Learning from experiences:

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• Learning from experiences
• tips for good participation in
• EU (energy) projects
• By Mr. Djilali Kohli,
• Executive Director of EPA,
• the European Projects Association

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Outlook

• About EPA
• What you need to know before starting?
• What kind of projects (IEE, FP7..)?
• Planning your proposal the critical path
• Conclusion

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• About EPA

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Why EPA ?

• Culture of Project Management in Europe is poor
• EU projects are difficult and time consuming
• Among the challenges an organisation has to face
• Knowledge/Experience of its staff ?
• identification of good consultants ?
• Identification of good projects ideas ?
• Identification of good project partners ? etc.

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Our Project

• Non-profit organisation focused on professional
  development and advancing the skills of
  individuals and organisations involved in EU
  projects.
• EPAs approach to improving competences and
  performance will combine experiential learning
  learning through doing with opportunities for
  ongoing professional growth at every step of
  ones career journey.
• EPA will support the goals of individuals and
  organizations through a complete range of
  products and services, including networking
  activities, seminars, e-campus, software
  solutions and practical guides.
• Our objective is to become your trusted partner
  in professional development and draw upon our
  experience to enhance skills, abilities and
  knowledge with noticeable results from day one.

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EPA Website

• www.europeanprojects.org

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What you need to know before starting?
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The key questions

• Educate the evaluator with Facts and Figures
• 1) What problem are you trying to solve?
• 2) Is it a European problem? Could it be solved
  at National Level?
• 3) Is the solution already available (product,
  service, transfer)?
• 4) Why now? What would happen if we dont act?
• 5) Why you? Are you the right people to do the
  job?

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How does an evaluator judge a good proposal?

• The profile of coordinator
• Previous experience as coordinator? Support
  services and financial
• administration? Evaluator or expert with EC
  (FP7)?
• The Idea
• Source of the idea? Opinion of the European
  Commission?
• The Plan
• Draft of idea? Briefing Plan? Sources of
  funding? (In general, the EC
• only provides a co-financing)
• The partnership
• What skills are needed? Experience of the
  partners? Trusted partners?

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Sources of ideas for new proposals

• Work programme Please READ, READ and READ again
  the call for
• proposals
• Thematic conferences Infodays, Energy week, etc
  very useful for
• networking as well.
• Foresights reports what is the strategy/roadmap
  of your region, your
• country or the European Commission for the theme
  of your interest
• Existing projects at regional, national or at
  EU level (projects
• Database, best practice projects)

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Adopt a strategy for EU funding

• Calls for proposals
• Dont wait for the calls to be published.
• Identify clearly the strategy of your
  organisations, stakeholders, region(key sectors,
  fields, skills that need to be developed)
• Select strategic partners.
• Identify the most suitable funding schemes.
• Identify the role you are most likely to play in
  a consortium (coordinator, partner, work packages
  vs. internal resources)
• Networking
• Become an evaluator (if possible)
• Join EU associations/networks/platforms
• Be present/exhibit at relevant conferences

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Develop your skills

• EU projects are very challenging. They require
  many skills
• Understand Business Needs/Society Needs
• Understand EU Policy
• European Partners/Network
• Technology/Researcher managers (FP7)
• Consortium Agreement
• Understand EC Financial regulation and
• Administration
• Project Management Skills
• Communication Skills (including Intercultural)
• Develop your skills and train your staff. It will
  help you develop your
• organisation far beyond EU projects.

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Many reasons to contact your National Contact
Points

1. They have direct contact with the European
   Commission.
2. They can advance information on the work
   programme, provide analysis of results of
   previous calls, arrange meetings with EC
   officers
3. They usually organise workshops on call attended
   by EC officials and in certain regions they
   support applicants with funding or free
   assistance for the proposal writing.
4. They can provide early indication of results at
   the evaluation stage (informal)
5. In general they can provide recommendations for
   proposal evaluation, committees, conferences

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• What kind of projects (IEE, FP7..)?

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Intelligent Energy Europe (I)

• Multi-disciplinary actions on EE and RE, which
• Help to implement EU energy policy on the ground
  and to stimulate new thinking
• Accelerate the growth of EU markets for energy
  efficient and renewable energy products and
  services
• Change behaviour and decision making at all
  levels from households to policy makers
• Launch new financing schemes for sustainable
  products and services of all sizes
• Train and motivate people, by providing them with
  knowledge and solutions

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Intelligent Energy Europe (II)

• Creative ideas to achieve EU 2020 targets
• Working together across the EU to address common
  challenges, ambitious enough to produce
  significant impacts on the market
• Sharing of experience and transfer of knowledge
  across the EU How to do things, or how to do
  them it better
• Catalysing dialogue between key decision-making
  organisations, to build confidence and improve
  understanding in the market
• Addressing market failures, removing market
  barriers
• NO research, NO technology development, NO
  hardware investments, NO singular actions at
  national or local level (Market Replication
  Projects not open in 2008)

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FP7 Energy

• Cooperation (EUR 2300 m. for 2007-2013)
• Hydrogen and fuel cells
• Renewable electricity generation
• Renewable fuel production
• Renewables for heating and cooling
• Co2 captures and storage technologies / zero
  emission power
• generation
• Clean coal technologies
• Smart energy networks
• Energy efficiency and savings

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• Planning your proposal the critical path
• (valid for all kind of EU projects CIP, FP7,
  Interreg)

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Planning your proposal

• GIVE DETAILED EXPLANATIONS IN YOUR PROPOSAL !
• STARTING POINT What is the existing situation ?
  What is the problem to be solved ? What has
  been done so far, and by whom ? Where do you
  come into the picture and why ?
• WORK PACKAGES What exactly do you propose to do
  ?
• RESULTS What will be different when the project
  has ended ? When you have finished, how will
  anyone know that you have succeeded ? monitor
  your impacts !
• TARGET GROUP Who do you need to influence /
  engage?
• IMPACT What measurable change will you achieve ?

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Writing your proposal

• Strong competition you need a good idea !
• Be imaginative, start early ! It takes longer
  than you think !
• Easy to read? - evaluators assess it in 2-4
  hours. Have it read by an outsider (no jargon,
  simple for non mother tongue readers)
• Respect limits of length, but give as much detail
  as possible in each work package, and explain
  what each partner will actually do, how
  (methodology), and what will be delivered
• Provide evidence of
• the problem that you plan to address / solve
  (market failure),
• your expertise (strong CVs),
• your co-financing (letters of support, with
  funding commitments),
• stakeholders who are committed to use the results
  (ideally they will be partners or co-sponsors)

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Input/Output
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Input/Output
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The European dimension

• EU projects should address problems at the
  European level far beyond the specific interests
  of a Member State
• The proposed solution must have a direct impact
  at the European level
• Participants must be located in a Member State
  either Associated State (in general 3 in the
  minimum threshold and five can be a good
  compromise, the participation of third countries
  non EU countries is really welcome when the
  international dimension is requested)
• Subsidiary and proportionality

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More thoughts on European Added Value

• Multi-cultural working is difficult and
  expensive, so it must really deliver added value,
  with results which are transferable to others
• A consortium of partners from different countries
  is not enough
• Working in parallel in different countries is not
  enough
• Working on issues addressed by EU policies is not
  enough
• Remember Comparatively small (lt500k) actions
  can nevertheless have high added value and
  impacts at EU level
• Actions, which fit better at national or local
  level, because of timescale, involvement of
  SMEs, intellectual property rights, etcshould
  be excluded

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Result / Impact indicators SMART (IEE)

• Indicators to measure the impact of your work
• Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
  Timely
• For example
• Increased 7 of solar collectors in EU to carry a
  new product label
• Increased 10 of installers trained and certified
  in target regions
• Planning approval delays reduced from 2 to 1 year
• Audits leading to energy savings of 0,5 Mtoe
  (million tons oil equivalent) per year in schools
• Increased 5 of cyclists in target cities

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Balance your project

• balance in the budget (the smallest budget per
  partner contribution should be to 15 of the
  total)
• balance in the roles among the partnership
• European balance (the total number of countries
  divided by the total number of participating
  organisations should be than 0.45)
• balance in effort (the number of person-months
  provided by the lowest contributing partner
  divided by the one of the highest contributing
  partner should be than 0.2)
• balance in the distribution of work

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Strengths of recent proposalsIEE

• Creative and convincing idea to tackle a market
  based problem or to take an opportunity one step
  further (i.e. an approach that fits)
• Demand driven with convincing commitments from
  market actors (e.g. industry) to use the results,
  well targeted dissemination plan
• Clear and precise awareness of the state of the
  art. Competitive proposers present their
  experiences, and will start from there !
• Choice of partners and countries is clearly
  explained, and their skills fit with the
  allocation of tasks in the work packages.
• Appropriate efforts estimated for each partner
  and each work package throughout the proposal
• Co-financing is clear, and credible
• Realistic, but ambitious targets. Tailor-made
  communication plan

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Top Tips (I)

• Get familiar with the work-programme and set your
  own roadmap
• Do not expect results in 2 months time
• Consolidate or establish relations with European
  counterparts
• Networking Attend events at the national and EU
  level
• Structure your offer so as to make your research
  potential or project concept clearly emerge
• Educate the evaluator (with facts and figures)
• Focus on Results, Users and Impacts
• Start your experience as partners in projects
  co-ordinated by others
• Youll be seen as far away partners you must
  have a to be preferred to others
• Seek advice from those who have experience

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Top Tips (II)

• Novelty
• Get the practicalities done as soon as possible
• Find the right partner for the right activity
• Balance your budget
• Do not write too much
• Do not write too less - have concluding remarks
  at the end of each section
• Do not expect the evaluator are top experts in
  the field you are focusing on
• Do consider the Commission as a customer
• Be precise and clear in you plan of activities
• Select the right instrument

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Eligibility criteria

• A proposal is eligible when
• Received before the deadline (in the call text)
• Involve the minimum number of participants
• Administrative forms and proposal description are
  present
• Signatures and stamps in original (when
  requested)
• Overall budget according to the funding scheme
  (large or small scale projects)
• Content related to topics
• Special conditions are included and acceptable

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Electronic submission

• On line preparation only!!!!!!!
• Main reason for failure in the submission
• Writing till the last minute
• Technical problems
• Panic (errors)
• Too late starting upload
• Run out of time

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• Conclusion

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Conclusion

• Be active
• Be persistent
• Create as many project ideas as possible
• Maintain your contacts with potential partners
• Believe that EU projects are new business
  opportunity

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EPA Website

• www.europeanprojects.org