How to plan and write a proposal... experiences from Saxony

1
How to manage a successful EU project
Dipl.-Phys. Ursula Schmitz UFZ - Centre for
Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle Office of
the Directorate / EU Coordination, Cooperation
with Central and Eastern Europe, External
Funds Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Tel
49 341 235 2067, Fax [phone] e-mail
schmitz_at_gf.ufz.de
2
European Commission staff
Function
Commissioner Cabinet Director
General Director Head of Unit Scientific
Officer (scientific management) Administrative
Officer (admin. managem.) Contract
Manager Secretary
political
administrative
3
Start point of negotiations
a letter of EC to coordinator I am pleased to
inform you that the proposal entitled ... has
been favourably evaluated by the Commission
services with the help of independent
experts. On the basis of the evaluation, it is
estimated that the financial contribution of the
Commission could be up to XXX Euro for a period
of up to xx months. This letter should not be
regarded under any circumstances as a formal
commitment by the Commission to give financial
support as this depends, in particular, on the
satisfactory conclusion of contract negotiations
and the completion of the selection process.
4
Contents of EC letter

• EC financial contribution
• Contact details (Scientific Officer!)
• Evaluation summary report
• Deadline for submitting CPF

5
Next step

• Inform the partners !
• Send them all information received from the EC
• Send them Contract Preparation Forms
• Word document
• ELECTRA

6
Budget cuts

• in most cases dont argue with EC(depends on
  evaluatorscomments)
• in very special cases margin of 5-10 might
  exist (dont count on it!)
• distribute cuts uniformly
• explain differences if necessary
• cuts of more than 10 allow reduction of work plan

7
Exercise three

• The proposal of exercise two is selected for
  funding,
• budget cut by 15.
• Please fill in the contract preparation forms.

8
Submission of contract preparation material

• Forms
• (Mandate for signature of contract)
• Justification of costs
• Annex I work descriptionbecomes part of the
  contract
• Do not promise anything you can not achieve,
  limit number of deliverables.

9
After submission of CPF

• .....
• lots of queriesjustifications, correction of
  forms
• .....
• the contract arrives
• send it for signature to, collect it from the
  partners (if mandate was denied)
• deadline for returning the signed contract to
  Bruxelles!
• .....
• the signed contract arrives - maybe the project
  has already begun !

10
Project start and payments
11
Payments

• Advance Payment of max. 40
• At end of project payments cumulate to max. 85
• Balance 15 paid an approval of final report

12
Time schedule for reports and cost statements
13
List relevant administrative information
14
Project documentation
Financial legal Performance
of Communication aspects work CPF
Proposal Communications Contract between
Consortium Agreement partners and EC Cost
statements Reports letters, faxes, Payments
e-mails
Common format of reports and of presentations for
all partners !
15
Exercise four QLK3-1999-00041

• project start
• project end
• advance payment
• first periodic report
• first periodic payment
• second p. report
• second periodic payment
• third p. report
• third periodic payment
• final report
• final payment

Assume the contract will be prolonged for 3
months.
16
Factors that might lead to problems

• Vague work plan
• Unclear deliverables
• Unclear distribution of tasks
• Poor communication
• Sense of urgency missing
• Different professional and economic background
  (e.g. public research organizations, companies)
  patent commercial exploitation versus
  publication
• Different nationalities

17
Meetings

• Kick-off at the Commission, cluster meetings
• Project meetings
• Kick-off meeting
• Regular meetings once or twice a year
• Task specific meetings, bilateral meetings
• Joint field experiments (if relevant)
• Mid term review
• Final review
• Presentations of results to Policy makers users

Invite the Scientific Officer !
18
Criteria for a successful project

• Researcher at public institution
• Publications
• International recognition
• follow-up projects
• European Commission
• Deadlines met paperwork done
• Deliverables and Milestones Achieved
• No surprises
• Company
• commercially usable results (e.g. prototype)
• Problem owner
• solutions to specific problem

19
Criteria for an excellent project

• Researcher at public institution
• Scientific break through
• New technology, world-wide unique
• European Commission
• Success story
• Promising new technology
• Leadership of European science
• Brilliant example of FP5s results
• Company
• Commercially usable products close to market

20
The projects end is not the end of commitments

• EC follows-up the Technology Implementation Plan
  (up to x years after end of project)
• Audit (up to 5 years after end of contract)
• consultants on behalf of EC
• court of auditors