The Horizon 2020 financial framework is Europe’s most important programme for the promotion of Research and Innovation all around the world. It is a programme that requires the participation of only the best researcher and innovation brokers from across the globe. And Horizon 2020 proposal, just like the proposal of every other programme, has specific requirements that need to be met, in order for the project to be approved.
With this article, we are going to attempt to give you a clear view of one of the most important parts of an Horizon 2020 proposal, the excellence part, and how you can prepare it, the right and most successful way.
Here are some tips you need to follow, for a well-prepared excellence part in Horizon 2020:
Tip 1: Focus on Europe
All proposals have a chance of getting approved. But the proposals that focus on Europe have an even higher rate of success. Make sure that you are clearly going to address the scope of the call. Clearly, state the problem and the target groups affected by it.
Tip 2: Be clear about your solution
The excellence part of every Horizon 2020 proposal addresses the core idea of the project, the research you are aiming at doing and how you are going to do it! The solution is probably the most important part. So you will need to make sure that the solution is going to be very clear. What you want to do and how you are going to get there.
Tip 3: Be clear about the long-term benefits
The solution that you will propose on an Horizon 2020 project cannot be a short-term solution. The benefits must be longterm and they must be able to cover an array of different problems. Make sure that, that will be clear in the proposal.
Tip 4: Make sure that your objectives are SMART:
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic and Timely. Focus on presenting your details in such a way that will not overwhelm the evaluator nor leave him with questions.
Tip 5: Make your proposal stand out with a clear concept and methodology
Your proposal must stand out. You need to indicate where your project fits in the bigger scheme of things (Value Chain). You can show the value chain for your specific field and indicate what gap your project will be filling.
Tip 6: Show of your ambition
This is the section where you explain what the EU is ‘buying’ in terms of scientific progress. You need to ‘sell’ the science, and convince the reviewer that it is worthwhile, exciting and will open doors to new research, market opportunities, etc. The novelty and scientific excitement must come across here.
These are the six tips that will make your Horizon 2020 proposal stand out as one of the best proposal’s submitted. By finding yourselves the right partners, you will get to take part in more proposals for EU projects, build your experience and help your organization and your reputation grow!
