Proposal Review:

Financial Rules:

Reading a proposal draft to identify areas in need of improvement.

Newcomers to EC projects often find it difficult to understand EC requirements, despite - or maybe because of - the extensive Guides for Applicants and many supporting documents such as the grant agreement, guide for beneficiaries, financial guidelines and IPR guidelines. As a result, many proposals score less well in the evaluation than they merit.

An independent review of a proposal draft can help maximise its chances of success.

Reviewing the organisation's cost recording to ensure it is adequate for EC purposes.

At the proposal stage, financial rules for FP7 collaborative projects are relatively simple. But at the project stage they are very detailed and not always obvious. Yet the EC can audit the costs claimed up to five years after the end of the project. If the costs do not conform to EC rules, they will require repayment of the amount over claimed, plus liquidated damages.

Early consideration of financial reporting rules can help avoid surprises in later years.

Intellectual Property Rights:

Management Structure and Processes:

Checking the IPR section of a draft consortium agreement and the proposal (or Description of Work) to identify potential problems.

A major benefit of collaborative research is the sharing of ideas and expertise to achieve more than by working alone. Easy access to the intellectual property of consortium members when needed is important if the project - and subsequent exploitation - is not to be inhibited. But laxity can lead to leakage of valuable information or indefinite commitments.

A well designed consortium agreement can secure access to the IPR you need while minimising the risks involved when working closely with other organisations.

Checking the management section of the consortium agreement and the proposal (or Description of Work) to ensure that a project is manageable.


The EC provides a grant on condition that targeted results are in fact achieved. Formally, each consortium member is responsible for delivering all results, not just fulfilling its role in the project. But the EC grant agreement makes no provision for project management, leaving the consortium to decide how their efforts will be synchronised and harmonised. If this is not well addressed in the formal documents, late delivery or poor quality work by one partner can lead to cost and time overruns for all.

The right management processes can help avoid problems in collaborative working, allowing the consortium to focus on achieving results.