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PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
 | Concerning participation, FP7 offers numerous opportunities for organisations to participate in EU projects regardless of their legal status. These are excellent chances for organisation to increase their international presence, expand their network base and obtain references from international project participation, all while working toward the common good of the European community. However, it also takes a lot of time, effort, continuous planning, careful implementation and reporting. If an organisation cannot fully commit to the project, it should reconsider participation. |
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FP7 stands for the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Development and is the biggest community programme of the European Union in the financial period 2007-2013.  FP7 is implemented via Specific Programmes: Cooperation, Capacities, People and Ideas, which all support activities related to research but from different angles, and thus complement each other. You can see the budget breakdown of the programme below.
Cooperation
There are ten themes in Cooperation, the largest specific programme of FP7 with a budget of 32 413 million euro (more than half of the entire FP7 budget), covering diverse areas of research from Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities to Nanotechnology.
The ten themes are:
Health, KBBE (Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology), Nano technology and new materials production, Energy, Environment, Transport, Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities, Space and Security.
Figure 1 shows the financial distribution between the themes and the specific programmes for the entire duration of FP7.
Cooperation finances projects, carried out by transnational consortia, in all types of activities related to research such as research and demonstration projects that will help advance science. In addition to those pure research projects, funding is also provided to actions aiming to support or coordinate research throughout Europe and beyond. Capacities
The specific programme Capacities supports actions aiming to enhance research capacities throughout Europe and beyond via seven different areas. Cooperation and Capacities are complementary to each other as the first one is structured according to the ten themes while the second is structured according to horizontal issues. Capacities has a budget of 4 097 million euro to be allocated to actions related to the optimising of research infrastructure, strengthen SME innovation capacities, reinforce regions' research potential, stimulating the integration of research and scientific development into European society, support the coherent development of research policies, as well as international cooperation.
The Capacities specific programme is implemented through seven areas:
- Research Infrastructure
- Research for the benefit of SMEs
- Regions of Knowledge
- Research potential
- Science in Society
- Support to the coherent development of research policies
- International cooperation
People
The People specific programme finances researchers' career development and mobility via Marie Curie actions. The main aim to strengthen and improve human resources qualitatively as well as quantitatively and the allocated budget is 4 750 million euro for the seven-year period. See how can be a researcher's career supported
The People specific programme is implemented via five headings:
- Marie Curie Initial Training Networks
- Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development
- Marie Curie European Reintegration Grants
- Industry-academia pathways and partnerships
- International dimension - Incoming and outgoing fellowships
- Specific actions
Ideas
The Ideas specific programme differs from the others by being a bottom-up approach where the researchers themselves propose the action. Funding is provided to ”investigator-driven frontier research” proposed by individual researchers or research teams.
The researcher can be of any age and any nationality, but the host organisation must be based in the EU or in an Associated Country. The proposal is judged on scientific excellence. The newly created independent scientific council, the European Research Council (ERC), is managing and implementing the Ideas specific programme via two types of grants, ERC Starting Grants and ERC Advanced Grants.
- The ERC Starting Grant supports young researchers who will lead their first independent research team. The researcher must have obtained her/his PhD between 2 and 9 years prior to the deadline.
- The ERC Advanced Grant supports excellent and innovative research projects lead by established researchers.
EURATOM
The Euratom programme support the development of Europe’s nuclear fission and fusion capabilities. In FP7 Euratom there are two associated specific programmes, one covering indirect actions in the fields of fusion energy research and nuclear fission and radiation protection, the other covering direct actions in the nuclear field undertaken by the Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). The JRC was initially established by the Euratom Treaty and has since become a leading institute of nuclear research in Europe.
See a few questions and answers on FP7 component
There are several types of activities that are funded under FP7. Besides pure research, demonstration, management, supporting as well as coordination activities can be supported by the Commission. The activities that are supported within a project are defined by its funding scheme.
The funding scheme determines the specific rules for implementation; the type of action, the requirement for partnership, and the funding rate. There are seven type of funding schemes in FP7:
- Collaborative Projects
- Coordination and Support Action (Coordination and Supporting type)
- Networks of Excellence
- Research for the benefit of specific groups (in particular SMEs)
- Support for training and career development of researchers
- Individual projects
The most commons are the Collaborative Projects (CP), Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and Networks of Excellence (NoE). When identifying the proper call, it is important to choose the right funding scheme for the action. For example, research can be carried out in Collaborative Projects but not in Support Actions and choosing the wrong funding scheme may result in immediate rejection from the Commission. You can find the available funding schemes according to the specific programmes in the following table.
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COOPERATION
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CAPACITIES
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PEOPLE
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IDEAS
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EURATOM
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CP
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x |
x |
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x |
CSACA
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x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
CSASA
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x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
NoE
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x |
x |
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x |
CD
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x |
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IP
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x |
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SG
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x |
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| CP: |
Collaborative Project |
| CSACA: |
Coordination and Support Action - Coordination
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| CSASA: |
Coordination and Support Action - Support
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| NoE: |
Network of Excellence |
| CD: |
Support for training and career development of researchers |
| IP: |
Individual projects |
| SG: |
Research for the benefit of specific groups (in particular SMEs) |
Collaborative Project
Collaborative Projects are research projects aiming to ”generate new knowledge and technology”. In addition to research activities, scientific coordination and demon¬stration activities can also be included in a Collaborative Project. There are two types, Large Scale Collaborative Projects and Small and Medium Sized Collaborative Projects. The difference between large and small is in terms of scope, objectives, size of the consortium, duration and budget. The general minimum conditions for the consortium are three partners legally independent from each other and established in three different Member States or Associated Countries. Collaborative Projects are found under the specific programmes Cooperation, Capacities, and EURATOM.
Example of Activities:
- Developing new knowledge, new technology and products
- Scientific coordination
- Demonstration activities
- Sharing of common resources for research
Minimum requirement: 3 participants established in 3 different Member States or Associated countries
Duration: typically 2-5 years (no formal limits)
Funding rates:
- 75 % for Research Activities
- 50 % for Demonstration Activities
- 100 % for Management Activities
- Overhead calculation: depends on the individual organization - legal status and accounting system
Coordination and Support Actions
Coordination and Support Actions were two different funding schemes in FP6. They were merged into one for FP7, but are still operating separately. A common characteristic is that research and demonstration activities cannot be funded and the actions are relatively short (from a few months up to 3 years) with a budget from 200 000 euro up to two million euro. This funding scheme is found in all four specific programmes. The supported activities are very similar but as the names indicate they aim at two different things: Coordinating research activities and Supporting research activities.
1, Coordination Action
Coordination Action (CA) The main aim is to ”coordinate research activities and policies” and supported activities are related to network¬ing, coordination and dissemination activities.
These activities are in general implemented via seminars, workshops, platforms, exchange of best practices and personnel, and educational and awareness rising activities. The formal minimum requirement is that the consortium is composed of three legal entities based in three different Member States or Associated Countries.
Example of Activities:
- Organisation of conferences, of meetings
- Studies and analysis
- Exchanges of personnel
- Exchange and dissemination of good practice
- Setting up of common information systems
- Setting up of expert groups
- Definition, organisation, management of joint or common initiatives
- Project management
Minimum requirement: 3 participants established in 3 different Member States or Associated countries,
Duration: from a few months up to four years (no formal limit)
Funding rates: 100 % for all activities
Overhead calculation: 7 %
2, Support Action
Support Action (SA) These projects serve to ”support Community research activities”, the successful implementation of FP7 including actions aiming to increase the participation rate of SMEs, their networks, and of civil society organizations and the development of future Community research policies including coordination with other policies. Typical activities are the organization of workshops, seminars, smaller studies, online platforms, educational and awareness rising activities, awards and competition, as well as setting up expert groups. The minimum requirement is one legal entity based in a Member State or Associated Country, although it is advisable to involve more members in the consortium.
Example of Activities:
- Conferences, seminars, working groups and expert groups
- Studies, analysis
- Fact findings and monitoring
- Trans-national technology transfer and take-up related services
- Development of research or innovation strategies
- High level scientific awards and competitions
- Operational support and dissemination, information and communication activities
- Project management
Minimum requirement: 1 participant established in an EU Member State or Associated country
Duration: from a few months up to four years (no formal limit)
Funding rates: 100 % for all activities
Overhead calculation: 7 %
Networks of Excellence (NoE)
The Networks of Excellence is a funding scheme for integrating participants' research activities related to a particular topic and thus tackling the fragmentation of European research. The aim is to ”support and promote research excellence by bringing together resources and expertise needed to strengthen or establish worldwide European leadership in each field”. These objectives are being achieved through the execution of a Joint Programme of Activities (JPA) aimed principally at creating a progressive and durable integration of the research capacities of the network partners while at the same time advancing knowledge on the topic. Networks of Excellence is a flexible funding scheme in the sense that the work plan is updated every year, and it is relatively easy to integrate new partners within the initial budget.
Example of Activities:
- Execution of Joint Programme Activities
- Project management
Minimum requirement: 3 participants established in 3 different Member States or Associated countries
Duration: Average 48-60 months
Funding: Flat rate - 23 500 euro per year/researcher
It is often said that the whole world can participate in FP7, which is true, but it needs some clarification. Basically everyone can participate but the level of funding will vary, depending on the country, on the call and also on the type of entity. The rule states that ”any legal entity” can participate in FP7, which opens the door for Universities, Public bodies, Private and Public Research Institutes, large companies, SMEs, and NGOs throughout the world.
Geographical coverage
EU Member States
Entities based in EU Member States can participate and receive funding in response to all calls under FP7. It is always advisable to plan the geographical scope and organisations’ type very carefully.
Associated Countries
Associated Countries are those who have signed a Scientific and Technology Agreement or a Memorandum of Understanding with the Community on participation in FP7, and contribute financially to the FP7 budget. Associated Countries can participate and receive funding in FP7 with the same conditions as Member States, they are treated equally as Member States.
At present the following countries are associated to FP7; Albania, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey.
Third countries
The involvement of third countries in FP7 is a key question for the EU and relates both to the Lisbon strategy and all efforts to become the leading knowledge-based economy, as well as to the efforts to reinforce the EU's role on the global scene. Third countries can participate in all four specific programmes of FP7 but may not always receive funding. One theme in the Capacities specific programme is dealing only with International Cooperation and supports dialogue and information exchange between third countries and the EU. However, most of the funding opportunities for third countries is available in the Cooperation programme.
International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC)
Special rules apply to countries that have been classified as International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC), and there are even special calls published for these countries. ICPC countries receive funding when they participate in a consortium while entities based in other third countries may not receive funding; it depends on the call and on the third country in question. You can download the list of the current ICPC countries here.
Legal type
Any legal entity can participate in FP7, however, there is a group of entities that can benefit from special supports; for instance, higher funding rate for research activities and higher flat rate for indirect costs as the EU would like to encourage their more active participation. These organization types are: non-profit public bodies, secondary and higher education establishments, research organisations and SMEs (Small and Medium-sized enterprise).
More on FP7 participation can be found at this link. You can apply for support under FP7 by submitting a proposal or tender application. See here the documents you need to examine for proposal development and submission. The FP7 proposal has two main parts; the administrative (Part A) and the technical part (Part B) and should be submitted electronically via the Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS).
Part A
Part A consists of the administrative proposal information that must be provided in the EPSS electronically. Usually it is divided into three main parts; general proposal description, the legal and contact data of the partners involved in the consortium and financial summary table of the project. There is validation opportunity to check whether all administrative information is filled in before the proposal submission.
Part B
Part B of the proposal is the technical part where the work to be carried out during the project is described. It is broken down into sections and subsections. Each of the sections has instructions for filling out the Part B. In general, the outline is as follows:
Title Page
Table of Contents
1. Scientific and/or Technical Quality
1.1 Concept and objectives - a brief description of what the project is actually going to achieve
1.2 Contribution to the Coordination of High Quality Research - describes the state-of-the-art and how the project is going to build on or enhance what is already in existence
1.3 Description of Work - pretty self explanatory, but must include charts and diagrams showing implementation and staff effort, as well as individual work package descriptions and how all the work packages interrelate.
2. Implementation
2.1 Management structure and procedures - how is the project going to managed, monitored, etc.
2.2 Individual participants - a description of each organisation, experience, and primary staff who will work on the project. Maximum length for the partner profile is one page and all partners should fill the information using the same format!
2.3 Consortium as a whole - a description of the composition of the consortium explaining how the involved partners have the necessary expertise to carry out the project and also how they complement each other
2.4 Resources to be committed - the major items in the budget are described, including a breakdown of the budget and explanatory text on the allocation. Any planned subcontracting should be justified here; bear in mind that subcontracting is not well seen by the Commission!
3. Impact
3.1 Expected results listed in the work package - describes the impact of the project
3.2 Spreading excellence, exploiting results, disseminating knowledge - a section with information on how the information will reach the target groups and general public. Dissemination plays an important role as the project is financed with public money and the outcome should reach and benefit society as a while.
4. Ethical issues
In case the project addresses any ethical issues, it needs to be described in detail here.
The structure of the Part B can be found in the Guide for Applicants in PDF format. An editable template in word format is available after logging into the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS).
Submission
Submission of proposals under FP7 is done electronically through the Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS) accessible through the Cordis web site. The Coordinator gains access to the EPSS by registering under the appropriate call and is provided with two usernames and password (one for the Coordinator and one for its partners.) Partners will fill out requested administrative information directly online, while only the Coordinator has access to upload and submit the proposal. Part B of the proposal must be in PDF and uploaded to the EPSS before submission.  Calls for the different thematic areas are frequently being published. It is worth to frequently visit Cordis, the official website of FP7, to obtain the information and to start to prepare the proposal in time. Cordis offers a news service allowing subscribers to receive updates regarding calls directly in their mailbox. In addition to Cordis, there are also many ongoing projects in the various fields providing focused information in the specific area and many of them offer similar services. The National Contact Points may also provide useful information concerning technical, financial questions or even support partner search.
Finding a document
FP7 is divided into specific programmes, and their objectives are clearly described in a document called Work programmes, which are complemented with theme/topic specific work programmes. The later contains more detailed information on the priorities and also the call texts. All work programmes together with guidelines on financial, IPR, negotiation rules can be downloaded from the Cordis website under „find a document” at the left hand side of the page.
The work programmes are a good start, and then a proposer will also need to download all the other supporting documents belonging to the call. Those are available for download under each specific call.
Finding a Call
The first step in writing a proposal is finding a call. The Commission publishes calls regularly through the main page of FP7, Cordis.
The calls are listed according to thematic area and are updated regularly. Download the call fiche and work programme for the call to make sure the idea is perfectly in line with the call before initiating proposal development.
Finding your partners
Besides using existing national and international network, there are several free online partner search tools that can help in developing the project consortium. You can register your organisation or look for partners with general and thematic focused partner search tools as well. You can find a short list below:
NCPs
The National Contact Points (NCPs) provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of FP7 participation at national level. You can search for NCPs here.
Europa Media also offers supporting services for FP7 proposal developers. The Hotline service provides assistance for developing the technical and administrative part of the proposal, searching for partners, etc.
You might also find useful to participate in information days and conferences |
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