1 Successfully Applying for EU Projects How SMEs can draw R&D and Market Deployment Funds from EU Sponsored Projects

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Successfully Applyingfor EU Projects

How SMEs can draw R&D and Market Deployment Funds from

EU Sponsored Projects

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Some Ideas on EU Programme Structuresfor the ITC Sectors

IST FP6IST FP6

eContenteContent

eTEN / TEN-TelecomeTEN / TEN-Telecom

R & DR & D

MarketMarket

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Project Application: The Steps Ahead

• Developing a Project Idea• Analysis of EU Support Programmes• Choosing the RIGHT Programme

– In this case: eTEN, eContent, IST FP6– Websites:

• http://europa.eu.int/information_society/programmes/eten/participate/index_en.htm (eTEN)

• http://www.cordis.lu/econtent/call201202.htm (eContent)• http://www.cordis.lu/ist/workprogramme/fp6_workprogramme.htm

(IST)

• Checking the Website(s) for the next published or planned Call

• Visiting the resp. Information Day in Brussels• Exact Plan to meet the Application Date• Building a European Consortium

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Working in an EU Consortium – The Roles• The Project Coordinator

– There is only one Project Coordinator per Project– The Project Coordinator is the Head of the Project Team; he handles all

contractual, administrative, legal and payment issues with the Commission– The Project Coordinator also has the Project Management Role– His organisation should be financially strong as well as viable

• The Contractors– The Contractors usually are the endusers of the products and/or services

developed and/or tested under the umbrella of the project– They should also be financially strong and viable

• The Members– The Members usually are the private and/or public institutions who are doing the

R&D and technical work– They mostly stem from the private sector and are hoping to sell the products /

services finetuned, shaped and tested to a broader EU or worldwide group of clients

– This role has been deleted for all new FP6 contracts!• The Subcontractors

– Subcontractors carry-out certain work for the a.m. Project partners.– They are the only ones to get fully refunded.

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Roles for SMEs in EU Projects

• SMEs can initiate EU projects• SMEs can work in EU projects as

– Members and Subcontractors– Contractor in a smaller project

• SMEs should join forces with a bigger pilot client/end-user from the private or public sector who should take the Contractor and/or Project Coordinator Role

• Never underestimate the pains of administering, project managing and funds collecting in international EU projects

• Participants should be financially stable since EU contracts usually take much longer to be remunerated than planned

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Writing the eTEN Proposal

• First step: Read and analyse the Work Programme and the Call Documents

• These data can be acquired via the Internet Sites of the EU Commission

• The proposal has to have substance and it has to present a real EU scope

• Applying for eTEN has become a lot easier because of a very strictly formalised proposal entry procedure

• How proposals for eTEN should look like is roughly presented on the next folio

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eTEN Project Phases & Funding

FORMS OF COMMUNITY FUNDING

(up to 10% of total investment cost)

- Direct grants

- Interest rebates

- Contributions to guaranty fees

- Risk capital

- Direct grants

- Interest rebates

- Contributions to guaranty fees

- Risk capital

PROJECT

PHASES FUNDED

(technical studies, design and development, technical validation)

• Business plan

• Market validation

Evaluation of Business plan

• Initial Market deployment

Full Market deployment

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

PRE

DEPLOYMENT

PHASES

DEPLOYMENT

PHASES

Research and development

- Co-funding of Business plan

and Market validation

(up to 50 %)

- Co-funding of Business plan

and Market validation

(up to 50 %)

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eTEN: Focus on Common Interest

Innovation

Socio-economicbenefit Sustainable

mass market

Market focus

Trans-European

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Example I: eTEN / TEN-Telecom Project SUPER

SUPERSingle Unified Portal for Enterprise Requests to Public AdministrationsFEASIBILITY/VALIDATION PROJECT

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Structur of SUPER Consortium

SuperConsortium

Subteam GERSAAR & SYSTAG

Subteam ITACOBO & RER & ENG & PROBO

& RER & SINTRA

Subteam UKNORFOLK & CAPITA

Subteam BelgiumTELEPO & KKNA

SAAR

SYSTAG

COBO

PROBO

ENG

ERVET

SINTRA

NORFOLK

CAPITA

TELEPO

KKNA

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SUPER Project - Framework

• Duration: 01.10.2001 – 31.07.2002

• Volume: ca. 3 Mio. €uro

• Type: Market Validation

• EU Co-Funding: 50% of total project cost applied / agreed-to by the Commission

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Exampe II:eTEN / TEN-Telecom BPS

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Scope Business Plan Support

• To support TEN-Telecom / eTEN project participants in writing good Business Plans

• The support should be easy to use, complete, practical, and EU wide

• Helping to create a EU-wide Business Plan Culture in R&D projects & ventures

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3 Phases Model

Business Plan

Business Idea

Draft Business Plan

Month 0

Time

Depth

Width

Month 6

Full

Months 18-24

Phase I

Phase IIPhase III

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Specialties of Business Plan for an EU Project

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BPS: Online Databases• Business Plan Literature and Software• Business Plan Addresses• Online HelpDesk• FAQ• Discussions• Downloads• Newsletter• Events all in an EU-wide scope

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Online HelpDesk

Internet Server

OnlineData Entry System

OnlineData Entry System

Partner 1

Partner 2

Partner 3

Partner n

Data SuppliersMultinational Partners

Databases

Databases

TeamRoomTeamRoom

Data UsersMultinational Clients

Reg.TT

Reg.

Reg.TT

Reg.

QQ

Q = Quality ControlQ = Quality Control

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Development / Service Databases

• Development in Metzingen (near Stuttgart) Hennef (Cologne) Saarbruecken

• Internet & Database Servers in Hennef (Cologne)

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Content / Project Management

• Organisation SpecificationsPRQuality ControlEvents

• Collecting / ResearchingData for Austria and Germany

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National / international Partners- BPS Consortium

• Attorney Heyland (Brüssel and Königswinter/Bonn)• useConsult (Bornheim/ Bonn) QM• Strategem (Manchester) • Arttic France (Paris, Marseille)• Nexture Consulting srl (Ivrea)• Comase (Charleroi)• German-Greek Chamber of Commerce and

Industry (Athens)• German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce and

Industry (Stockholm) • Inmark (Madrid)

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Technical InfrastructureTechnical Infrastructure

National Partners National Partners BPS Project BPS Project

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BPS Project - Framework

• Duration: 01.01.2001 – 31.12.2002

• Volume: ca. 850 K€uro

• Type: Support Measure

• EU Funding: 100% of total project cost applied / agreed-to by the Commission

• For Info: Final payment of 30% not received, yet

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Contact DataSystemConsult Theis & Partner GmbHSystemConsult Theis & Partner GmbH

Olgastrasse 12 - D-72555 MetzingenOlgastrasse 12 - D-72555 Metzingen

Tel. (+49) 7123 9202-48Tel. (+49) 7123 9202-48

Fax (+49) 7123 9202-49Fax (+49) 7123 9202-49

Web: http://www.systag.com &Web: http://www.systag.com &

http://www.sct-international.comhttp://www.sct-international.com

E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected]

BPS:http://www.TEN-Telecom-bps.net &BPS:http://www.TEN-Telecom-bps.net &

http://www.bps-europe.nethttp://www.bps-europe.net

E-Mail: [email protected] &E-Mail: [email protected] &

[email protected]@bps-europe.net