Transcript MCST Presentation Template

Malta Council for Science and Technology
Building a good consortium;
Partner Search Tools
Joanna Pullicino
Consortium Building
Simple Definition:Bringing together a group of partners having the relevant
expertise in an area to develop and propose a project for
funding.
Consortium Building (CB) happens:
- at the same time as proposal synthesis;
- as part of the initial project phase – this may take up to
a few weeks of preparation.
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What makes a ‘good project’?
• A high quality consortium;
• Partners with clearly defined roles & responsibilities and
competent in various disciplines;
• European dimension.
• Why is there the need for partners?
– Most FP7 funding is for collaborative projects needing
a group of partners from several EU members,
associated states, candidate countries, international
cooperation partner countries etc.
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Roles of partners
Partners can cover a range of activities in a
RTD project:
Research
Implementation
of findings
Dissemination
of results
Having a SME or commercial partner in a project is of
added value:
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they ensure that results are exploited;
they facilitate the application of new knowledge
which is generated by the project into new
products/services.
International Cooperation
Participation of third countries in FP7 projects is possible, and, mandatory in
certain topics.
How can partners from these countries participate?
1. Within FP7, ALL, research topics are open to third countries whether
industrialized developing, emerging or transition economies. Mediterranean
Partner countries (MPC) are entitled to funding under the same conditions as
EU Member States;
2. Some calls of FP7 make an explicit mention to International cooperation or
encourage participation of third countries as an explicit added value for the
submission of proposals.
3. Specific International Cooperation Action (SICAs): these research projects
are specifically designed to support partnerships with ICPC in selected areas of
mutual interest e.g. MPC, Russia etc.
Information on International Cooperation in FP7 can be found on the INCO
portal at http://cordis.europa.eu/inco/home_en.html
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Selecting a suitable partner
• LOOK OUT FOR:– Reliability:- capable of undertaking the tasks assigned;
– Commitment:- will fulfill their role and obligations in the project.
– Experience and expertise in EU projects:• Good professional reputation;
• Have good references, recent publications, awards and a
sound track record as an organisation;
• Some if not all partners have experience in FP research
projects;
• A reasonable level of networking with other organisations and
the EC.
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Other characteristics:
• LOOK OUT FOR:– The type of organization (SME, large private company), public
organisation, non-profit organisation, association, authority etc.
– Partner’s core activities and relevance to the project's aims;
– Geographical coverage - this must be well-balanced;
– Size of the organisation, available resources and financial
viability.
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Building the consortium
• THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO FIND PARTNERS:– Personal contacts;
– NCP Network: researchers can send Partner searches and
profiles to their local NCP for dissemination;
– Use Cordis (http://cordis.europa.eu) to:
• Publish your profile;
• Search for partners through the Partners’ service;
• Look up project databases
– Other: IRC, Europe Direct etc.
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Use specific partner search tools
• The SmesGoHealth (SGH) project has such one partnering tool;
more information can be found at: www.smesgohealth.org
• This project has been funded by the European Commission
and is a follow-up of the successful FP6 SmesGoLifeSciences;
SGH caters for projects in the Health theme of FP7.
• Services offered by the project:
– Individual assistance and consultation through its large network of
National Contact Points and experts
– Information and training on EU FP7 topics in national and transnational
training sessions
– Support in finding a project partner through its SME/researcher project database
Support in finding a project partner through its SME/researcher
profiles database
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How to use the SGH website
• On the top right hand side of the website there is a
user MENU. Register as a user, or login (for
registered users).
• The registered users’ area features the following:
– Researcher/enterprise profile: area to register one’s profile;
– Entering a Partner Search: suitable for new coordinators or
participants in already running projects seeking to integrate
SMEs;
– Database to search project partners to find i) a profile of a
researcher or SME (using specific criteria) and ii) Partner
Search.
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Further observations when building
a consortium (1)
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Rules for participation must be taken care of;
Expertise needed in the project must be covered;
Partners with irrelevant experience should not be included;
The consortium should be a team of players NOT a group of
competitors;
Roles assigned to participants must fit their organisation’s profile/core
activities;
When possible, some partners should have previously worked
together;
Ensure that each partner is conducting similar effort in terms of PMs &
there that there are no significant discrepancies in budget distribution;
Evaluators expect to see a consortium working together for a common
purpose, thus, keep sub-contracting to a minimum;
Keep the project to a manageable size;
When possible, sign a Memorandum of Understanding among
partners to outline IPR, work distribution, commercial distribution etc.
Further observations when building
a consortium (2)
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Attend events relevant to the thematic priority such as:
– Conferences, brokerage events, networking days, local information days
etc.
• Added value:
– Exposure and visibility;
– Possible recruitment of new partners as such events attract an
audience seeking additional participants;
– The possibility to learn about new/future Work Programmes, updates
on latest EU trends/news etc.;
– Likely to meet and get to know EC people.
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Organise a pre-project meeting of potential members to facilitate
interaction and agree the intended programme of work;
Visit Brussels: the engagement of interested researchers with Commission
desk officers is a helpful procedure in clarifying or avoiding administrative
problems.
Finally:
• If the project is successfully evaluated and funded:
A good kick-off meeting is vital as that then sets the
timelines
for good communication of work package goals
and progress!!!
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Malta Council for Science and Technology
Thanks for your attention
[email protected]