This presentation (delivered on 1 June 2016 in Bratislava) was tailored to the knowledge, experience and confidence of the LLLP Annual Conference audience with regards to the European Union programmes available at the time.
I brushed over or drilled deep down - as the audience demanded - into some of the fundamental issues, problems and challenges I faced and resolved over 15 years of working with EU projects.
The conference participants were not only provided with strategic advice on how to identify the right call to match their research
and development ambitions, how to assemble a solid partnership and how to translate their ideas and plans into a well elaborated application, but also how to define key performance indicators, manage time, human resources and how to tackle the financial planning of a complex multi-stakeholder project.
Practical Research 1 Lesson 9 Scope and delimitation.pptx
Tips & tricks for your project applications
1. Tips & Tricks for your project application
Ildiko Mazar, Deputy Secretary General, EDEN
Bratislava, 1 June 2016
2. The largest active and developing
professional community of
open, distance and e-learning in Europe
The most comprehensive European not-for-profit non-
governmental association of its kind, established in 1991
Platform for professional co-operation and information
exchange
Open for all levels and sectors of education and training
Open for institutions, individuals and networks
Registered in the UK, Secretariat in Hungary since 1997
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3. EDEN Annual Conferences since 1992
Budapest, 14-17 Jun 2016
Open Classroom
Conferences
Since 1995
Research Workshops
Oldenburg, 4-7 Oct 2016
Synergy Workshops
Specific strands since 2013
The EDEN Conferences
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5. What to keep in mind
How to identify the right call?
How to assemble a solid partnership?
What makes an application a winner?
How to define key performance indicators?
What is dissemination and exploitation anyway?
Managing time
Human resources
Financial planning
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7. Project partnership
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Diversity of skills and competences
Vested interest and commitment
Wide geographical representation
Know 75% of your partnership
Seek new collaborators
Find new partners by personal
recommendations
Establish a second line of supporters
(Associate Partners, Board of Experts)
8. Application writing
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Are you eligible to apply?
Are you registered on the Participant
Portal? Get a PIC No
.
Make a time plan and check list (DoWs,
LoMs, DoHs, etc.)
Address key objectives and priorities
Lead but collaborate
9. What will you achieve?
Determine qualitative and quantitative indicators
We’ll print 5000 leaflets We’ll engage 500 teachers
Set attainable goals
10000 web page views 10 newsletters reach X readers
Assign reasonable deadlines
Web portal ready by M2 Regular revision of Dissem. Plan
Thought experimentation: What’s your main message? How
many stakeholders can you potentially reach? How many can
you engage? How many can you ‘convert’?
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10. Dissemination, sustainability
Have a clear vision and mission statement
Have it agreed within the partnership – work together
Identify your key primary and secondary target audiences
Identify key messages and services of benefit (SHA)
Push information, pull contribution from target audiences
Use social media wisely and effectively
Be genuine, human, try to suppo rt instead of pro m o te
Find incentives to increase participation, reward support
Record your achievements as you go
Start planning your project’s afterlife at the start
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11. Time and HR management
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Make a time plan
Coordinate the work by 1 person
Start with the big picture
Identify the building blocks, proceed
stage by stage
Assign sections to partners
Work together in a transparent way
Leave time for streamlining and
proofreading
12. Financial planning
Be creative and flexible, but always precise
Identify compulsory and optional cost items
Separate intellectual work (staff cost, IOs) from operation
Have suggestions first, then discuss them with partners
Use real rates (salaries, production, room/tech hire, etc.)
Have low cost alternatives (e-newsletters and downloadable
publications instead of print, combine PM & public events)
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13. Final steps
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Ask a knowledgeable colleague to play external evaluator
Check your boxes and save back-ups
Sleep on it and still aim to submit days in advance
Make sure your submission was successful – have you
received a confirmation?
Thank your partners for the collaboration and send them a
copy of the final application and submission confirmation
Read the evaluation report and discuss it with your partners
Appreciate and learn from evaluator feedback
14. www.eden-online.org
Thank you for your attention
Good luck with your applications
More information on EDEN, its services and projects:
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Editor's Notes
This presentation will be a practical follow-up from the morning plenary titled "Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 Panel". Tailored to the audience's knowledge, experience and confidence with regards to the European Union programmes available at present, Ildiko will brush over or drill deep down - as demanded - into some of the fundamental issues, problems and challenges she faced and resolved over 15 years of working with EU projects. Participants will not only be provided with strategic advice on how to identify the right call to match their research and development ambitions, how to assemble a solid partnership and how to translate their ideas and plans into a well elaborated application, but also how to define key performance indicators, manage time, human resources and how to tackle the financial planning of a complex multi-stakeholder project.
Be familiar with the recurrent calls and their deadlines
You can adjust an idea to a call or find the right call that matches your idea
Diversity of skills and competences
Commitment
Geographical coverage
Know 75% of your partnership
Seek new collaborators
You don’t need to involve everybody – have a solid associated partnership base
Find new partners by personal recommendations
Legal entity from, financial identification form, Financial Capacity Form, Description of Work (or work plan), Letters of Mandate, Declaration of Honour, GANTT, detailed budget, CVs
Indicators are statistical measures by which objectives are translated into operational measurable terms. They should help in making objectives
‘SMART’, which means in making them:
• Specific: indicating with precision what should be achieved;
• Measurable: quantifiable without exceptional investment in data gathering;
• Achievable: attainable with the human, material, financial resources available;
• Relevant: useful for achieving the overall objective or goal;
• Time-bound: including time limits in which to be achieved.
Ask questions and provide answers instead of promoting your own products.
Don’t use Twitter just for the sake of it – your efforts need to be sensibly invested.
“If you build it, he will come.” – No, he won’t. (Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner)
Aim to submit 2-7 days ahead and start ASAP
The 1 person should consider the application as their foremost priority
Assign sections to partners based on competence and experience
Use Google Docs or other shared tools/methods
Don’t spoil your work by making it look ’slap-dash’
Again, lead, but collaborate. Don’t ask partners to propose their own budgets, but it’s not your job to determine precise involvement
If you know what’s obligatory/mandatory and what’s optional cost, it’s easier to adjust, cut down, skip.