Practical tips to participation in EU RTDI ProjectsHow to get started?

Ömer CeylanSTELLA Consulting, Belgium

The context: What’s the catch?• Success rates - 10 – 20% (FP7, CIP, etc.)• Funding - Co-funding (50-75%)• Eligibility - Partnership, financial and technical

capacity, types of activities, budget• Application procedure - Fully conform +

excellent proposal + patience & flexibility

Advantages?

Typical features of Community Programmes (FP7, CIP, etc.)

• Transnational projects implemented by multinational and interdisciplinary consortia

• Projects and activities of Community interest • Calls Mostly “top-down” definition of topics• Competition at the EU level• Evaluation in Brussels

How to begin?

• Project idea vs. call for proposal (or vice-versa)• Surf and read

Official documents (Work Programme, Guides, etc.) Previously funded projects (project databases) State of the art Policy background and Commission’s priorities

How to succeed?

• Applicability and replication potential• European added value / Contribution to the EU• Sensible partnership – clear roles, synergies,

balance (geographical, institutional, disciplinary)• Innovation / going beyond the “state of the art’• Evaluation criteria and the evaluation process• Subcontracting – never for any activity/work

that is core part of the project!

Final tips

• Keep regular track of calls (e.g. make a database)• Identify your (organisation’s) role and capacity• Create a “partner profile” (and distribute it)• Register yourself as an evaluator (FP7, CIP, etc.) • Check also other programmes: LIFE+, LLP, e-TEN,

TEN-T, and many more• Don’t give up!

Thank you for your attention&

Good luck with your projects!