
Describe how the project contributes to strengthening European
innovation capacity. Identify the main result(s) arising from the project.
Clearly articulate their potential impact(s) and the actions proposed to help
realize this impact. Show that you have knowledge of the beneficiaries and
users of the proposed research. State how you will contribute to improving
Europe’s innovation capability. How can you ensure that the results will be
used (integration of new knowledge)? And how will Europe further advance
when the ITN has ended, due to excellently trained ESR’s?
Convince that you are committed to maximizing the impact of your
proposed research for the benefit of the economy and society. It may help
to give a series of impact-type subheadings: e.g. scientific/technological –
clinical – economic – societal – legal – political – environmental. Be as
specific as possible; use facts and figures, not generalizations. How do you
propose that the impact from your project should be measured?
Effectiveness of the proposed measures for communication
and dissemination of results
Communication and public engagement strategy of the
project
Writing tips:
Describe the proposed communication measures for promoting the
project and its findings during the period of the grant. Measures should
be proportionate to the scale of the project, with clear objectives. They
should be tailored to the needs of various audiences, including groups
beyond the project's own community. Consider target audiences
including policy-makers, interest-groups, media & public at large.
Please see RCSI information sheet on Communication and Public
Engagement Strategy (still in preparation) for advice. Refer to the Code
and Charter to discuss the role of the researchers in Public engagement
and Outreach activities.
Further communication guidance can be found at
http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/science-communication/
index_en.htm
Dissemination of the results
Writing tips:
Having previously identified the users/beneficiaries of your work, demonstrate
that you know how to engage with and transfer knowledge/materials to them
(directly or indirectly).
Provide a concrete plan for dissemination, allocate roles and discuss outcomes
and effectiveness of this plan. The plan, which should be proportionate to the
scale of the project, should contain measures to be implemented both during and
after the project.
Where relevant for the topic, with regard to the innovation dimension, describe
the potential areas and markets of application of the project results and the
potential advantages of the resulting technologies/ solutions compared to those
that are available today.
Consider: Target audience(s); dissemination strategy (incl. how to increase
impact of project); dissemination objectives; Dissemination channels/tools;
summary of market size; proposed business model
Please see RCSI H2020 information sheet on Dissemination and pathways of
exploitation (in preparation) for tips.
You could refer to the European Charter for Researchers (see RCSI H2020 infosheet) here which outlines the expected role of researchers in regard to
dissemination and exploitation
Exploitation of the Results and Intellectual property
Outline the strategy for knowledge management and protection. Where relevant, include information
on how the participants will manage the research data generated and/or collected during the project, in particular
addressing the following issues:
What types of data will the project generate/collect?
What standards will be used?
How will this data be exploited and/or shared/made accessible for verification and re-use? If data cannot be
made available, explain why.
How will this data be curated and preserved?
Include measures to provide open access (free on-line access, such as the ‘green’ or ‘gold’ model) to peerreviewed scientific publications which might result from the project.
Open access publishing (also called 'gold' open access) means that an article is immediately provided in open
access mode by the scientific publisher. The associated costs are usually shifted away from readers, and instead
(for example) to the university or research institute to which the researcher is affiliated, or to the funding agency
supporting the research.
Self-archiving (also called 'green' open access) means that the published article or the final peer-reviewed
manuscript is archived by the researcher - or a representative - in an online repository before, after or alongside
its publication. Access to this article is often - but not necessarily - delayed (‘embargo period’), as some
scientific publishers may wish to recoup their investment by selling subscriptions and charging pay-perdownload/view fees during an exclusivity period.
Although a Consortium Agreement is not compulsory for all ITN-projects, we highly recommend that you sign
one with your partners. The CA allows you to manage (amongst other things) the ownership and access to key
knowledge (IPR, data etc.). Where relevant, these will allow you, collectively and individually, to pursue market
opportunities arising from the project's results.
Appropriateness of the infrastructure of
the participating organizations
Writing tips:
This section is about the infrastructure of the participating
organizations. Describe the main tasks of each beneficiary
and provide information about the infrastructure that is
needed to implement the tasks executed at their
premises. Describe also infrastructure at partners’ sites
that will be used by Fellows during secondments.
Consortium composition and exploitation of partners’ complementarities
Describe the composition of the consortium: number of beneficiaries and partners. Divide them in
academic / private sector partners. How will the consortium composition match the project’s
objectives? Consider interdisciplinary and intersectoral composition; complementarities &
synergies; interactions and interdependencies; industry involvement; 3rd party involvement.
Explain how this work could not be done without each of the partners. State that each is fully
committed to delivering the project.
Describe the expertise of the partners, possibly per group of partners, or per main topic of your
project. If applicable, describe the industrial/commercial involvement in the project to ensure
exploitation of the results and explain why this is consistent with and will help to achieve the
specific measures which are proposed for exploitation of the results of the project.
If expertise needed is not available in Europe, indicate that some of your partners are from other
countries (USA – NIH) and explain why their participation is necessary (in principle you should
only include Other Countries if their expertise is not available in Europe). Include a figure that
indicates which partner contributes (with their expertise) to which part of the project.
Clearly state the complementarity of the expertise of the
partners. State that this project could not be done without
each of the partners. How do the members complement one
another (and cover the value chain, where appropriate)? In
what way does each of them contribute to the project? How
will they be able to work effectively together? State who will
learn / benefit from the partners’ complementary expertise:
the fellows, all network partners and ultimately Europe.
Include partners from Other countries – USA NIH - (if
applicable) and Partner organizations in your description.
Gender aspects in Recruitment and decision making
Writing tips:
Gender aspects should cover ‘for gender’ (e.g. womens’/mens’ health issues – see
site referenced above), 'by gender (gender balance in the consortium and its
management bodies)' and 'about gender’ (how gender equality and mainstreaming
will be incorporated into the project; gender balance used in recruitment process).
Say how the gender balance (male/female) is in your scientific area. Then say how
many male/female PI’s are involved in the consortium. Repeat for all of your
management bodies. Try to include both genders at each stage of the recruitment
process.
Do not confine sex/gender to discussion of females only, consider both where
appropriate.
Sex and gender refer to biological characteristics and social/cultural factors
respectively. For guidance on methods of sex / gender analysis and the issues to be
taken into account, please refer to
http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/gendered-innovations/index_en.cfm
Implementation
Overall coherence and effectiveness of the work plan
Writing tips:
Provide a short introduction (max 5 lines) regarding the organization of
the work, and then provide a table 4.1a for each WP.
Give due attention to (i) the link between the objectives, methods and
activities, and outputs and/or deliverables of the WP and (ii) the link with
the objectives, methods and activities, and outputs and/or deliverables for
the overall project. The relationship of a WP to other WPs should be
shown by stating how the actions build on the results of other WPs, and
how the outputs and deliverables will be used by others.
Workpackages
Writing tips:
A short clear description of the proposed work. Objectives are
measurable, time-framed outcomes. They must be specific, tangible,
measurable, and achievable within a specific time period. Each WP
aims to achieve one or more of the overall project objectives so state
the objective(s) that are specific to a given WP here. Bullet points are
often used. These objectives ultimately define the methods, actions,
and evaluation of the WP outputs and deliverables.
To achieve the above work package objectives, a series of activities
need to be undertaken. Describe these in a comprehensive, logically
structured, clear way (commonly broken into Tasks). Make clear the
role of the participants by stating which organisation is responsible for
the WP and specifying which tasks will be carried out by whom, with
whom, and who in the organisation will oversee the completion of the
Work Package.
A
deliverable is a distinct output of the project, meaningful
in terms of the project’s overall objectives and constituted by a
report, a document, a technical diagram, a software, etc. These
must include a Consortium Agreement (for EID) or Final
Agreement to award Joint Doctorate (for EJD) to be provided at
beginning of the project.
Writing tips:
Use a very concrete way to describe the deliverables. A deliverable
is a tangible output. Thus, deliverables are concrete items. A
deliverable can be ‘List of all recruited fellows’ rather than
Be careful what you promise: when the proposal is funded, the
deliverables will become a contractual obligation.
Typical deliverables used in designing a MSCA H2020 research proposal
Aidememoirelistoftypicaldeliverablesusedindesigningaproposal
Setupphase
GrantAgreementsigned
ConsortiumAgreementsigned
Kick-offmeetingorganized
Socialmediainplace:e.gfacebook,twitter
Recruitmentprocesscompleted
Ethicsapproval
MandatorydatamanagementplanforPilot
onOpenResearchData projects
Outputs
Accreditationofpartners
Awardingofdegrees
Deliveryofdevice/sensor/molecule/biomarkeretc
InitialPrototype
FinalPrototype
Pilot
Pilotevaluation
Demonstrator
Database
Consolidateddatafrompartners
Repository
Model
Animalmodel/newstrains/cellculture
Proofofconcept
Optimisedassay
Industryvalidatedassay
Reports&Plans
invitro study
FinalProjectReport
invivo study
AnnualProjectReport
Validationinpatient
ProgressReport
Clinicaltrialprotocol
DisseminationPlan/Report
Experimentalprotocols
Managementplan
Evaluationprotocols
Integrationplan
New/improvedalgorithm
Literaturereview
Softwareprogramme
Ethicsliteraturereview
Sourcecode
Initialprojectself-assessmentplan
Kineticsdata
QualityManagement/AssurancePlan
Assessmentofproperties
RiskAssessment
Simulation
SafetyReport
Structure-functionrelationship
SWOTreport
RiskFactorinventory
System/modelevaluationreport
InitialSystemDesign
ValidationReport
FinalSystemDesign
Independentreportonpotentialofanoutput EndusersRequirements/featuresidentification
Marketassessmentreport
Patent
ExploitationPlan
Copyright
Roadmap
Handbook
Clinicaltrialanalysisreport
ITsystem
Dissemination
Dissemination/exploitationplan
Trainingpackage/material
Projectwebsite/portal
Projectbrochure/flyer/advertising
Projectnewsletter
Workshop(academic/industryetc)
Projecthandbook
Peer-reviewedpublications
Posters
Publiclectures
Publicmedia(t.v.,radio)
Socialmedia(Facebook,Twitteretc)
Schooltalks/demonstrations
Video
Conference
AdditionalMarieS-CurieITNrelevant
FinalAgreementtoawardjointDoctorates
compulsoryforEJD)
ConsortiumAgreement(compulsoryforEID)
PublicationofESRvacancies
Overviewofrecruitedresearchers
CareerDevelopmentPlanswrittenforallrecruited
researchers
CareerDevelopmentPlansupdatedforallFellows
Xsummerschools/workshops/introduction
meetings(etc)organised(attendancelist,agenda
andminutes)
Programmeconferenceorganised
Reportonimplementedsecondments
OverviewofstatusofPhDtheseswritten
Overviewofpublicationsinjournalsand
presentedatscientificconferences
ESRCommitteesetup
SupervisoryBoardsetup
XSupervisoryBoardmeetingsorganised
Milestones are control points in the project that help to chart
progress. Milestones may correspond to the completion of a key
deliverable, allowing the next phase of the work to begin. They may also
be needed at intermediary points so that, if problems have arisen,
corrective measures can be taken. A milestone may be a critical decision
point in the project where, for example, the consortium must decide which
of several technologies to adopt for further development.
Measured in months from the project start date (month 1).
Writing Tips:
Show how you will confirm that the milestone has been attained. Refer to
indicators if appropriate. For example: a laboratory prototype completed
and running flawlessly; software released and validated by a user group;
field survey complete and data quality validated.
Transferable Skills: RDF
Researcher Development Framework (RDF), which “articulates the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful researchers and encourages
them to aspire to excellence through achieving higher levels of development”.
It provides background information and many examples of transferable skills.
It was trialed in 2013 by the European Science Foundation, who were very
positive about the RDF. Please see:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/428241/Vitae-ResearcherDevelopment-Framework.html.
Writing Tips:
Make sure that the proposed transferable skills are relevant for your research
area. For example: a workshop on ethics related issues is more relevant in a
proposal using animal testing than in a proposal about molecular genetics.
Examples of transferable skills
HORIZON 2020
PROPOSAL EVALUATION
A NEW TYPE OF EU R&I
PROGRAMME
New types of calls and proposals
•  Calls are challenge-based, and therefore more open to
innovative proposals
−  Calls are less prescriptive - they do not outline the expected solutions to the
problem, nor the approach to be taken to solve it
−  Calls/topics descriptions allow plenty of scope for applicants to propose innovative
solutions of their own choice
•  There is a greater emphasis on impact, in particular through
each call or topic impact statements
−  Applicants are asked to explain how their work will contribute to bringing about the
described impacts
−  During the evaluation, you are asked to assess this potential contribution
•  There is more emphasis on innovation
−  Horizon 2020 supports all stages in the research and innovation chain including
non-technological and social innovation and activities closer to the market
•  Proposals may bring together different disciplines, sectors
and actors to tackle specific challenges
−  e.g. scientists, industry, SMEs, societal partners, end-users…
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55
Innovation
•  A balanced approach to research and innovation
−  not only limited to the development of new products and services on the basis of
scientific and technological breakthroughs
−  but also incorporating aspects such as the use of existing technologies in novel
applications and continuous improvements
•  Activities closer to the market emphasise the widest
possible use of knowledge generated by the supported
activities up to the commercial exploitation of that
knowledge
•  There is a particular emphasis on activities operating close
to the end-users and the market, such as demonstration,
piloting or proof-of-concept
−  can also include support to social innovation, and support to demand side
approaches (standardisation, innovation procurement, user-centred measures …)
to help accelerate the deployment and diffusion of innovative products and
services into the market
The definitions of the terms used are available in the
Horizon 2020 Glossary on the Participant Portal
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56
Cross-cutting issues
Cross-cutting issues are fully integrated in the
work programme (WP)
•  Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) are integrated across all
Horizon 2020 activities to successfully address European challenges
•  Gender dimension in the content of R&I - a question on the
relevance of sex/gender analysis is included in proposal templates
•  The new strategic approach to international cooperation
consists of a general opening of the WP and targeted activities
across all relevant Horizon 2020 parts
−  The approach to providing 'automatic funding' to third country participants is
restricted – see list of countries
•  Other cross-cutting issues may also be included in the WP
such as Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) including
science education, open access to scientific publications, ethics…;
standardisation; climate and sustainable development …
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57
Impact of grant preparation on evaluation
•  No grant negotiation phase!
−  The time from submission of a proposal, evaluation and signature
of the grant has been reduced to a maximum of 8 months
(max. 5 months for evaluation + max. 3 months for grant signature)
•  What does this mean for the evaluation of proposal?
−  You evaluate each proposal as submitted
not on its potential if certain changes were to be made
−  If you identify shortcomings (other than minor ones and obvious
clerical errors), you must reflect those in a lower score for the
relevant criterion
−  You explain the shortcomings, but do not make recommendations
i.e. do not suggest additional partners, additional work packages,
resources cut…
−  Proposals with significant weaknesses that prevent the project
from achieving its objectives or with resources being seriously
over-estimated must not receive above-threshold scores
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58
HORIZON 2020
PROPOSAL EVALUATION
THE EVALUATION PROCEDURE
IN PRACTICE
Evaluation criteria
•  There are two evaluation criteria in the
first stage of a two-stage procedure :
−  Excellence (relevant to the description of the call or topic)
−  Impact
q Communication activities
q Research data management where relevant
•  The criteria are adapted to each
type of actions, as specified in the WP
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60
Type of actions
Research and Innovation Action
(MSCA, ERC…. )
•  Action primarily consisting of activities aiming to establish
new knowledge and/or to explore the feasibility of a new
or improved technology, product, process, service or
solution
−  For this purpose they may include basic and applied research,
technology development and integration, testing and validation on a
small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment
−  Projects may contain closely connected but limited demonstration or
pilot activities aiming to show technical feasibility in a near to
operational environment
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Type of actions
Innovation Action
•  Action primarily consisting of activities directly aiming at
producing plans and arrangements or designs for new,
altered or improved products, processes or services
−  For this purpose they may include prototyping, testing,
demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and
market replication
−  Aiming to validate the technical and economic viability in a
(near) operational environment and/or aiming to support the
first application/deployment in the market of an innovation
that has already been demonstrated but not yet applied/
deployed in the market due to market failures/barriers to
uptake
−  Projects may include limited research and development
activities
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62
Evaluation criteria
Research and Innovation Actions/Innovation Actions
ü 
For the first stage of a two-stage procedure, only the aspects of the criteria in yellow are
evaluated
Excellence
Clarity and pertinence of the objectives
Soundness of the concept, including trans-disciplinary considerations, where relevant
Extent that proposed work is ambitious, has innovation potential, and is beyond the
state of the art (e.g. ground-breaking objectives, novel concepts and approaches)
Implementation
Impact
Credibility of the proposed approach
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 innovations meeting
the needs of European and global markets; and, where relevant, by delivering such innovations to
the markets
Any other environmental and socially important impacts (not already covered above)
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
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Proposal scoring
•  For first stage of a two-stage procedure, you only
evaluate the criteria Excellence and (part of) Impact
−  In the case of Impact, only the aspects of the criteria in
yellow (previous slide) are considered
−  Default threshold for individual criteria is 4
−  Default overall threshold is 8
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Interpretation of the scores
0
The proposal fails to address the criterion or cannot be assessed
due to missing or incomplete information.
1
Poor. The criterion is inadequately addressed, or there are serious
inherent weaknesses.
2
Fair. The proposal broadly addresses the criterion, but there are
significant weaknesses.
3
Good. The proposal addresses the criterion well, but a number of
shortcomings are present.
4
Very Good. The proposal addresses the criterion very well, but a
small number of shortcomings are present.
5
Excellent. The proposal successfully addresses all relevant aspects
of the criterion. Any shortcomings are minor.
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Evaluation Process
Eligible proposal
Proposal
Expert
Expert
Individual
Evaluation
Report
Individual
Evaluation
Report
Expert
Individual
Evaluation
Report
Consensus
group
Consensus
Report
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Expert
Expert
Individual
Evaluation
Report
Minimum 3 experts …
but can be more
Individual evaluation
Individual
Evaluation
Report
Consensus
Individual evaluation
•  You read the proposal and evaluate it against the evaluation
criteria
−  Without discussing it with anybody else
−  As submitted - not on its potential if certain
changes were to be made
Look at the substance:
Some proposals might be
handicapped by language
difficulties, others
deceptively well written
−  Do not penalise applicants that did not provide detailed breakdown costs –
they are not required
•  You disregard excess pages marked with a watermark
•  You check to what degree the proposal is relevant to the call or
topic
•  You complete an Individual Evaluation Report (IER)
−  Give comments and scores for all evaluation criteria (scores must match
comments)
−  Explain shortcomings, but do not make recommendations
•  You then sign and submit the form in the electronic system
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If a proposal
•  Is only marginally relevant in terms of its scientific, technological
or innovation content relating to the call or topic addressed, you
must reflect this in a lower score for the Excellence criterion
−  No matter how excellent the science!
•  Does not significantly contribute to the expected impacts as
specified in the WP for that call or topic, you must reflect this in a
lower score for the Impact criterion
•  If cross-cutting issues are explicitly mentioned in the scope of the
call or topic, and not properly addressed (or their non-relevance
justified), you must reflect this in a lower score for the relevant
criterion
−  A successful proposal is expected to address them, or convincingly explain why not
relevant in a particular case
−  Proposals addressing cross-cutting issues which are not explicitly mentioned in the
scope of the call or topic can also be evaluated positively
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Any Questions ?
Email [email protected]