European Commission GUIDE FOR PROPOSERS. Marie Curie Actions Human Resources and Mobility Activity. Structuring the European Research Area

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1 European Commission THE SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME The Sixth Framework Programme covers Community activities in the field of research, technological development and demonstration (RTD) for the period 2002 to 2006 GUIDE FOR PROPOSERS Marie Curie Actions Human Resources and Mobility Activity Structuring the European Research Area Fixed deadline call for proposals Marie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) Call Identifier: FP Mobility-5 Closure Date: 16 February 2005, at (Brussels local time) Edition: October 2004 Reference No. EIF

2 The following different types of actions are available to fund projects in the Human Resources and Mobility (HRM) Activity. These actions are described in the brochure A Rough Guide to the Marie Curie Actions and on EUROPA at Marie Curie Research Training Networks (RTN) Marie Curie Host Fellowships for Early Stage Training (EST) Marie Curie Host Fellowships for the Transfer of Knowledge (ToK) Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses (SCF/LCF) Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) Marie Curie Outgoing International Fellowships (OIF) Marie Curie Incoming International Fellowships (IIF) Marie Curie Excellence Grants (EXT) Marie Curie Excellence Awards (EXA) Marie Curie Chairs (EXC) Marie Curie European Reintegration Grants (ERG) Marie Curie International Reintegration Grants (IRG) There are Guides for Proposers for each of the Marie Curie Actions. This version of the Guide for Proposers concerns: Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) This version of the Guide for Proposers concerns: Call Identifier: FP Mobility-5 Closure Date: 16 February 2005, at17:00 (Brussels local time) The structure required for a proposal, and the rules which will govern its evaluation, vary according to the type of action and may also vary from call to call. It is entirely your responsibility to ensure you are using the correct version of the Guide for Proposers for the type of action and the call for which you are proposing, and that you register and submit your proposal to the correct call. 2

3 Key recommendations for submitting a proposal to the Human Resources and Mobility (HRM) Activity Objectives: Check that your proposed work does indeed address training and research objectives open in the current Call and as described in the current Human Resources and Mobility (HRM) Work Programme. PROPOSALS ADDRESSING OBJECTIVES WHICH ARE NOT OPEN IN THIS CALL WILL NOT BE EVALUATED. Completeness: Proposals are submitted in a single stage and evaluated in two steps. Proposals must comprise a Part A, containing the administrative information on standard forms; and a Part B split into two sections (Section B1 & Section B2). These sections must be submitted as two separate documents (see detailed instructions in section III.1). Section B1 must contain only information relevant to the evaluation criteria Scientific quality of the proposal and Quality of the researcher, and it will be used both in the first and the second step of the evaluation. Section B2 must contain information relating to the remaining evaluation criteria and will be used only in the second step of evaluation.(see the detailed instructions in Annexes 2 & 3). Check that your proposal contains these three components. Referees Assessments: For individual fellowships a proposal may also include up to three referees assessments. Use of the correct forms for the action: The proposal forms for Part A and the structure of Part B vary according to the action you are applying for and may also vary from call to call: Check that you have chosen the correct action for the type of work you are proposing (refer to Check on the call page that you are using the correct version of the Guide for Proposers and the Proposal Submission Forms for this action and call. Eligible partnership: Confirm that you and your host institution are indeed eligible for participation in this action (refer to the Work Programme and call text). It should be noted that organisations must have a registered legal existence and be located in an EU Member State or Associated State. Evaluation criteria: All proposals are evaluated according to fixed sets of criteria, depending on the type of action, which are defined in Annex Mob-B of the HRM Work Programme and further described in the HRM Guidance Notes for Evaluators. Be sure that your proposal clearly addresses each of the evaluation criteria used for this action. Be aware that there are threshold scores on the criteria which must be achieved or else the proposal fails. Ethical issues, safety and regulatory issues: Clearly indicate any potential ethical, safety or regulatory aspects of the proposed research and the way they will be dealt with in your proposed project. An ethical check will take place during the evaluation and an ethical review will take place for proposals dealing with specific sensitive issues. Proposals will fail if they do not respect the ethical rules for FP6. Gender issues: Clearly indicate the way in which these issues are taken into account (see Proposal Part B and Annex 4). Presentation: Proposals should be precise and concise. They should present the objectives and the expected results, how the participants intend to disseminate or exploit these results and how the project contributes to structuring the European research area. Proposals should assemble the necessary critical mass of activities, expertise and resources to achieve the proposed objectives. Competition: There will be strong competition. Therefore edit your proposal tightly, strengthen or eliminate weak points. Arrange for your draft to be evaluated by experienced colleagues, using the evaluation criteria for the type of action you are proposing, before sending it in. Then use their advice to improve it before submission. 3

4 Deadlines: Call deadlines are absolutely firm and are strictly enforced. Proposals must be received by the Commission before or on the deadline as it is specified in the Call for proposals. Proposers are reminded that it is their own responsibility to ensure the safe delivery of their proposal. PROPOSALS ARRIVING AT THE COMMISSION AFTER THE DEADLINE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR EVALUATION. NO EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES WILL BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. 4

5 Contents I INTRODUCTION STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THE GUIDE FOR PROPOSERS SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR THIS CALL... 8 II PROPOSAL PREPARATION... 9 II.1 ONE STAGE SUBMISSION AND TWO-STEP EVALUATION - AS APPLIED IN THE CURRENT CALL II.2 CONSORTIUM COMPOSITION (NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS ACTION)... 9 II.3 STRUCTURE OF A PROPOSAL... 9 II.4 PROPOSAL LANGUAGE II.5 PRE-PROPOSAL CHECK III SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS III.1 ONLINE PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION III.2 PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION USING THE EPTOOL III.3 ERRORS IN SUBMITTED PROPOSALS III.4 DEADLINE FOR RECEPTION III.5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT IV EVALUATION AND NEGOTIATION IV.1 TIMETABLE OF EVALUATION IV.2 CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS V CHECK LIST FOR PROPOSERS VI SUPPORT TO PROPOSERS VI.1 HRM ACTIVITY INFORMATION DESK VI.2 THE EPSS HELPDESK AND USER GUIDES VI.3 PARTNER SEARCH FACILITIES...19 VI.4 NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS...19 VI.5 HRM ACTIVITY INFORMATION DAYS VI.6 THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS HELPDESK VI.7 ERACAREERS: THE PAN-EUROPEAN RESEARCHER S MOBILITY PORTAL VII REFERENCES ANNEX 1 - PROPOSAL PART A: FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS ANNEX 2 - PART B SECTION 1: GUIDELINES FOR DRAFTING THE PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION ANNEX 3 - PART B SECTION 2 - GUIDELINES FOR DRAFTING THE PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION ANNEX 4 SPECIMEN REFEREE S ASSESSMENT FORM - FOR INFORMATION ONLY ANNEX 5 - ETHICAL RULES FOR FP6 PROJECTS ANNEX 6 - INTEGRATING THE GENDER DIMENSION IN FP6 PROJECTS

6 I Introduction 1.1 Structure and content of the Guide for Proposers This Guide for Proposers contains the basic information needed to guide you in preparing a proposal. It contains the proposal forms needed to prepare Part A of a proposal, and instructions on how to write Sections 1 & 2 of Part B. All three components are required to make a complete proposal. It also describes other services, which may be available for the proposers. It contains references to other documents, reports, forms and software tools, which are of assistance in the preparation of proposals. Other documents which constitute, together with this guide, the Information Package for Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) and which you will need to consult during the preparation of your proposal are: The brochure The 6 th Framework Programme in Brief. This brochure gives a brief overview of the sixth Framework Programme (FP6). It serves as a guide for navigating through the activities, funding schemes, thematic areas, actions, types of instrument etc., allowing potential participants to better find their way through to the activity most suiting their ideas. The current HRM Activity Work Programme. The Work Programme provides a detailed description of the Marie Curie actions, which are open for proposals, and gives an indicative timetable for future calls ( roadmap ). It also gives details on the eligibility and evaluation criteria that will be applied to proposals. Important notice for this call It should be noted that the Work Programme for HRM activities was significantly revised in August The evaluations criteria described in Annex Mob-B of the HRM Work Programme have been revised as have some thresholds and weightings. You should familiarise yourself with the revised evaluation criteria. The Call for proposals as published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This will tell you which actions are open for proposals, and the deadline for proposal submission. You are also advised to consult this document: The brochure A Rough Guide to the Marie Curie Actions. This brochure provides an overview of all the Marie Curie actions. It serves to rapidly orientate both individual researchers and research organisations on the types of action that might be of interest. This brochure can be downloaded from Additional documents that you should review are: The Guidelines on proposal evaluation and project selection procedures (the Evaluation Manual ). This document describes the general principles and the procedures which will be used in the evaluation of proposals. The HRM Activity Guidance Notes for Evaluators. This describes in detail how proposals will be evaluated in the HRM Activity. You may use the Guidance Notes for Evaluators as a checklist to ensure the quality of your proposal. The model contract for Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF), and its annexes. This specifies the contractual terms and conditions to which you will be expected to agree if your proposal is selected for funding. 6

7 The Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships Handbook. Details of what the Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships Action comprises and how such a project should be implemented are provided in this document (downloadable from 7

8 This Guide for Proposers does not supersede the rules and conditions laid out, in particular, in Council and Parliament Decisions relevant to the Sixth Framework Programme the Specific Programme, the Human Resources and Mobility Work Programme, the Call for proposals or the Guidelines on evaluation and selection of proposals. These documents are available at: Specific information for this call PROPOSERS MUST TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: Proposals are submitted in a single stage and evaluated in two steps as detailed in sections II & IV of the present Guide for Proposers. A complete proposal has three components (Part A, Part B Section 1 and Part B Section 2) Step 1: Independent Experts will initially evaluate only Parts A, B1 and the Referees Assessments (if any) following a limited set of evaluation criteria as described in the HRM Work Programme and the Call for Proposals. Following the first step of the evaluation the proposals will be ranked in order of descending total score. Proposals failing one or more of the thresholds for the criteria established in the first step will not be retained for the second step of the evaluation. Out of the proposals passing the thresholds only 2 ½ times as many proposals as those likely to be selected for funding will be retained for the second step. The number of proposals passing to the second step will be determined on the basis of the average cost of a proposal from the previous call for this action. All proposals with identical marks at the cut off level will pass through to the second step of evaluation. Step 2: The second step of the evaluation will be carried out by evaluating the full proposal (Part A, Part B Section 1, Part B Section 2 and the Referees Assessments (if any)) against the full set of evaluation criteria as described in the HRM Work Programme and the Call for Proposals. The Commission Services reserve the right to verify the authenticity of the Referees Assessments, either during the evaluation process or, for those selected, at the negotiation stage. 8

9 II Proposal preparation II.1 One stage submission and two-step evaluation - as applied in the current call. Proposals for Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) in the Human Resources and Mobility (HRM) Activity are submitted in a single stage by submitting a complete proposal application in accordance with the instructions set out in the Call for proposals as published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Proposals must be received by the Commission by the closing date and time of the call. Submission of proposals in this call should be made by electronic means only (see Call text). The evaluation itself will take place in two steps (see section IV below). Independent Experts will initially evaluate only Part A, Section B1 and the Referees Assessments (if any) following a limited set of evaluation criteria as described in the HRM Work Programme and the Call for Proposals. Only proposals retained in step 1 will proceed to the second step of the evaluation. Numbers passing to the second step will be restricted due to budgetary considerations (i.e. a factor will be applied based on the likely number of proposals which may realistically be funded). The second step of the evaluation will be carried out by evaluating the full proposal (Part A, Part B Section 1, Part B Section 2 and the Referees Assessments (if any) against the full set of evaluation criteria as described in the HRM Work Programme and the Call for Proposals. II.2 Consortium composition (not applicable to this action) II.3 Structure of a proposal A proposal has three components (Part A, Part B Section 1 and Part B Section 2). Full details about preparing these parts are annexed to this Guide. Part A is a set of forms which collect necessary administrative information about the proposal and the proposers e.g. proposal name, proposers names and addresses, brief description of the work, training request, etc. This information will be encoded in a structured database for further computer processing to produce statistics, evaluation reports etc., and also to support the experts and Commission during the evaluation process. Part B consists of a structure or list of headings which should be followed to describe the scientific and technical content of a proposal (see Annex 2 & 3), rather than a pre-prepared form. Section B1 contains information relevant to two evaluation criteria Scientific quality of the proposal and Quality of the researcher, and it will be used both in the first and the second step of the evaluation. Section B2 contains information relating to the remaining evaluation criteria and will be used only in the second step of evaluation. Together the Sections B1 & B2 describe the nature of the proposed work, the participants and their roles in the proposed project. They describe the reasons for carrying out the work, and the benefits which would come from it. The maximum length is specified for the different Sections of part B. Any unrequested material sent with the proposal (company brochures, supporting documents and reports, videos etc.) will be disregarded as will other embedded material (audio, video multimedia etc.), attached files other than the ones specified in the call text, or hyperlinks to other documents. Evaluations will be based on black-and-white printouts of the A forms and the Sections B1 & B2 of the proposal. 9

10 II.4 Proposal language Proposals may be submitted in any official language of the European Union. If your proposal is not in English, a translation of the full proposal would be of assistance to the evaluators. In any event, the abstract contained in Part A of the proposal must be in English. II.5 Pre-proposal check No facility for a pre-proposal check is provided for the current Call. 10

11 III Submission of proposals Proposals for this call are invited to be submitted only as an electronic proposal via the web-based Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS), which is reached via the CORDIS call page to prepare and submit your proposal online. Alternatively an offline version of the tool - called the EPTool (EPT) - may be downloaded to prepare a proposal offline. The user must also download special software and a set of forms appropriate to the action and call. Once the proposal has been prepared with the EPTool, the user returns to the Electronic Proposal Submission System to submit the proposal file that (s)he has prepared. In both cases the tool refers to the participant who is taking the lead in the preparation of the proposal as the proposal coordinator. In the case of Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships only one set of login and password is provided which must then be shared between the applicant researcher and the host organisation(s) as appropriate. Failure of your proposal to arrive in time for any reason, including communications delays, is not acceptable as an extenuating circumstance III.1 Online preparation and submission The following instructions briefly outline the principal steps for online proposal preparation and submission. The detailed EPSS Online preparation and submission guide should be downloaded from CORDIS, on the page for registering for the EPSS system. The online EPSS is a Web-based system, i.e. you do not have to install special software on your computer. You only need a standard Web browser and a username and password. All the data that you upload is securely stored on a Web server, to which only the participants in the proposal have access (not even the Commission before submission), providing a common online workspace for the preparation of the proposal. Request for username and password (by the proposal coordinator): Go to the CORDIS call page for the current call On the call page, go to the box Prepare and submit a proposal for this call Choose the action you want to apply for from the dropdown list and press Go. You will arrive at the EPSS start page Click on Register for ONLINE preparation and submission, fill in the registration form and submit it. This form asks for a few brief details about the proposal, to assist the Commission in planning the evaluation 1 The EPSS will send you by return a username and password as proposal coordinator. In case of problems in receiving this, contact the EPSS helpdesk (reference see section VII) If you make an error concerning the call you have registered for, the type of action, or the choice between online or offline preparation, you must abandon this registration and register again The usernames and passwords are linked to only one proposal (for the call and for the action you have chosen). For each proposal you want to prepare you have to register again. Using the online system (proposal coordinator): Once you have received your username and password, you can start preparing your proposal. Access to the system is again via the CORDIS call page for the current call. By entering your coordinator username and password you will now reach the EPSS main menu for your proposal. At the first login, you will be invited to reset your own password. 1 Please complete as many fields as possible, even if only with preliminary data - the information you give does not involve you in any commitment. 11

12 As a coordinator you can then: Generate up to three sets of login/password to be used by referees. (Once the coordinator defines a Referee, the system sends a username and password to the referee ) complete all Part A forms download the two document templates for writing Sections B1 & B2 of the proposal, upload the finished Section B1 (using the Part B facility of the EPSS) and Section B2 (to be uploaded as annex 1) submit the complete proposal Part A, Part B Section 1 and Part B Section 2. Referee assessments Up to three referees can be nominated in order to provide referees assessments. A special facility within the EPSS system permits referees to upload their assessment into the proposal as a PDF package. The creation of the referee happens from the Set Up Proposal page. Once the proposal co-ordinator has nominated a referee the EPSS system will automatically send a login and password to the referee . When the nominated referee uploads a referee s assessment the proposal coordinator will be sent an to confirm that something has been uploaded as part of the proposal but the assessment itself will not be visible to the coordinator. The referee assessments are automatically added to the proposal package by the EPSS system but will only become accessible to the Commission when (if) the proposal is submitted. Referees assessments can be submitted any time between the issue of a password and login for the referee and the call closure (even before the main proposal is submitted). Submitting the proposal online Completing the Part A forms in the EPSS and uploading Part B Section 1 & 2 does not yet mean that your proposal is submitted. Once there is a consolidated version of the proposal the coordinator must expressly submit it by pressing the SUBMIT button. Only the coordinator is authorised to submit the proposal. Section B1 of the proposal must be uploaded as part B of the proposal and Section B2 (to be used only for step two evaluation) must be uploaded as the annex to part B On submission, the EPSS performs an automatic validation of the proposal (e.g. confirms if all mandatory fields are completed, that there appears to be the eligible minimum number of participants etc.) and informs the coordinator of any apparent problems with the proposal. The coordinator may decide to submit the proposal even when apparent problems have been indicated by the EPSS. This automatic validation does not replace the more detailed eligibility check later carried out by the Commission. All files are also subject to a check for viruses. Files which are found to contain viruses will not be accepted, the coordinator will instead receive a message to remove the virus and to try submission again. Also files which are found subsequently to be unreadable or unprintable cannot be evaluated. If successfully submitted, the coordinator receives a message that indicates that the proposal has been received. The coordinator may continue to modify the proposal and submit revised versions overwriting the previous one (by pressing the SUBMIT button each time!) right up until the call closure. For the proposal Sections B1 & B2 you must use exclusively PDF ( portable document format, compatible with Adobe version 3 or higher, with embedded fonts). Other file formats will not be accepted by the system. Also zipped or otherwise compressed archives will not be accepted - as PDF is self-compressing there is nothing to be gained by zipping. Only two PDF files comprising each of the Sections B1 & B2 can be uploaded (Please note that Section B1 must be uploaded using the Part B facility of the EPSS and Section B2 must be uploaded as Annex 1.) Any further files with annexes or additional information (company brochures, supporting documentation, reports, audio, video, multimedia etc.) will be rejected. 12

13 Referees assessments can be submitted by referees at any time after they have been sent their password and login(s) and until call closure. It is not necessary to wait until they have uploaded their reference before you submit your proposal. You should therefore submit your proposal as soon as possible. Using only PDF format for submission of Sections B1 & B2 - Why? This format of text documents is supported by the vast majority of computer platforms; it bears a minimum risk of viruses; it is self-compressing. Allowing any possible format would require that the Commission maintain an arsenal of software and even then readability could not be guaranteed in 100% of the cases. The other advantage of saving as a PDF file is that the contents are locked and the original formatting (margins, page breaks, etc.) will always be maintained when the file is printed. (WYSIWYG). Using only PDF format for submission of Sections B1 & B2- How? The possibility of converting a text file into PDF is integrated into some word processors. In case this is not implemented in the word processor you are using, you can download special conversion software (commercial software or downloadable freeware) from the web. Conversion into PDF is the last step in preparing a document for submission; since PDF documents are then locked, they cannot be edited like normal text files. III.2 Proposal preparation and submission using the EPTool The following instructions briefly outline the principal steps for offline proposal preparation and online submission. The detailed Offline Electronic Proposal Tool (EPT) User Guide should be downloaded from CORDIS, on the page for registering for the EPSS system. Use only the version of the proposal preparation tool which is prepared for the current call of the EIF Action in the HRM Activity. Downloading the EPTool The offline EPTool is a software programme running on your computer to create a proposal for later upload to the online EPSS. For preparing a proposal you have to download two components: the EPTool itself i.e. the basic software the package of forms and the two Part B templates specific to the call and action you want to apply for. The following steps are necessary for the proposal coordinator: Go to the CORDIS call page for the current call (reference see section VII) On the call page, go to the box Prepare and submit a proposal for this call Choose the action you want to apply for from the dropdown list and press Go. You will arrive at the EPSS start page Click on Register for OFFLINE preparation and online or offline submission Fill in the registration form and submit it. This form asks for a few brief details about the proposal, to assist the Commission in planning the evaluation 2 The EPSS will send you by return a username and password. You will need this for subsequent online submission of the proposal. In case of problems in receiving these, contact the EPSS helpdesk (reference see section VII) Click on Download EPT, then choose one of the two options presented, depending on your computer platform, and follow the instructions for download and installation Go back to the EPSS start page (via the CORDIS call page) and click on Download forms package. You will be able to download the package (a compressed.zip file) applicable to the call and action you have chosen. You have later to remember the directory on your hard disk to which you saved the package 2 Please complete as many fields as possible, even if only with preliminary data - the information you give does not involve you in any commitment 13

14 If you make an error concerning the call you have registered for, the type of action, or the choice between online or offline preparation, you must abandon this registration and the downloaded package of forms and templates and register again The username and password are linked to only one proposal (for the call and for the action you have chosen). For each proposal you want to prepare you have to register again. Working with the EPTool: Unzip the downloaded forms package to a separate directory indicating call and action If you have downloaded the EPTool with the Java runtime attached, find the directory...\eptool that has been created on your hard disk during installation of the tool. In this directory you find a pdf file EPSS-EPT-user-guide with instructions how to use the application. Otherwise locate the EPT files you have downloaded, extract them to a directory. We recommend using the...\eptool directory. In the subdirectory...eptool\bin you find the file Runme.bat (Windows) or runme.sh (Unix), a batch or shell script file. Run this file to open the application, use the programme following the instructions in the Offline Electronic Proposal Tool (EPT) User Guide. Referee assessments If you choose to prepare your proposal using the EPtool you should still define your referees in the EPSS. Use your login and password to access the Set Up Proposal page as early in the process as possible in order to give your referees time to provide their assessments before the call closure. Online submission of a proposal created with the EPTool Once the proposal coordinator,, has created and packaged a proposal with the offline tool following the instructions in the Offline Electronic Proposal Tool (EPT) User Guide, submission is carried out by uploading the package to the EPSS. For this you will need the username and password which you obtained at registration Please note that Section B1 must be uploaded using the Part B facility of the EPSS and Section B2 must be uploaded as Annex 1. Software problems with the EPTool are not considered as extenuating circumstances for call deadlines. It is therefore advisable to test the functioning of the system well in advance of the deadline, and, as for the EPSS online version, submit a first consolidated version of the proposal well in advance of the deadline (i.e. at least several days before), so that in case of technical or other problems close to the deadline there is a valid version already submitted. Disclaimer: The offline EPTool is a software tool to be installed and running on your own computer system. Although designed for maximum compatibility, its proper functioning, as for any software, depends on proper installation and on your computer environment and settings and therefore cannot be guaranteed. The Commission cannot be held liable for any malfunction of the EPTool on your computer nor can it give technical assistance on problems related with your local computer environment. III.3 Errors in submitted proposals Errors discovered in proposals submitted by the EPSS (with either online preparation in the EPSS or offline preparation using the EPTool) can be rectified by simply submitting a corrected version. So long as the call is not yet closed, the new submission will overwrite the previous one. Once the deadline has passed, however, we can accept no further additions, corrections or re-submissions. The last version of your proposal received before the deadline is the one which will be evaluated, and any later material will be disregarded. 14

15 III.4 Deadline for reception Electronically submitted proposals must be uploaded and submitted to the EPSS system before the call deadline, at which time the access to the EPSS for this call will close. Proposers are reminded that it is their own responsibility to ensure the timely submission of their proposal. III.5 Acknowledgement of receipt The brief electronic message given by the EPSS system after submission does not constitute an official Acknowledgement of receipt. For electronic submission: At close of call the Commission will download from the EPSS system all proposals registered for this call, and an Acknowledgement of receipt letter will be dispatched to the proposal coordinator (the individual named as scientist in charge on the A2 form of participant no. 1). If you have in error registered and submitted your proposal to another call which closes after this call, the Commission will not receive it until it is discovered in the download of the later call. It will therefore be classified as ineligible because of late arrival. The sending of an Acknowledgement of receipt by the Commission does not imply that a proposal has been accepted as eligible for evaluation. IV Evaluation and negotiation IV.1 Timetable of evaluation All proposal co-ordinators who have submitted a proposal to the current call will be sent a written Acknowledgement of receipt promptly after the call closure date and at least before16 March Proposers who have not received an Acknowledgement of receipt by that time should urgently contact the HRM Activity Information Desk. All proposals that fulfil the eligibility criteria (see the Evaluation Manual at the call page (reference given in VII)) are evaluated to determine their quality. Independent experts will evaluate the eligible proposals, following the criteria of the HRM Work Programme and the HRM Guidance Notes for Evaluators. Proposals will be evaluated in two steps: Step 1: Evaluation against a limited number of criteria All proposals that fulfil the eligibility criteria will be evaluated in a first step on a limited number of criteria focusing on the scientific quality of the project and the researcher involved. The expert evaluators will base their assessment exclusively on the information available in Part A and Part B Section 1. (i.e. only for those proposals that pass to the second step of evaluation will the Part B Section 2 be read and evaluated.) Proposals failing one or more of the thresholds for the criteria established in the first step will not be retained for the second step of the evaluation. In addition a budgetary threshold will be applied corresponding to 250% of the available budget. Proposals which fail to pass this budgetary threshold will not pass to the second step of the evaluation. Proposal which pass the relevant thresholds on score and which pass the budgetary cut off will be retained for evaluation in the second step. It should be noted that for this call no further information will be required from the applicant at the end of the first step as all of the relevant information is submitted at the time of the deadline. Evaluation in step 1 will take place in May Co-ordinators of retained proposals following step 1 will be notified during May

16 All proposers whose proposals are not retained for the second step will receive an Evaluation Summary Report with the outcome of the evaluation including comments, marks per criteria and the overall score of their proposal. Step 2: Full evaluation For those proposals that pass through to the second step of evaluation the expert evaluators will assess the full proposals (i.e. Part A, Part B Sections 1 & 2) against the complete set of criteria as defined in Annex Mob-B of the HRM Work Programme. The experts will make a list of the proposals ranked in order of merit for consideration by the Commission. The experts conclusions are examined by the Commission with the support of the HRM Programme Committee, which comprises representatives of Member and Associated States. The evaluation of proposals in step 2 is planned to take place in June After the completion of the evaluation of proposals in step 2, the proposers, whether successful or unsuccessful, will receive an Evaluation Summary Report with the outcome of the evaluation. These reports will be sent out no later than 4 months after the deadline. Unsuccessful proposals will subsequently receive a formal notification of the Commission Decision not to retain the proposal Successful proposals that involve ethical issues will go through an ethical review prior to the contract negotiation. This may raise issues that may need clarification prior to or during the negotiations. Remote evaluation For the current call, the Commission may opt to have proposals evaluated remotely. For this, independent experts are invited to carry out the evaluation fully or partially at their home or place of work. In general, remote assessment of proposals is used for the individual reading and evaluation of proposals by individual independent experts. The fact of using remote evaluation for any step of the overall evaluation process does not change in any way the provisions on confidentiality or conflict of interest set out in the code of conduct for independent experts. Independent experts working remotely are also required to fill in and sign the declaration on confidentiality and non-conflict of interest before beginning work. IV.2 Contract negotiations If the proposal has been successful in the evaluation and has been retained for possible funding, contract negotiation will start through an official letter sent by the Commission in August Negotiations apply at two levels: scientific and technological, and administrative & financial. The officials conducting these negotiations on behalf of the Commission will be working within a predetermined budget envelope for the proposal and also within the framework of any recommendations which the experts may have made concerning modifications to the work presented in the proposal. Proposers should familiarise themselves well before the start of contract negotiations with the content of the model contract for this action, and its annexes. This contract can be downloaded from the Internet (see address in Section VII). Before a negotiation can begin, the Commission may request certain legal and financial information on participating organisations (and in particular, the Commission may ask for copies of the documents that legally establish each organisation in the proposal). All participants in the proposals should familiarise themselves at an early stage with the documentation they will need to provide if they are successful and the proposer or coordinator must ensure on behalf of the consortium that the correct documentation is sent to the 16

17 Commission. This information must be made available with the submission of the Contract Preparation Forms. The information required is fully described in detail in the Contract preparation forms (see address in Section VII). If the negotiation is successful, a Commission Decision approving the funding is foreseen in a timeframe starting August The project may begin work in accordance with the provisions in the contract signed with the Commission regarding the project start date. In the event of budget availability (due e.g. to failure of negotiations of initially-selected proposals, or to negotiations concluded at a lower level of funding than originally anticipated), proposers from a short reserve list may be contacted to start negotiations. 17

18 V Check list for proposers Have you nominated up to three referees via the EPSS system? Have you completed a Part A, Part B Section 1 & Part B Section 2? Does Section B1 contain information relating only to the scientific quality of the project and the quality of the researcher. And does Section B2 contain information relevant to the other evaluation criteria? Are your Sections B1 & B2 prepared in the approved file format (PDF), including no material in other formats? Have you virus-checked your Sections B1 & B2, using up-to-date antivirus software? Do you have all the necessary authorisations from each partner in the project to submit this proposal on their behalf (the Commission does not prescribe in which form the authorisations are made and will not check them)? Have you printed out the PDF file of your own Sections B1 & B2, to check if they are complete, printable and readable? Have you uploaded Section B1 to the part B facility of EPSS and uploaded Section B2 (for use in the second step of the evaluation) as Annex 1 to the Part B in the EPSS Are you submitting to the correct call, FP Mobility-5? Last but not least: Have you pressed the SUBMIT button? It is strongly advised to submit a first version of the proposal well in advance of the deadline (i.e. at least several days before), and then to continue to improve it with regular resubmissions, so that in case of technical or other problems close to the deadline there is a valid version already submitted. 18

19 VI Support to proposers VI.1 HRM Activity Information Desk The coordinates of the HRM Activity Information Desk is: European Commission The HRM Activity Information Desk Research Directorate General SDME 03/75 B-1049 Brussels Web: Links to all the necessary information to prepare a proposal are available on the HRM Activity call pages ( Proposers should periodically check these for latest information VI.2 The EPSS helpdesk and user guides The EPSS helpdesk is available to answer any questions specifically related to the use of the electronic submission tool. EPSS Helpdesk support@epss-fp6.org Tel: EPSS and EPTool user guides are available from the call page or from VI.3 Partner search facilities The Commission s CORDIS server offers a number of services and information sources which may be useful in partner search for participation in the HRM Activity, as well as a list of organisations which have already expressed an interest in participating in the call (see addresses in Section VII). VI.4 National Contact Points The HRM Activity supports a network of National Contact Points (NCPs), which can be helpful to organisations from their country both in general advice (particularly on preparing proposals) and in finding partners from other countries. Organisations should contact the NCP of their own country for further information (see CORDIS at: and select the experts according to the activity listed as MOBILITY ). VI.5 HRM Activity Information Days The HRM Activity, EU Member States and Associated States frequently organise Information Days, where those interested in proposing may attend for a presentation of the HRM Activity and of the general Framework Programme, to obtain documentation, to ask questions and, where relevant, to meet potential consortium partners. 19

20 The latest information on planned Information Days is obtainable on the Internet (see address in Section VII). VI.6 The Intellectual Property Rights Helpdesk The IPR-Helpdesk has as its main objective to assist potential and current contractors taking part in Community funded projects on Intellectual Property Rights issues, and in particular on Community diffusion and protection rules and issues relating to IPR in international projects. Another objective is to raise awareness in the European research community on IPR issues, emphasising their European dimension. It operates a free helpline offering a first line assistance on IPR related issues. The helpline is run in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. Website Helpline (detailed queries) ipr-helpdesk@ua.es tel fax Representative office (general information) tel fax ipr-helpdesk@global-eu.com VI.7 ERACAREERS: The Pan-European Researcher s Mobility Portal ( On line since July 2003, the Portal aims to create a more favourable environment for career development opportunities for researchers in the European Research Area by providing the necessary structured information. The Portal provides access through links to a selection of international, European, national, regional and sectoral web sources covering general information about research fellowships and grants, research job vacancies published by different actors of the Research community (universities, industries, research organisations, foundations etc ), practical information about administrative and legal issues when moving from one country to another, as well as up to-date information about cultural and family-related aspects (housing, schooling, day-care, language courses, etc..). The Portal also provides general information about research policies relevant to the career development of researchers in Europe. Furthermore, it offers research organisations the opportunity put research job vacancies, and offers researchers the possibility to put their CVs on the Researcher s Mobility Databases, (the service is free of charge). Hence, there are more and more vacancies published directly on the Portal and visible on the homepage under the What s new on this site section. In addition, there is also a link to the Marie Curie Actions Vacancy Tool hosted on CORDIS- in the section devoted to Research Job Vacancies. Researchers will also have free access through the Portal to national Researcher s Mobility Portals which are being developed as part of this initiative aiming at creating a more favourable environment for researchers in Europe, as well as to a Europe wide customised assistance service offered by the European Network of Mobility Centres (ERA-MORE). These Centres will assist researchers in all matters related to their professional and daily lives, including practical information on housing, schooling, day-care or language courses 20

21 VII References Potential proposers could consult the following documents: Legal decisions Decision on the Framework Programme Rules of Participation in FP6 Specific Programme "Structuring the European Research Area (includes the Human Resources and Mobility Activity) Call page for Marie Curie Actions Marie Curie Call announcements Brochure The Fp6 in Brief Guides for Proposers HRM Work Programme Guidelines on proposal evaluation and project selection procedures (the Evaluation Manual ) HRM Guidance Notes for Evaluators Organisations expressing interest in the activity Access to Electronic Proposal Submission Service and Supporting information CORDIS FP6 service National Contact Points Information Days and other events Electronic submission: EPSS and EPTool user guides IPR helpdesk CORDIS partner search facility International cooperation Science and Society action plan Guidelines on techniques for science communications with the public European Investment Bank _05_26_en.html (EIB general information) Contractual information Contract preparation forms Model contracts

22 Annexes Annex 1 - Proposal Part A: forms and instructions Annex 2 - Proposal Part B Section 1: guidelines for drafting the proposal description Annex 3 - Proposal Part B Section 2: guidelines for drafting the proposal description Annex 4 Specimen Referee s Assessment (for information only) Annex 5 - Ethical rules for FP6 projects Annex 6 - Integrating the gender dimension in FP6 projects 22

23 Annex 1 - Proposal Part A: forms and instructions How to complete the proposal submission forms Introduction This section provides guidance on how to complete the administrative forms (A1-A3). These forms will be an integral part ( Part A ) of your proposal for a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF). NB Proposal submission for this call is by electronic means only. The forms on the following pages are for information purposes only. How to complete the forms (A1 to A3). Subcontractors are not required to fill in the A2. Explanatory notes are attached. For numbers, (amount, duration, etc.), please round to the nearest whole number. Do not insert any character or space to separate the digits in a number. Please remember to indicate the proposal short name (acronym) on all sheets of the forms (A1-A3) where indicated, as well as on every page of the part B and possible annexes. All costs must be given in euro (and not kilo euro) and must exclude value-added tax (VAT). 23

24 Proposal Submission Forms EUROPEAN COMMISSION 6 th Framework Programme on Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Marie Curie Mobility Actions Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) A1 Proposal Number 1 Proposal Acronym 2 Proposal Title 3 GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE PROPOSAL Marie Curie actioncode 4 EIF Scientific Panel5 Total duration in months 6 Call identifier7 FP Mobility-5 Keyword code 1 8 Keyword code 2 8 Keyword code 3 8 Free keywords characters) (up to Abstract 10 (up to 2000 characters) 24

25 Proposal Submission Forms EUROPEAN COMMISSION 6 th Framework Programme on Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Marie Curie Mobility Actions Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) A2 Proposal Nr 1 Proposal Acronym 2 Participant Nr 11 INFORMATION ON ORGANISATIONS Participating organisation Organisation legal name 12 Organisation short name 13 Legal address PO Box 14 Postal Code 14 Cedex 14 Street name and number 14 Town Country 15 Internet homepage Activity Type 16 HE / RES / IND / OTH Legal status 17 GOV/INO/JRC/PUC/PRC/EEIG/PNP If PRC please specify 18 Is the organisation a Small or Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME)? 19 YES/NO Name of Less-Favoured Region if applicable 20 Are there dependencies between the organisation and (an)other participant(s)? 21 YES/NO n.a. If yes, participant number n.a. If yes, participant short name n.a. Character of dependence SG, CLS, CLB 22 n.a. If yes, participant number n.a. If yes, participant short name n.a. Character of dependence SG, CLS, CLB 22 n.a. If yes, participant number n.a. If yes, participant short name n.a. Character of dependence SG, CLS, CLB 22 n.a. Scientist in charge 23 Name Title 24 Department/Faculty/Institute/Laboratory name First name(s) Sex 25 Female(=F)/Male(=M) Address (if different from above) PO Box 14 Postal Code Cedex 14 Street name and number 14 Town Country 15 Phone 1 26 Phone 2 26 Fax 26 Internet home-page Previously submitted similar proposals or signed contracts? 27 If yes, programme name(s) and year If yes, proposal or contract number(s) YES/NO 25