Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion.
It will help us tackle climate change, achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and boost the EU's competitiveness and growth.
Truly a great opportunity to develop inspiring new projects and deal with some of the most important issues of the century. If you are reading this blog post, I am sure you already have a specific idea and a call in mind. But before we change the world, we first need to write an excellent proposal. I am saying excellent because a good proposal is not enough for Horizon Europe.
The recently launched framework programme attracted many newcomers, meaning you will face fierce competition, making it even more challenging than in Horizon 2020. So, if you think your organization has some great proposal writing potential but still didn't get funded, perhaps it is high time to ask for extra help.
Here is how I see it. A good proposal is like a good candidate in a singing competition. A candidate who sings great but still doesn’t go to the next round. What is missing? This is what people in entertainment call the x-factor: a special thing that makes someone or something unique and memorable.
Now think about your proposal, maybe the one that got 14,5 out of 15 and still got rejected. Was it good, or was it excellent? Did it have the x-factor?
And now the most crucial question: How can you improve your proposal?
The first thing is to step out of your shoes. When I started my PhD programme, I told my supervisor that I feel I can’t come up with any new ideas. He said that ideas come from reading other people's work and listening to their stories and experience.
This is something that we at Europa Media are trying to do. Give you real-life examples and share our experiences in the hope to inspire you and make your project idea come to life.
This year, as January and February call deadlines are approaching, we decided to organize again Get it right! - Horizon Europe Proposal Writing Series
It is a series of four 90-minute-long webinars with 30 minute Q&A sessions to make sure your Horizon Europe proposal is excellent:
Session I. (22 November 2021) The new proposal templates
Session II. (23 November 2021) Impact exercises
Session III. (24 November 2021) Budget development
Session IV. (25 November 2021) Evaluation
I hope you can join us in November and polish your proposal before submission.
In case you would like to talk more about our services you contact me at: aleksandra.zivanovic@europamedia.org
Good luck!
