Grant Agreement number: 231730 Project acronym:PRO-IDEAL
Project title: PROmotion of an ICT Dialogue between Europe and America Latina Funding Scheme: Support Action
Due date: 1.04.2009 Actual date: 21.04.2009
Document Author/s: EMF, INMARK Version: V1.0
Dissemination level: PU Status: Final version
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Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION... 3
2 CONCEPT AND METHODOLOGY ... 4
2.1 PRO-IDEAL 2-days Awareness raising workshops and coaching courses... 4
2.2 EU Project Life Cycle: basis for coaching courses... 5
3 CONTENT STRUCTURE... 8
3.1 Session 1. Awareness raising workshop/Conference ... 8
3.2 Session 2. Coaching course for potential project participants and project angels (I)... 9
3.3 Session 3. Coaching course for potential for potential project participants and project angels (II) ... 10
3.4 Session 4. Coaching course for potential project participants and project angels (III) ... 12
Annex 1: PRO-IDEAL Events Schedule ... 14
Annex 2: Suggested draft Invitation letters ... 15
Annex 3: Examples of tests for coaching courses ... 17
Annex 4: PRO-IDEAL Events – Feedback Form... 19
1 INTRODUCTION
PRO-IDEAL Coaching courses content structure TA description:
In general, two main awareness raising and couching courses are foreseen: one to familiarize course participants with the ICT programme, the calls and the overall mechanisms. This is an awareness raising module in a traditional classroom style. The second one is geared at project preparation and project management and will take the format of an interactive, participatory style. Objectives
- To define content of coaching courses for the promotion of the ICT programme, split into "informative" awareness raising modules and "interactive"
coaching courses for participating in EU projects and project management and
co-ordination.
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3
Awareness raising and PRO-IDEAL/ICT programme presentation: 1 to many
Traditional "lecture" setting to "tell a story"
Interaction/networking: many to many (with one leader)
For proactive coaching/training sessions with coaches
Project idea assessment and individual support: 1 to 1
This module will most probably be used by project angels and in advanced training courses
A reasonable split between these modules would be a short morning session (Module 1), geared at all stakeholders including policy makers to present PRO-IDEAL and the ICT programme, and more extensive Module 2 sessions to a) transfer the knowledge of "How to…" in an pro-active way and b) give samples to be "solved" by the group so that they "get the feeling" for EU ICT proposals and project. Module 3, finally, will be deployed for concrete project ideas that might come up in the course of events and will be supported by the Project Angels.
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2 CONCEPT AND METHODOLOGY
This document serves as basis for the organization of PRO-IDEAL awareness raising workshops and coaching courses that have a two-fold goal:
to raise awareness of the ICT programme, its goals and its openness towards partners from third-countries, and opportunities for Latin America-EU cooperation in ICT research;
to provide a pro-active course on EC ICT projects, how to understand basic principles of European R&D funding, how to prepare projects, how to write project proposals and how to submit them.
Following the TA description, a first set of workshops and coaching courses will be held in the target countries, i.e. Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, and in Colombia. The initial structure as laid down below serves as indicator and can be customized locally. Furthermore, experience from the first set of workshops will be fed into the methodology to improve and fine-tune it.
2.1 PRO-IDEAL 2-days Awareness raising workshops and
coaching courses
PRO-IDEAL will be running a 2-days workshops geared at ICT stakeholders, research managers from public, private and non-profit sectors and potential ICT project partners interested in preparing proposals for EU funding for collaborative research projects.
The PRO-IDEAL events will present clear, useful information, and demystify participation in EC funded projects while at the same time provide a real learning experience through exercises and feedback sessions, not just a day full of lectures. The workshop will be organised in four practical training sessions of half-a-day duration each:
Session 1: Awareness raising workshop/Conference addressed to a wide
audience and based on lectures to present the ICT programme and PRO-IDEAL, as well as opportunities and challenges for EU-Latin America cooperation in ICT under FP7.
Sessions 2, 3 and 4: Coaching courses for potential project angels (trainers/coaches) and ICT project participants (proposers and potential partners). These sessions are geared at a reduce number of participants (25-40 people) to allow a high level of interaction.
Coaching sessions will allow the participants to get a thorough understanding of FP7-ICT programme, the rules for participation and existing resources for ICT research. They are practice-oriented so that at the end of the session the participants will be familiar with the procedures of international cooperation and proposal submission.
The schedule for the PRO-IDEAL workshops to be held in 2009-2010 is provided in Annex 1.
Suggested draft letters to invite potential participants are provided in Annex2. The following documents will be sent to the local partners before:
- ICT work Programme
- FP7 in Brief (Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese) - Coaching Course modules
2.2 EU Project Life Cycle: basis for coaching courses
The methodology for developing the PRO-IDEAL coaching courses modules is based on the knowledge of EU projects life cycle, from the project idea to a successful project termination:
A. YOUR ACTION BEFORE OPEN CALLS:
Project idea: Assessment (carried out by experts/project angels); they check the innovativeness and feasibility); if positive
In parallel:
1. Find partners 2. Determine call and 3. Elaborate proposal objective to submit
Ideal-ist: define
partner profiles done by PRO-IDEAL partners/project angels Start with work package description: to determine WHAT needs to be done WHEN by WHOM to reach WHICH goal
OPEN CALLS: Identify lead partner(s) = co-ordinator
Call details and interest from EC side (e.g. via info days) established
Ensure coherence of approach, in particular if R&D part is written by different partners
Draft tasks per partners and WP (their estimated input) and determine efforts and budget necessary
Write management and dissemination part; discuss exploitation possibilities and draft exploitation part
Find title and acronym and register with EPSS system (= obligatory on-line submission tool)
Ask partners to fill in A2 forms
Fill in parts like relevance to call, European added value etc.
Add graphs & tables: these help to understand the proposal, also for YOU!
Literature Reference: Shows profoundness of scientific approach Glossary: service for evaluators
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Have the proposal read (and ideally evaluated) by an uninvolved expert; have it spell-checked by an English native speaker who is familiar with "Euro-speak".
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION:
Deadlines must be adhered to strictly, no exceptions admitted! As submission is electronically, it is recommended NOT to wait until the last moment (which is often 5.00 p.m. GMT -1)
B. THEIR ACTION
What's next?
The EC carries out an eligibility check. That means, it checks if the administrative requirements are met. These differ from the type of project and call specifications, but concern mostly:
- minimum partnership - minimum duration
- all proposal parts submitted including the budget
If the eligibility check is positive, the proposal comes to the quality check. Independent external experts from established shortlists are invited to evaluate the proposals. On average, 3 evaluators assess "small" project proposals (CA= coordination action, SA= support action, STREP= Small and medium-scale focused research activities) and 5 evaluators assess "big" project proposals (IP=Integrated projects, NoE=Networks of Excellence). They apply the same criteria to all proposals in the same "class" (e.g. CA, SA, IP etc.) and score them independently (from 1-5, 1 being the poorest; 0 applies only to missing parts).
The 3 criteria are:
1. Scientific and technological (S/T) quality. That means e.g.
- clarity of targeted goals and long-term vision - novelty
- specific contribution to progress in S/T
- quality and effectiveness of methodology applied 2. Implementation. That means e.g.
- Quality of workplan and management
- Quality and relevant experience of single partners - Complementarity of consortium as a whole
- Appropriate allocation of resources (efforts/ budget) 3. Impact. That means e.g.
- Impact on S/T landscape and/or society
- Contribution at European level towards expected impact as listed in the work programme
- Appropriateness of measures envisaged for the dissemination and /or use of project results
After that, all evaluators of the same proposal get together and agree on ONE assessment per criteria and ONE score per criteria (sometimes a difficult procedure). There are thresholds per criteria (usually 3 or 3.5 out of 5) and sometimes the scores are weighted (e.g. for IPs and CSAs: 40:20:40 for the 3 criteria). Once the evaluation of all proposals is finished, a short list is drawn. For proposals that did not reach the threshold the game is over. For the shortlisted ones, decisions are taken depending on the available budget and the priorities
3. CONTRACT NEGOTIATION
The most successful projects are invited to project negotiation. This is a very good sign but it may not lead to contract conclusion if difficulties arise. The contract negotiations have a double purpose:
- clarification of content to make sure that both parties understand the same and agree on the same; agreement of the TA=technical annex (often
also called Annex 2 or DoW= description of work)
- budget adjustment most often adjusted downwards, rarely kept as is
Once agreement is reached, some administrative requirements must be fulfilled, e.g. registration of all partners in the EC database; signature of a form that empowers the coordinator to sign the contract; partnership agreements etc. If all is done, then the contract will be signed and the project starts. The payment of the first pre-financing installment follows 45 days after contract signature of the last party.
D. PROJECT START & PROJECT RUNNING
The below is given as an example for a 24 month project.
M1: The project coordinator convenes the first partners' meeting, usually called "kick-off meeting". This meeting serves to clarify all tasks of all partners, identify immediate and long-term goals and to set the timetable for the first 6-12 months. Regular communication between coordinator and partners is crucial for monitoring of progress and keeping to the time schedule. In between project meetings, communication tools used are: e-mail, telephone, VoIP (e.g. SKYPE), Intranet, Blogs etc.
Note: Communication is key for success of an international project!
M6: Interim reporting. This is not always contractual but it is recommended to keep track of all partners' activities. The same is valid for the use of resources: Use of time sheets and other activities' and expenses' proof (e.g. invoices) are crucial. Reporting should not be an administrative burden but a practical exercise to keep abreast of past and future activities.
Note: Keep all documentation that serves as proof for work carried out and expenses used. You may need these documents in case of an ex post audit! M12: Mid-term reporting and EC Review:
The mid-term report describes the activities carried out so far and gives evidence of the resources used. Deliverables must be numbered according to the deliverables list to avoid confusion. The clearer reporting is, the easier is its assessment and the happier are the evaluators (as they have less work).
The project is regularly assessed for its achievements and coherence to the TA (technical annex or description of work). This task is carried out by independent experts at one-day meetings at the EC premises.
Usually, representatives of all partners should participate. Given the geographical distance in some projects, it might be sufficient that some partners are there while others are represented by those present. It is key that contributions of all partners are presented in a coherent way. It is important to document ALL (even small) activities! Meet a day before the review meeting and REHEARSE the presentations!
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Note: A project needs a leader. Democracy is good but determining decisions must be taken, if necessary by one! Speak with one voice in front of the EC! Note: React positively to comments/criticism of the evaluators (even if you fundamentally disagree). The EC is the "client", treat it as such!
Don't forget: Evaluators are paid to find some "hair in the soup" and to draw the attention of all to potential risks.
M18: Interim report see M6. In addition, serious deliberations must be made for the use of project results after the project phase (so-called "exploitation"). Avoid projects that are "l'art pour l'art", meaning they are projects for projects sake and ending when the money ends. It should really "start" at that point, in terms of commercial or other use of results. For that purpose, it is crucial that all or at least the majority of partners have a vested interest in the project's results.
M24: Final report and final review: Corresponds to M12 reporting and review. Show that you took the recommendations of the evaluators into consideration that you carried out all work. Make sure that you give documentation of all the work. Final payment depends on a positive final review!
E. EX POST AUDIT
Most feared, the EC can decide on an audit up to 5 years after project end. Usually carried out by external financial auditors, each and every figure is checked. Thus, clear reporting of the project and an internal book keeping that corresponds to the national requirements is necessary to satisfy these nosy auditors. Keep in mind that some collaborators might have left, thus proof of work (e.g. time sheets) are an invaluable help in audit circumstances.
3 CONTENT
STRUCTURE
Following we provide an overview of the content structure of PRO-IDEAL events:
Day 1
3.1 Session 1. Awareness raising workshop/Conference
This session will be held in a Conference format. The topic of the conference will be: “Latin America-Europe cooperation in Information & Communication Technologies – ICT: Opportunities and challenges”
Morning
9.30 a.m. start
Chairman (local partner): to present speakers and keep the
- Keynote speakers (local authorities, ICT policy makers, representative of the EC Delegation in LA country, key researcher, etc.) – 30-45 min. (depending of number of speakers)
- Commission keynote speaker (Klaus Pendl or representative of European Commission representation) – 30 min.
- PRO-IDEAL: ICT cooperation between Europe and LA. Short overview (Inmark) – 20 min.
- Local testimony from a former ICT project (e.g. showcase, describe experience, including benefits and difficulties encountered to participate) – 30 min.
- PRO-IDEAL: How it can help the local research community to get involved in ICT projects (EMF) – 15 min + interactive
Q&A
3.2 Session 2. Coaching course for potential project
participants and project angels (I)
The coaching courses consist of 3 half-day interactive sessions, with presentations (Modules) by the PRO-IDEAL team of 20-30 minutes followed by Q&A and feedback sessions to participants. The Modules have been designed to facilitate the knowledge of mechanisms and principles of European research projects, even if the participants are not able to attend all sessions.
These face-to-face coaching courses will be followed-up by a distance-coaching phase where the PRO-IDEAL partners act as tutors and the potential coaches will perform practical exercises to get fully familiar with European projects.
Coaching courses will start on Day 1 after the Conference session and continue on Day 2.
Afternoon
This session will focus on the following Modules:
MODULE 1: Basic understanding of the EU funding rules for ICT projects OBJECTIVES
TOPICS COVERED
MODULE 2: Understanding “Eurojargon” OBJECTIVES
TOPICS COVERED
• Provide an overview of FP7-ICT programme. • Understand the functioning of ICT programme.
• Understand the participation rules in European ICT research. • Discover the existing resources for ICT research.
• ICT in FP7
• FP7 structure and specific programmes.
• ICT Work Programme 2009-2010: priorities for the calls for proposals. • Participating in ICT research: the rules of the game: implementation of
calls, funding schemes and rules.
• To make EU texts easier understandable
• To improve the understanding for EU programme terminology • To provide a glossary with definitions, available on-line
• Terms used in the ICT work programme and specific to proposals & projects
WP2_D2.1_EMF/INMARK © PRO-IDEAL Page 10 of 21 MODULE 3: International cooperation in ICT research: opportunities for
Latin America participants OBJECTIVES
TOPICS COVERED
TOPICS COVERED
Day 2
3.3 Session 3. Coaching course for potential for potential
project participants and project angels (II)
Morning
This session will focus on the following Modules:
MODULE 4: Building ICT Projects. Getting through the maze OBJECTIVES
TOPICS COVERED
MODULE 5: Project idea questionnaire and assessment OBJECTIVES
• Promoting opportunities for Latin America participants in ICT • Understanding the rules for third country participation
• Discovering specific research areas for international cooperation
• International cooperation in FP7 and ICT
• LA and Caribbean within International Cooperation Partner Countries • Recent trends in LA participation in ICT
• Position of LA in third country participants
• Target objectives for international cooperation in ICT Call 4
• Understanding how to apply to ICT call for proposals • Explaining the steps and rules for preparing ICT proposals
• To familiarize the participants with the project proposal structure • Providing the keys to find the right partners
• Steps for preparing ICT proposals • Find project partners
• Key documents for proposals writing
• Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS) • ICT Proposal structure
• From the proposal to the project
• To familiarize potential project partners and Project Angels with the PRO- • IDEAL project development questionnaire
• to explain the assessment of the questionnaire and feed-back that will be provided
TOPICS COVERED
MODULE 6: Practical steps to a successful proposal OBJECTIVES
TOPICS COVERED
MODULE 7: How are project proposals evaluated? OBJECTIVES
TOPICS COVERED
• Questionnaire presentation
• Samples for filling in the questionnaire • Criteria for assessment
• Feedback provided
• To coach participants towards the essential parts of a proposal • To provide guidelines how to start proposal writing
• To point out common mistakes
• To provide guidelines towards success
• Work Package structure • Types of work packages
• Common WPs: Project Management and Dissemination • Common pitfalls of proposal writing
• Success factors • Tips and tricks
• To make the evaluation process understandable & transparent • To draw the attention to the evaluation criteria, for a better proposal
writing
• To provide insight in the whole evaluation procedure
• How does the evaluation work? • What are the evaluation criteria? • Who evaluated?
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3.4 Session 4. Coaching course for potential project
participants and project angels (III)
AfternoonThis is the part where the audience becomes more active so new proposers can test themselves in practical tests. For that purpose, it has been asked to develop some project ideas beforehand so that these can be discussed among all participants, led by the coaches. This session will focus on project ideas self-assessment.
MODULE 8: Self-Assessment Tests OBJECTIVES
TOPICS COVERED
Example for these tests are provided in Annex 3.
Individual Coaching Sessions/meetings
In parallel, proposers can present their project idea in 5 minutes followed by public assessment by coaches or alternatively, individual coaching sessions. When the EC representatives attend the event, participants will take the opportunity to meet with tem.
Wrap up and courses evaluation
After evaluation of tests there will be a ½ hour wrap up of courses and course evaluation through a feedback questionnaire (Annex 4)
Inscription for follow-up
To get in-depth knowledge about participating in ICT projects, those participants who have a genuine interest in becoming a project angel, can inscribe themselves in a list for follow-up tests and briefings. Amongst the test, the European partners will send out:
- Project ideas from questionnaire to comment on: Innovative? Which objective most adequate? Why? Next steps?
- How to find partners?
- Sending out one "proposal" for evaluation. - Amend the missing parts of a proposal - Draft a budget for a proposal given
This list can be amended as seen necessary. All tests will be available on-line as well, once the PRO-IDEAL platform is fully operational (www.pro-ideal.eu). The
• To engage potential project participants pro-actively
• To help them get the spirit of European funding schemes and projects • To give them the feeling to be directly involved in the process
• Test on ICT programme and project principles: multiple choice type • Practical test on Project Abstract: free text answers
topics and time schedule for the follow-up of Project Angels for 2009/2010 is given in Annex 5.
The inscribed Project Angels will be in contact primarily with the local partner and, where questions relating to content arise, with the European project partners that will monitor the process. Q & A will be collected and put on-line on the PRO-IDEAL platform.
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ANNEX 1: PRO-IDEAL EVENTS SCHEDULE
2009-2010 Schedule
Argentina Uruguay Chile Brazil Colombia
Awareness raising workshop/Conference (1/2
day) 17 March 19 March 2 April 6 April Coaching courses for project angels and
project participants (1.5 days)
17-18 March
19-20
March 2-3 April 6-7 April
Awareness raising workshop/Conference
+coaching course 2 days Mid July
Awareness raising and coaching courses focused on partners search and participation
of ideal-ist representatives (1 day) Autumn 09 Autumn 09
Awareness raising workshop (1/2 day) 2010 t.b.d. 2010 t.b.d 2010 t.b.d 2010 t.b.d Coaching courses for project angels and
ANNEX 2: SUGGESTED DRAFT INVITATION LETTERS
[Nombre de la organización] tiene el agrado de invitarle a la Conferencia:
[Nombre del País] ‐Unión Europea: Cooperación Internacional en el sector TIC,
Oportunidades y desafíos para investigadores y empresas de [país]
[Fecha – horario – lugar]
La conferencia tiene como objetivo presentar las líneas de Investigación y Desarrollo
Tecnológico del Programa Europeo ICT del 7º Programa Marco, y en particular las
oportunidades de financiación para participantes de terceros países como [país]. Todos los
asistentes tendrán la oportunidad de dialogar y obtener información detallada de los expertos
europeos presentes en la conferencia.
El evento está organizado por el proyecto PRO‐IDEAL, que tiene como objetivo promover el
programa de Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (TIC) de la Comisión Europea,
como parte de su 7° Programa Marco en Argentina, Brasil, Chile y Uruguay.
PRO‐IDEAL está financiado por la Comisión Europea y es ejecutado por un consorcio
internacional coordinado por el Grupo INMARK, de España, e integrado por el European
Multimedia Forum, el Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, de Argentina;
la Universidad de Sao Paulo, de Brasil; la Asociación de Derecho e Informática (ADI), de Chile; y
el laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay ‐ LATU.
Al finalizar el acto se realizará un brindis por una exitosa colaboración entre la UE y [nombre
del país] en el ámbito de las TICs.
Ver programa adjunto. [Teléfono contacto]
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Taller de Formación de Facilitadores para
Proyectos TIC del 7° Programa Marco de la Comisión Europea
(FP7-ICT)
[fecha] [lugar]
Propósito del Taller: Entrenar a los participantes en las características del
FP7-ICT, las reglas para participar en él y los recursos existentes para la investigación en TIC. Los módulos tienen un enfoque práctico, de manera que al finalizar cada sesión los participantes se habrán familiarizado con los procedimientos de la cooperación internacional europea y la presentación de propuestas.
Público objetivo: Investigadores en el ámbito de las TIC, integrantes de agencias
de desarrollo, instituciones académicas y de investigación, empresas innovadoras y consultores independientes que deseen familiarizarse con las oportunidades de la cooperación europea en TIC y los procedimientos y condiciones para presentar proyectos dentro del Programa de TIC del 7° Programa Marco de la Comisión Europea (FP7-ICT).
Organizan: Expertos de Europa y [nombre del socio], en colaboración con
[nombres de los co-organizadores]. Éste es el primer taller organizado por el proyecto PRO-IDEAL, financiado por el programa de TIC del FP7.
El taller presencial será seguido por una fase de capacitación a distancia, a través de la plataforma tecnológica PRO-IDEAL (www.pro-ideal.eu), que facilitará la interacción de los participantes interesados en presentar propuestas de colaboración internacional con la Unión Europea. Se recomienda la asistencia a todas las sesiones. Se espera que, tras el seguimiento del curso, algunos de los participantes puedan convertirse en “Project Angels”; es decir, consultores especializados en proyectos europeos que sirvan de apoyo a futuros participantes en proyectos de investigación y desarrollo tecnológico.
Programa del taller
Sesión 1:
Módulo 1: Principios básicos de las reglas de financiamiento de la Unión Europea para proyectos de TIC
Módulo 2: Comprender el léxico de la Unión Europea
Módulo 3: Cooperación internacional en investigación en TIC: oportunidades para los participantes de América Latina
Sesión 2–3 :
Módulo 4: Formulando proyectos de TIC. Abriéndose paso en el laberinto Módulo 5: Cuestionario y evaluación de ideas de proyecto
Módulo 6: Los pasos para una propuesta exitosa Módulo 7: ¿Cómo se evalúan las propuestas? Módulo 8: Autoevaluación de ideas de proyecto Resumen y cuestionario de evaluación del curso Informes e inscripciones: [correo electrónico]
[Teléfono]
Fecha límite para la recepción de inscripciones: [fecha] Esta actividad no tiene costo. Las plazas son limitadas.
ANNEX 3: EXAMPLES OF TESTS FOR COACHING
COURSES
1. QUESTIONS RELATIVE TO THE ICT PROGRAMME & EU FUNDING PRINCIPLES
[tick appropriate answer]
Question correct not
correct The ICT programme is a specific programme under the 7th
framework programme
The ICT programme of the EU gives development aid to third countries
Partners from third countries can participate at equal level with European partners
Only special themes are open for partners from third countries
ICT Sub-themes are called:
challenges topics headings
Big research projects are called
Cooperation projects
Integrated projects
Complex projects
The fundamental financing principle is:
full financing 20% funding co-financing
Characteristics of a successful European project are (multiple answers possible):
S&T excellence innovation improvement of existing products complementary partnership focus on one country/region involvement of all EU member states
Which 3 criteria are at the basis of a project evaluation?
S/T quality Implementation Impact S/T quality Management Impact Innovation S/T quality Management
2. QUESTIONS ON PROPOSAL WRITING AND EVALUATION:
Question correct not
correct I do not need to fill in all parts of a project proposal if I do
not plan to implement an activity, e.g. dissemination My budget must be based on real costs
I can change my budget any time during the project phase I can ask higher staff costs in EU projects than normally used in my organization
EC officials select projects according to common criteria The EC uses external experts for the evaluation of project proposals
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Proposal abstract
UGC4ALL aims to develop a platform that enables users to act pro-actively, edit,
recreate, and remix audiovisual content created by both professional editors
(e.g. broadcasters, music producers, game makers, divertisers etc.) and other non-professional users. This will empower a new generation of amateur content creators (prosumers) and publishers. Added functionalities and lowered threshold of
contribution, main results of UGC4ALL, will on the one hand stimulate both end-user creativity and improve the quality of User Generated Content (UGC). On
the other hand, they will stimulate the repurposing and viral spread of professionally created content, which will help maintain the revenues generated by traditional media and related advertising services. The goal of the project is to favour the creation of user-generated content, focusing on improving the editing
tools and making them more user-friendly, while improving the user and group experience in consuming the generated content and related activities (e.g.
commenting, searching, annotating, interacting and sharing). Central aspect of the UGC4ALL platform is the optimisation of user experience across different dimensions such as usability, technical performance and effectiveness of the UGC4ALL platform.
Therefore, the UGC4ALL platform will consist of a number of building blocks, namely the UGC4ALL Authoring tool, the media repository, the personalization and user experience software tools. By integrating a multidisciplinary team of engineers, social researchers, professional content creators and academics, the total enduser experience will be the continuous focus during the project.
Duration: 24 months Budget: 2.1 MEURO
Participant organisations
1 (Coordinator) Interdisciplinary Institute for broadband technology, Belgium 2 Norwegian University of Science and Technology
3 University Lab for technological implementation, UK 4 Audiovisual company, Germany
5 Telefonica I+D Spain 6 Television Belgium
7 Vestel Elektronik A.S. VES Turkey
QUESTIONS: [Free text answers]
1. Does the abstract explain clearly what the project wants to do? [If no, what is missing?]
2. Does the abstract give any indication on the S&T excellence and innovativeness?
[ If yes, where; if no, what would you like to see?]
3. Do you think this is an abstract for a IP, a STREP or a support action? Why? 4. Do you think the partnership is covering all players necessary?
[Hint: Projects should also include a trial phase]
5. Do you think that the geographical spread is sufficient? [ please explain your answer]
6. Are third-country participants able to participate in such a type of proposal? [please explain your answer]
ANNEX 4: PRO-IDEAL EVENTS – FEEDBACK FORM
We would be very grateful for your feedback to ensure that we continually improve our services.
Please rate each aspect below on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is poor and 5 excellent
General aspects
1 2 3 4 5
Comments Overall impression of the Conference
Overall impression of the Coaching Courses
Quality of presentations
Timing
Topics and content
Information availability (pre-event:invitation, registration, location)
Relevance for your work
Relevance for your research background
Documentation provided
Discussion after presentations
PRO-IDEAL platform
Networking opportunities
Event facilities
Overall satisfaction
Coaching course programme
1 2 3 4 5
Comments
MODULE 1: Basic understanding of EU
funding rules for ICT projects
MODULE 2: How to understand“Eurojargon”
MODULE 3: International cooperation in ICT research: opportunities for Latin America participants
MODULE 4: Building ICT Projects.
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Modules 5: Project idea questionnaire
and assessment
MODULE 6: Steps to a good and
successful proposal
MODULE 7: How are project proposals
evaluated?
MODULE 8: Project ideas
self-assessment
Are there any issues, which you feel should have been included?
……… Please note 3 reasons why you will/will not participate in FP7-ICT
proposals: 1 ……… 2 ……… 3 ……… Other comments ………
Have you participated in the PRO-IDEAL event as: Enterprise active in R&D
Researcher from University/Technological Centre
Participant in an EU project
Intermediary (e.g. association, chamber ofcommerce etc.)
Institution representative
Other (please specify)
ANNEX 5: PROJECT ANGEL COURSES: TIME
SCHEDULE AND TOPICS
FIRST FOLLOW-UP TO WORKSHOPS:
April 09: On-line version of modules for self-learning to remember
what has been shown in the workshops
May 09: Coaching on “How to find partners”
June 09: Overview on project management, reviews etc.
July/
August 09: Test on modules
Sept 09: Partner profile writing for participation in projects
Oct 09: Q&A – on-line and one-to-one e-mail
Nov 09: Proposal evaluation – to get the “feeling”: anonymised real
proposal for evaluation of all P.A. – individual evaluation
Dec 09: Discussion of proposal in an on-line forum on the
PRO-IDEAL platform (simulation of “consensus meetings”) END OF FIRST PART
···
SECOND PART: PRACTICAL EXERCISESJan 10: Introduction to do a budget for a project
Feb 10: Write Work Packages for a proposal (topic t.b.d. depending
on real proposal ideas for Call 6)
Mar 10: Draft management part plus graphics and GANTT chart
April 10: Draft dissemination and exploitation plan
May 10: Draft a budget
June 10: Make a ppt presentation to potential project partners on
what they need to know, where to find information and what to do to participate in a project
