PREPARING FOR AN EUROPEAN PROJECT APPLICATION

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PREPARING FOR AN EUROPEAN PROJECT APPLICATION

• WHAT CANNES
• AND CANNES NOT
• BE DONE ?

Marcel Desaegher International Relations Officer
Howest
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PREPARING FOR AN EUROPEAN PROJECT APPLICATION

• THE D A M M PROJECT
• AN EXAMPLE OF
• A WORK IN PROGRESS

Marcel Desaegher International Relations Officer
Howest
3
PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL PROJECT

• look before you leap

Marcel Desaegher International Relations Officer
Howest
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What is a Project ?

• Definition by the European Commission
• a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a
  unique product or service
• Consideration
• as a project proposal does not deal with
  routine operations but with new activities
  there is a certain risk of failure !
• Comment
• TO BE SUCCESFUL A PROJECT NEEDS SPECIFIC PLANNING
  
• ORGANISATION !

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Characteristics of an international project

• The Characteristics are leading to
• Awareness to fulfil all requests allied to the
  European Commissions priorities and expectations
  from international projects
• The challenge maintaining and realising the own
  projects ideas

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Characteristics of an international project

• Partners from at least three different countries
  intercultural dimension
• Consortium of mixed partnership different
  types of institutions with a common ground
• Geographically spread over Europe
• efficient continuous communication

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Characteristics of an international project

• Limited financial and personnel resources often
  work in addition to normal workload
• Two or three years to realise a qualitative
  product or service
• considerable time pressure
• Proposal matches project
• follow the original project plan

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Characteristics of an international project

• Commissions application and report forms
  considerable amount of paperwork
• European Commission bureaucracy
• delays have to be dealt with
• Period between application and approval
• insecurity
• Only the contractor is liable to the Commission
  financial risk (subcontracting)

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Characteristics of an international project

• WHY, THE HELL, SHOULD I
• KEEP GOING ON ?
• BE BRAVE AND PERSIST !
• RESULTS ARE MORE THAN VALUABLE !

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Characteristics of an international project

• The intercultural experience
• Intellectual exchange
• Sharing expertise
• Start of co-operation in other projects/mobility
• Improving knowledge of languages and attitudes
• The feedback to your own university
• Funding BUDGET
• Partners become friends
• ..

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the life cycle of a project MILESTONES are
STEPSTONES

• Idea
• Partner search
• Application
• Selection EC
• Contract EC agreements PA
• (EC CO / CO PA)

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the life cycle of a project MILESTONES are
STEPSTONES

• Action
• Results
• Evaluation
• Dissemination

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a process of continuous planning . . .

• defining aims planning the preparation
• PROJECT IDEA deciding actions
• proposal (forms) implementing
  (workplan for preparation action)

PROJECT PLANNING PARTNER ROLE
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How to start

• A GOOD PROPOSAL
• IS THE FIRST STANDARD
• FOR A
• SUCCESSFUL PROJECT !

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How to start

• NEVER START WRITING..
• BUT START THE PRE-STARTING PHASE
• START THINKING.
• START READING THE E.C. PRIORITIES
• START SHARING KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTISE IDEAS AND
  MEANINGS..
• START REFLECTING.
• Plan your own MILESTONES
• and STEPSTONES !

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How to startYOUR STEPSTONES

• Talk to your colleagues
• Probe your colleagues interest
• in your idea
• 3. Chose the exact EU programme for your proposal
• 4. Meticulously read the EC priorities

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How to continueYOUR STEPSTONES

• 5. Chose and meet potential partners
• Try to organise a preparatory meeting (non
  funded!)
• 7. Get your partners involved in writing the
  proposals content

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How to continue YOUR MILESTONES

• Plan the preparation in function of the deadline
  for submission (step stones)
• Plan your own deadlines concerning
• - partner information (administrative, expertise
  and international experiences)
• - content of the proposal
• 10. Avoid panic one of these days is none of
  these daystomorrow never comes !

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THE D A M M PROJECT AS AN EXAMPLE OF A WORK IN
PROGRESS

• Digital
• Self Assessment
• in Mentoring
• and Monitoring
• go topresentation DAMM Project