The Widest Range of Services for Innovation Projects
Grant advice
Horizon Europe provides €95.5 billion of opportunities from 2021 to 2027, offering financial support for research, development, and innovation in public and private entities of various sizes. The European Commission has established six priorities:
- A European Green Deal
- An economy that works for people
- A Europe fit for the digital age
- Promotion of the European way of life
- A stronger Europe in the world
- A new push for European democracy
These priorities will guide the way out of the pandemic crisis and toward the creation of a greener, more digital, and more resilient Europe.
There will be three key pillars, with diverse instruments ranging from individual grants (European Research Council) and training actions such as Marie Sklodowska-Curie calls, to industry and research-driven sub-programmes in various areas such as Health, Energy, Bioeconomy, and Environment, among others.
The application process itself introduces a new set of modifications:
- The page limit for new proposals is reduced to 45 for RIAs and IAs.
- A D&E plan is now mandatory, as well as a gender equality plan for public bodies.
New rules and terminology are introduced for the Model Agreement and EU financial regulation.
The evaluation criteria now consider a) Excellence; b) Impact; and c) Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. The threshold for individual criteria will be 3, and overall will be 10. The Excellence criterion now includes the quality of open science practices, as well as the engagement of citizens, civil society, and end users.
Furthermore, there are many other appealing funding opportunities within Horizon Europe, such as the Joint Undertakings and Joint Technology Initiatives, as well as outside initiatives such as ERA-NETs. We also provide support for national funding schemes in several EU countries, offering a wide range of options to best fit your needs through one-to-one sessions or hands-on workshops.
Proposal writing
We have over 10 years of experience in proposal writing for various EU funding schemes, including Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), as well as the EIC Accelerator (previously known as SME Instrument). Our writing team includes former European call evaluators, providing guidance and support to help you craft a competitive research and innovation proposal.
Our services consist of two key steps:
- Preparation
Provision of a template for proposal key ideas, contributions, and timeline
Provision of a document containing all essential information for the application
Assistance in preparatory meetings
Assistance in consortium composition
- Proposal Writing
Drafting of the Excellence section
Assistance with D&E plan, Knowledge Management, and Protection strategy
Drafting of the Impact section
Assistance in defining work packages, deliverables, milestones, risk plan, person-months, and budget
Development of Gantt and Pert diagrams
Drafting of the Implementation section
Proposal formatting, including figures, tables, and logos
Final proofreading
Drafting of Part A with partner information, subcontracting details, and ethics issues
Training
We are fully aware of how challenging European funding can be, which is why we offer our direct experience through training courses. From the concept phase to administration and IP management, we cover all key aspects of writing and managing a European proposal:
Writing
EU funding schemes
Documentation
Proposal setup and contents
Evaluation criteria
Scientific section, impact assessment, and implementation requirements
Budget and financial regulations
Best writing practices
Financial Issues
Preparation of detailed financial reports
Monitoring of resource usage and financial control
Preparation for meetings with the EC Project Officer
Quality and Risk Management
Understanding of quality assurance and risk management guidelines
Support in risk management, including specific tools and risk registers
Development of contingency plans and strategies for effective mitigation
Preparation and elaboration of data management plans
IP Management
Compliance with EC Grant Agreement rules
Development of NDAs and Consortium Agreements
Procedures for contract amendments with funding agencies
Management of sensitive IP issues within the consortium and strategies for result exploitation
We provide a hands-on approach with several case studies and real-life examples.