‘Work Programmes’ and ‘Calls for Proposals’
The concrete plans for implementing the Specific Programmes are announced by the European Commission in annual ‘Work Programmes’. These work programmes include the schedule of ‘Calls for Proposals’, commonly known just as ‘Calls’, to be published during the year. Each Call usually covers specific research areas, and you may have to wait until the publication of a Call which covers your exact area of interest.
How will I know when a Call for Proposals is issued?
All Calls are announced in the EU’s Official Journal (which is the official source of EU documents). The annual work programmes and the full texts of the Calls are published on the FP7 section of CORDIS, the website dedicated to EU-supported research is here
CORDIS is continuously updated with the latest information on Calls for proposals, as well as other information and services related to Community research. CORDIS will help you find information – and plan your proposal.
Submit your proposal
You respond to a Call by submitting your proposal. Proposals may be submitted at any time after a Call opens, until the deadline. The Guide for Applicants (also published on CORDIS) will guide you through the process, and point you towards other useful documents. A Web- based electronic online tool called EPSS (‘Electronic Proposal Submission Service’) is the obligatory channel for submission of proposals.
What happens after I submit a proposal?
After the deadline for the Call, all the proposals submitted are evaluated by a panel of independent evaluators, who are recognised specialists in the relevant fields. The panel will check the proposals against a published set of criteria to see if the quality of research proposed is worthy of funding.
The key criteria used for this evaluation are explained in the Guide for Applicants.
And if my proposal is accepted?
For successful proposals, the European Commission enters into financial and scientific/technical negotiations with your consortium on the details of the project. Finally, a grant agreement between each participant and the Commission is drawn up. This sets out the rights and obligations of the beneficiaries and the European Community, including the EU’s financial contribution to your research costs.
For additional information on all issues related to Calls (including step-by-step advice on how to submit a proposal, eligibility criteria, evaluations, Intellectual Property issues, etc.), please refer to the Guide for Applicants.