This presentation (delivered on 1 June 2016 in Bratislava) was tailored to the knowledge, experience and confidence of the LLLP Annual Conference audience with regards to the European Union programmes available at the time. I brushed over or drilled deep down - as the audience demanded - into some of the fundamental issues, problems and challenges I faced and resolved over 15 years of working with EU projects. The conference participants were not only provided with strategic advice on how to identify the right call to match their research and development ambitions, how to assemble a solid partnership and how to translate their ideas and plans into a well elaborated application, but also how to define key performance indicators, manage time, human resources and how to tackle the financial planning of a complex multi-stakeholder project.

1. Tips & Tricks for your project application
Ildiko Mazar, Deputy Secretary General, EDEN
Bratislava, 1 June 2016

2. The largest active and developing
professional community of
open, distance and e-learning in Europe
 The most comprehensive European not-for-profit non-
governmental association of its kind, established in 1991
 Platform for professional co-operation and information
exchange
 Open for all levels and sectors of education and training
 Open for institutions, individuals and networks
 Registered in the UK, Secretariat in Hungary since 1997
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3.  EDEN Annual Conferences since 1992
Budapest, 14-17 Jun 2016
 Open Classroom
Conferences
Since 1995
 Research Workshops
Oldenburg, 4-7 Oct 2016
 Synergy Workshops
Specific strands since 2013
The EDEN Conferences
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4. EDEN’s EU projects
 TALOE
 ARMAZEG
 Carer+
 EMPORT
 E-SOLVE
 STAY-IN
 EduWorks
 Revive-VET
 POERUP
 eLene2learn
 NEST
 MOVE-ON
 SEVAQ+
 EquNet
 HEXTLEARN
 Learnovation
 eTTCampus
 Rural Wings
 OpenPROF
 D-Transform
 eLene4work
 OBN
 DigiSkills
 T-MAIL
 LACE
 LeHo
 ODS
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5. What to keep in mind
 How to identify the right call?
 How to assemble a solid partnership?
 What makes an application a winner?
 How to define key performance indicators?
 What is dissemination and exploitation anyway?
 Managing time
 Human resources
 Financial planning
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6. Find the right call
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7. Project partnership
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 Diversity of skills and competences
 Vested interest and commitment
 Wide geographical representation
 Know 75% of your partnership
 Seek new collaborators
 Find new partners by personal
recommendations
 Establish a second line of supporters
(Associate Partners, Board of Experts)

8. Application writing
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 Are you eligible to apply?
 Are you registered on the Participant
Portal? Get a PIC No
.
 Make a time plan and check list (DoWs,
LoMs, DoHs, etc.)
 Address key objectives and priorities
 Lead but collaborate

9. What will you achieve?
 Determine qualitative and quantitative indicators
We’ll print 5000 leaflets We’ll engage 500 teachers
 Set attainable goals
10000 web page views 10 newsletters reach X readers
 Assign reasonable deadlines
Web portal ready by M2 Regular revision of Dissem. Plan
 Thought experimentation: What’s your main message? How
many stakeholders can you potentially reach? How many can
you engage? How many can you ‘convert’?
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10. Dissemination, sustainability
 Have a clear vision and mission statement
 Have it agreed within the partnership – work together
 Identify your key primary and secondary target audiences
 Identify key messages and services of benefit (SHA)
 Push information, pull contribution from target audiences
 Use social media wisely and effectively
 Be genuine, human, try to suppo rt instead of pro m o te
 Find incentives to increase participation, reward support
 Record your achievements as you go
 Start planning your project’s afterlife at the start
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11. Time and HR management
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 Make a time plan
 Coordinate the work by 1 person
 Start with the big picture
 Identify the building blocks, proceed
stage by stage
 Assign sections to partners
 Work together in a transparent way
 Leave time for streamlining and
proofreading

12. Financial planning
 Be creative and flexible, but always precise
 Identify compulsory and optional cost items
 Separate intellectual work (staff cost, IOs) from operation
 Have suggestions first, then discuss them with partners
 Use real rates (salaries, production, room/tech hire, etc.)
 Have low cost alternatives (e-newsletters and downloadable
publications instead of print, combine PM & public events)
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13. Final steps
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 Ask a knowledgeable colleague to play external evaluator
 Check your boxes and save back-ups
 Sleep on it and still aim to submit days in advance
 Make sure your submission was successful – have you
received a confirmation?
 Thank your partners for the collaboration and send them a
copy of the final application and submission confirmation
 Read the evaluation report and discuss it with your partners
 Appreciate and learn from evaluator feedback

14. www.eden-online.org
Thank you for your attention
Good luck with your applications
More information on EDEN, its services and projects:
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