Horizon 2020 and FP7 EU Research program

1. Email: thinktankentr@yahoo.com / healthncpnet@aol.com
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-Promoting EU FP7 Funding for Biomedical Sciences and Pathology Research to combat infectious diseases
and Cancer.
Background:
The HEALTH-NCP-NET project was funded under FP7 to reinforce the network of National
Contact Points. One of our objectives is for all NCPs in Europe and beyond e.g. in Africa to
be provided equally with the necessary training, tools and guidelines to carry out their job
efficiently, with special emphasis on lowering the entry barriers to the FP for newcomers.
NCPs serve as liaisons between the research community and the European Commission,
multipliers of information on calls for proposals and framework programme issues, and
supporters and guides to project proposers throughout the application process.
The consolidated Health NCP network, established in May 2008, is ready to adapt to the new
challenges resulting from the Innovation Union. Now more than ever the Health NCP
network needs to be empowered to continue providing optimum support to the research
community, with a focus on SMEs, to navigate the new research funding landscape.
The Romania ,Bucharest workshop was a comprehensive collection of practical guidelines
on how to perform the main duties of a Health NCP efficiently. It was describing a number of
good practices especially about intellectual property right(IPR) from more experienced
Health NCPs, and was aiming to achieve a transfer of knowledge between NCPs thus
providing a more equitable service to researchers worldwide. Serving NCPs from new
member states and third countries like Lesotho is a priority of HEALTH-NCP so special
emphasis has been given to aspects of particular pertinence to them.
The Romania ,Bucharest workshop constituted the main tool to bridge the gap between FP7
and the changes being introduced in the coming European research funding programmes for
the Innovation Union.
1. To provide basic information and getting in touch with researchers and SMEs:
 The creation of an NCP website,
 The client database.

2.  Updated database
 The NCP website and the client database will provide a bi-directional
communication flow with the national research community and become the
NCP’s most useful instruments.

2. Raising awareness of FP7 opportunities
After the ‘start-up’ phase, a new NCP needs different tools to begin promotion and
assistance activities with the national research entities interested in applying for
Health FP7 Grants.
3. NCP characteristics
The unifying elements of the structures of different national NCPs are the capability to ensure
both competences in the different thematic and horizontal priorities of the Seventh
Framework Programme, as well as a coherent approach and a high level of services.
 Competence
 Health NCPs need to be well informed about the nature, objectives and principles of
the EU Framework Programmes, as well as the technological areas concerning health
research.
 Additionally, they require a profound understanding of the needs of particular
research players, such as SMEs, industry, and academics.
 Impartiality and confidentiality
 To avoid potential conflicts of interest, and to ensure confidentiality of information
they receive in the context of their advisory activities with clients, NCPs need to act
within the framework of independent organisations.
 Active national and international networking with regional contact points, university
research services and research organisations, as well as with other NCP
organisations.
 Implementation of quality assurance mechanisms for the services provided.
 Adequate human resources and equipment.
 Provision of feedback to the European Commission — informing the Commission
about any problems or difficulties in implementing and participating in the
Framework Programme.
 The breadth of this core definition, which applies to all NCPs, implies that the scope
and degree of assistance provided to researchers and enterprises may vary between
different NCPs. This, however, is not a surprise given that each NCP functions in a
specific environment that is shaped by the country, the structure of the NCP host
organisation, the commitment of responsible national authorities, and the
composition of the particular research community.
The training programme
 The HEALTH-NCP training programme assists all NCPs and ICPC CPs in their
capacity building processes.
 It comprises two levels of training courses: general and specific. These courses,
along with the Health NCP Network, have been designed to help NCPs develop their
competencies.

3.  The general training course is designed to provide basic practical information to
perform NCP tasks, and is tailored to less experienced NCPs and ICPC CPs.
A twinning programme
Twinning should be dedicated to the capacity building of less experienced participants.
During a twinning activity the more experienced people coach the less experienced on issues
and procedures using indirect tools such as email, Skype and phone calls. The programme
should continue for either a fixed duration, or until the less experienced „twin‟ becomes more
expert and able to contribute as a coach.
A staff exchange programme is undoubtedly the most demanding activity that can be
undertaken. This type of programme consists of short-term visits (two to five days) to other
related organisations for real-time, onsite experience and exchange. The aim of a staff
exchange is to consolidate knowledge transfer allow cross-fertilisation between work groups
to increase personal contacts and networking between participants.
The partners
Depending on the anticipated scope of the brokerage event, organisers can also seek support to
arrange and promote the event from strategic partners who might add value and are available on
the envisaged date.
There are several ways to find support and identify a strategic partner: within national
organisations, companies and universities within NCP networks by contacting the relevant
Head of Unit at the EC inviting a leading person from the EC, key company or organisation
to present the keynote lecture contacting relevant European Technology Platforms or national
mirror platforms using established networks to promote the event or invite them to be co-
organisers.
Information and promotion materials
Aside from dissemination through established networks (including key multipliers), the
brokerage event should be heavily promoted through several channels, such as brochures,
leaflets and dedicated web pages. A web page is a complete source of information and the
least expensive one. It can provide up‑to-date information on the time and venue of the
brokerage, topics, experts and speakers, agenda and invitation, identification form template,
presentations that are available prior to the event, useful links related to the event or topics,
and so on. It is also useful for the web page to include a registration facility and a
matchmaking facility for the parallel workshops.
Once a participant completes registration their information is analysed either by the Health
NCP or the system (using key words for filtering) and they are allocated to one of the
workshops according to their stated interest in a specific topic. Alternatively, the participant
can subscribe to a specific workshop using a website facility. The formed groups can then be
made available to all registered participants. The NCP must ensure the deadline for
registration is clearly displayed and disseminated, and be mindful that at least one week is
needed to finalise preparations once the final number of participants is known.
The participants
After establishing the topics, the organiser must identify appropriate participants, which is the
most difficult and important task in organising a successful brokerage. A main method of
identifying participants, aside from email, is the phone. Given the time constraints of

4. researchers and entrepreneurs, personal invitations and assistance can be pivotal in
motivating potential participants. The personal approach on the phone also helps to ensure
high quality contributions (for example online interest/expertise profiles) and commitment
from the participants
“ A service to assist proposal preparation”
Personal consultation is an essential element of an NCP‟s advisory service to researchers and
other stakeholders. And whilst there are no rules or codes of conduct about personal
consultation for new NCPs, in this chapter we provide advice and share experiences about
managing the one-on-one relationship with clients. Firstly, it is the NCP‟s responsibility to
decide how to communicate. The Health NCP adopts a general approach involving several
activities that usually start with face-to-face meetings, although phone and email support can
also be valuable.
The personal consultation process
Personal consultations could be regarded as the preparatory phase of an NCP‟s assistance
with proposal preparation (see Chapter 12), and can be broken down into four main
components:
1. A comprehensive presentation about the FP7 and Health theme priorities, including
a detailed description of the yearly work programme and rules of participation.
2. An analysis of the different thematic lines opened to the call that seeks to obtain a better
understanding of the client‟s needs and problems. This provides the opportunity for the client
to reformulate their research interests in a way that is consistent with the FP7 opportunities.
3. Determination of gaps in the client‟s knowledge and understanding of FP7 with a view to
addressing any deficiencies.
4. Increased efficiency of consultation work through interactive information exchange.
Depending on a researcher‟s designated role in a project proposal, a personal consultation
may be essential. Coordinators should always have personal consultations to improve the
quality of their proposals and to draw attention to important but unseen issues. Research
participants should also have one‑on‑one meetings to get support for optimal participation
provisions and to maximise gains from participation.
Preparation and development
Requests for personal consultations can arrive *via routine office communication channels,
but also by a direct approach at seminars, information days or at special onsite visits to major
research institutions. However the requests are received, modern and effective back-office
systems and software at the NCP host organisation will enable all personal consultation
requests to be sorted and processed quickly and efficiently. As mentioned, personal
consultations can be provided over the phone, by email or as face-to- face meetings.
However, in‑person meetings with researchers allow the broadest scope for the consultation,
including being able to discuss confidential issues. Face-to face and phone consultations also
enable immediate feedback and understanding, whereas email discussions could be
considered too impersonal, and are generally unsuitable for exchanging private or
confidential information. On the other hand, face-to-face consultation is the most demanding
on an NCP‟s personal resources, and small group consultations — the most personally
engaged form — are particularly intensive and time consuming. As such, in-person

5. consultations require detailed planning and a measured approach to avoid burnout. The key to
maximising the efficiency of the information exchange is a competent and complete
preparatory phase for each personal consultation.
Follow-up tasks
Immediately after the consultation, it is recommended to enter a short summary into your
client database or CRM. You should also amend any existing information on the basis of
newly acquired knowledge, and be prepared to appropriately answer inquiries from NCP
colleagues about the particular researcher/group. Follow-up activities are crucial to
establishing full and complete client portfolios, and they provide the NCP with a good
overview of the progress of their contacts‟ FP7 applications.