Work Programmes

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/wp_en.html
The research topics to be funded by EU in each research field are published in Work Programmes. In any given year, there are from one to three calls for proposals, and the content of these calls as well as their timing can be found in the work programmes. The text in the work prograames warants careful reading, since a successful proposal meets the needs decsribed in the work programme text.

FP7 ICT Book

http://www.efpconsulting.com/tools
A consulting firm called EFPConsulting has developed a detailed guide on the ICT research programme. It may be a useful read also for those applying for funds in other research fields.

Click the link “Books” on the page that opens when you click the above link. On the “Books” page, choose the version of the guide you wish to use, usually it is the most recent one. Please note, downloading the book requires registration and may lead to receiving marketing emails from the company in the future.

Funding for Proposal Preparation

http://www.tekes.fi/eu/fin/7po/valmisteluraha/index.html
Finnish funding agencies TEKES (www.tekes.fi) and the Academy of Finland (www.aka.fi) offer funding for proposal preparation under certain conditions. Be sure to apply for funding before you start your project preparation activities.

Find a Call

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm
Calls open some 3-4 motnsh before the proposal submission deadline. All open calls are listed on the CORDIS website (http://cordis.europa.eu). On the Find a Call page you first need to choose (on right hand side column) the general research programme under which your research belongs. Clicking the link will show all open (and recently closed) calls under that theme. On the open calls page you then click on the call you wish to address. The calls are listed as codes and short title only, which may be confusing. Click on the call link and you will find details of the call.

To find the important information, you need to scroll down the page to get to the “Information Package” section. There you will find most of the relevant support documents. In particular, the Guide for Applicants is useful. Be sure to use the right guide for the type of project you are considering. These files are in PDF format.

The Guide for Applicants is available in a more user-friendly format (.doc) on the EPSS system. The project’s Coordinator has access to this document. The PDF is therefore for planning and preparation purposes only.

EPSS – The Electronic Proposal Submission Service

https://www.epss-fp7.org/epss
Project proposals are submitted for consideration via the EPSS system. The Coordinator of each project registers the planned project and manages the EPSS workspace. The Coordinator submits the proposal once it is finalised. Any kind of sigantures from any university bodies are not needed at this point, but you should nevertheless have an approval for your proposal as required by the university.