ExPERT™ represents a comprehensive, competent and independent test-assessment that provides you with valuable and clear feedback -
- in time to incorporate the recommendations into your proposal in order
- …to make a difference and to win in the often heavily oversubscribed and competitive selection procedures.
ExPERT™ services are quality controlled, structured, reliable and systematic. ExPERT™ is tailored to suite the needs of consortia who plan to participate in co-funded programmes of the European Commission’s Research Framework Programmes, such as FP7-ICT, FP7-Security, CIP-PSP.
We systematically and carefully review draft proposals with an “evaluator’s eye”, very much in line with the official evaluation and selection criteria. IPR protection and confidentiality for proposers is imbedded in our processes and backed by bilateral agreements, both with you and our experts. In addition, prior to the appointment of experts we confirm the absence of conflicts of interests, e.g. an expert cannot review a proposal if he/she is involved in competitive activities whatsoever.
Our ultimate goal is to provide you, prior to submission, with clear and constructive expert opinions on the decisive official criteria Implementation, Impact and Scientific/Technical-Excellence.
For example, in FP7 the evaluation criteria Implementation and Impact count for 10 points (5 points each) out of the maximum overall score of 15 points. Experience shows that many proposers are technical specialists and concentrate on the Scientific/Technical-Excellence of the proposal. However, this S/T-Excellence contributes only one third of the overall score. Too often proposals fall short on the Implementation and Impact criteria and jeopardise their chances to reach the threshold for receiving funding. Our senior expert’s review your proposal on the basis of the official work programme of the call, in addition to their background knowledge and experience in successfully planning, managing as well as assessing the impact of European research projects’ for European citizens and economies.
Regarding S/T-Excellence, it is likely that you belong to the community of internationally leading specialists. Although we work with subject matter experts in many areas, we do not claim to know things better in your field than you do. However, the experts we select come with proven professional track records and expertise in the fields your proposal is addressing. They are similarly qualified as the Commission’s experts and they are in a position to evaluate how convincing and clear the description of your project’s S/T-excellence is and how it may be perceived during the official Commission evaluation.
In some cases, the specific recommendations of our experts might be difficult to implement at the end of a proposal preparation phase as fundamental decisions for the set up of the project are made at the beginning – for example, regarding partner selection, financial arrangements, major contributions, workshares etc.
Therefore additionally we also offer Ex-ante ExPERT™: Early, efficient service packages at the start or during the proposal preparation, for instance in order to help to optimise the adjustment your project’s objectives to those of the call, to organise and manage the planning, consortium building and proposal elaboration activities in an optimised manner. It also includes the feed back on individual chapters already completed. Ex-ante ExPERT™ gives sufficient time to implement recommendations for improvements. It is of particular value for those who are not yet very experienced in writing FP7-proposals.
Ex-ante ExPERT™ addresses points which need to be decided early and – hardly can be changed towards the end.
