Ruben Riestra Workshop on Proposal Writing and International Fundraising Sina Institute at Birzeit University April 2, 2014.

1. How to design and engineer
Horizon 2020 Proposals
Ruben Riestra
Workshop on
Proposal Writing and International Fundraising
Sina Institute at Birzeit University
April 2, 2014.
1
Competitive

2. ……How to get
EU funding
for your
Research + Innovation
projects

3. Agenda
1. The competitive landscape
2. How to create killer proposals
3. How to deliver killer proposals
4. Rounding up the process
3

4. 4

5. The EU R&D funding system so far
5
4 5 7
13 15 19
50
77
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
FP! FP2 FP3 FP4 FP5 FP6 FP7 FP8
RTD Framework Programmes Budget (Bn €)
110 Billion
Euros!
1984-1988 2007-2013 2014-2020
H2020

6. Horizon 2020: A new era
Industry in driver´s seat, SMEs in front row
 Solutions to Societal Challenges
Coupling Research to Innovation

7. 7
Our competitive scenario
Our
Evaluators
Our
PROPOSAL
Our
COMPETITORS
H2020 realm:
• H2020 Programme
• Rules for Participation
• Work programme(s)
• Call text

8. Deliver a Clear Value proposition
Build credibility
Make their life easy
Avoid the creation of “their own Project”
Win the soul & brains of 5-10 persons
8
Our Evaluators

9. Know them (who, how,…)
Understand their + & -
Benchmark them
9
Our Competitors
 # proposals/topic: 150 STREPs/Call + 15-30 IP/Call
 Success rates: 5%-15%
So;

10. The bad news
- Mature market, strong competitive pressure
- Expert players, established communities,…
- Uncertainties due to new rules/context
The good news
+ H2020 should be great for innovators
+ Eurocrats always looking for “new faces”
+ Room for fast movers
10
Challenges & opps

11. 11

12. Proposal delivery process
1. Learn by heart the Rules of the Game
2. Choose When, Where, and How to compete
3. Gather THE intelligence for your Project
4. Build up THE best possible Project Team
5. Deliver THE Killer proposal
12

13. Basic rules of the Game
Nobody forces you to play. But if you dare,…..
a) You die by what it is written by EC, so
READ!!,
b) You win by what it is NOT in the written rules, so
UNDERSTAND AND BE UNIQUE!!
c) Expect the unexpected, so
ANTICIPATE THE PROBLEMS!!
13

14. 1.Opportunity/problem addressed
2. Who are our direct beneficiaries
3. The measurable results
4.Main impacts to be triggered
14
The Proposal´s CORE

15. Where and How to compete
Demand issue vs. Research Field
Big Project vs. Small project
Core vs. Contributing partner
15

16. Three priorities
•Excellent
science
•Industrial
leadership
•Societal
challenges
38%
32%
22%
+ EIT, JRC,
Widening, SwfS
8%
16

17. Creating Industrial Leadership and
Competitive Frameworks
Leadership in enabling and industrial
technologies
ICT
Nanotech., Materials, Manuf. and
Processing
Biotechnology
Space
Access to risk finance
Innovation in SMEs
Excellence in the Science Base
Frontier research (ERC)
Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
Skills and career development (Marie Curie)
Research infrastructures
Shared objectives and principles
Common rules, toolkit of funding schemes
Europe 2020 priorities
Simplified access Dissemination & knowledge tranfer
Tackling Societal Challenges
Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Food security, sustainable agriculture and
the bio-based economy
Secure, clean and efficient energy
Smart, green and integrated transport
Climate action, resource efficiency and raw
materials
Inclusive, innovative and reflective
societies
Secure Societies
EIT
JRC
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
ICT
17

18. 18

19. Delivering
THE
Killer proposal
19

20. 1. EXCELLENCE
2. IMPACT
3. IMPLEMENTATION
20
Evaluation Criteria

21. Clarity and pertinence of the objectives;
Credibility of the proposed approach;
Soundness of concept;
Extent that proposed work is ambitious,
has innovation potential, beyond SOA.
21
1. EXCELLENCE

22. 2. IMPACT
The expected impacts listed in work programme;
Strengthening the competitiveness and growth of
companies by developing innovations meeting
the needs of European and global markets;
Effectiveness of measures to exploit and
disseminate the project results
22

23. 3. IMPLEMENTATION
Coherence and effectiveness of work plan;
Well-balanced consortium (forget flags);
Appropriateness of the management
structures and procedures
23

24. A KILLER proposal is:
Criteria aim Aimed score
Excellence 4.5
14.5Impact 4.5
Implementation 4.5
24

25. 25
&

26. Key factors in delivery
1. The proposal must address the topic within the work
2. Partners: excellent and appropriate for the tasks
3. Proposal must address ALL 3 evaluation criteria
4. Convince the evaluators from line 1
5. Respect the Rules
….Be paranoid:
Devil is in the details !! 26

27. Innovation potential
• Does it solve a relevant industry /social problem?
• Does it cut costs / create a key capability?
• Will be easy to adopt for the target customers?
• Is your idea protectable or defensible?
• Does it go beyond product innovation?
• Can you scale your concept quickly? How?
27

28. 1. Opportunity/problem
2. Direct beneficiaries
3. Measurable results
4. Main impacts
28
FOCUS IN THE CORE!
The
VISION