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PROJECT

ACQUISITION

Typically, projects don't just fall down from heaven; it is hard work to get one. No matter if you target a

professional career in academia or in industry, project acquisition will be part of your future work.

This issue is a bit neglected in the textbook. Therefore, this section provides guideline.

How to acquire a project. How to write a project proposal.

This section focuses on the environment of universities. However, project acquisition in companies

follows similar basic rules.

Project acquisition

The acquisition of projects and funding is essential for each university or institute. For example, the

Institute for Geoinformatics in Mnster is working with 7-8 staff members regularly paid by the

university. But 30-50 additional staff members (students and research assistants) are working at the

institute and are paid by projects.

Therefore, some of you will already be involved in project acquisition before finishing your Master thesis.

And you will definitely be involved in project acquisition if you go on with an academic career.

Although there are many different types of projects, the basic rules are quite similar. Some general

guidelines:

Funding organizations and programs:

Funding opportunities for GI institutes are on different levels:

The university itself might offer its own funding programs. Usually, their budgets are rathersmall, e.g., for mobility measures (researchers, teachers).

On the national level, there are several funding opportunities:

Awards for projects and personal achievements, e.g., there will be several opportunitiesfor your Master/Diploma thesis

oundations there are many, most with a very specific target and a rather smallbudget

egional programs, e.g., programs for the city or the state National programs, e.g., in Germany, from the DAAD and DFG for larger projects in

research and education

The international level mostly targets big projects in education and research that involveinternational partners, e.g., the EC programs 7. Framework Program for research activities,

ALFA/TEMPUS/Asia-Link for cooperation in education, or the eLearning Programme, of which

the provision of this course is a part.
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For the further evaluation of whether the funding program is worth a try.

Evaluate the resources you need for writing a proposal versus the chances for success in termsof approval rate and targeted amount of funding (e.g., many EC programs have acceptance

rates of 10-20 %)

Evaluate if the funding rules are appropriate for you (e.g., many programs require a networkcontribution to the project, which, especially for universities, is difficult to provide).

Evaluate your own capabilities and resources, (e.g., is the required personnel with the requiredexpertise available on the required schedule?)

Proposals

Mostly, universities apply for projects in funding programs provided by local, national, or international

organizations. There are some general rules for the submission of a project proposal:

Read carefully the proposal forms and guidelines for applicants! (E.g., at first glance, theprogram fits perfectly to your project idea, but you have overlooked minor issues like the

deadline is past or your country is not allowed in this program.)

Obey formal rules! (E.g., even if you might think it ridiculous to send 4 original paper versions,just do it. Each funding program receives many applications, and they will be happy to kick you

out for formal reasons less work for them.)

Use given proposal structure and key words! (E.g., the reviewers have to evaluate manyproposals. First, they are not willing to consider the different structure of your proposal, which

you might think much more logical. And reviewers like key words. If the program objective is to

support the Bologna process, be sure that you wrote Bologna process at least five times,

and the reviewer will almost be convinced that you addressed this program objective.)

Address the programs evaluation criteria! (Most funding programs provide transparentevaluation criteria. After finishing the first draft version of your proposal, re-read it with the

eyes of a reviewer and check if you have addressed all evaluation criteria in the best way.)

Answer ALL questions asked in the proposal form! (All programs explicitly or implicitly formulatequestions that the applicant should answer. Screen the proposal forms and guidelines for those

questions and be sure that you answered all of them.)

Before you start writing a proposal, define who is leading the proposal writing and get clearcommitments from the project partners for the various tasks for submitting the proposal!

(Writing a proposal can be considered as a project itself. It is most important to have a boss

and to have organized which partner is responsible for what during this process.) Set up a schedule with milestones and deadlines for performing the proposal writing process!

(An obvious example is that you have to finish the projects work plan before you can calculate

the budget. Typically, budget calculation is a difficult and time-consuming task. If the milestone

for the work plan is not scheduled appropriately, and the budget is calculated on the last day,

the budget will have mistakes, and the project consortium will loose money. Another example

(by own experience) is the provision of an originally signed letter of intent or letter of support

from all project partners, which often are required in bigger programs. An early milestone for

the provision of these documents is essential. It can happen that the respective decision maker

is not willing to sign the document or is currently not available, and, therefore, the proposal has

to be re-written for one partner less, or the almost ready proposal has to be canceled.)


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Funding programs, projects and, consequently, project proposals differ widely. However, proposals have

basic elements, which are also applicable for non-funded projects, e.g., offers to and contracts with

companies:

Abstract (or executive summary) Consortium Objectives Relevance of the project Project description Activities Results Budget.

1. Abstract

Most of the program guidelines require an abstract or summary of the project. Typically, there are a

specified number of words or characters, e.g., 100 words in the EC program ALFA.

An abstract cannot provide all the project details you think important. An abstract can be considered as

an advertisement for reading and appreciating the rest. Therefore, an abstract can only provide some

key ideas or the killer idea or unique selling points by emphasizing the underlying important problem

and its solution.

Invest time it is worth the effort! An abstract is the most important part of the proposal. After reading

the abstract, a major part of the decision process of the reviewer for approval or denial is over.

In informal proposals, an abstract or summary might not be required officially. However, the provision

of an executive summary is essential. As a rule of thumb, it should not exceed one page. The emphasis

is on the (expected) results.

2. Consortium

A reviewer wants to know if the project consortium will be capable of fulfilling the promised tasks and

achieving the expected results. Therefore, a proposal has to

Include information about the expertise and know-how of each partner and the staff members Show that the consortium is coherent each partner contributes with his core competences to

the common goal.

3. Objectives

Objectives are high-level. For example, an objective is NOT to exchange students, but enhance the

cooperation of two partners in GI education.


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The project objectives have to match the objectives of the targeted funding program.

4. Relevance of the project

Relevance has several aspects:

1. The project is relevant for achieving the overall goals of the funding program.2. The project has the potential to solve a relevant problem.3. The project consortium is relevant for the project: Due to previous work, the consortium is

appropriate to perform the project.

4. The project does something new. Previous work of the consortium and of others have to bedescribed; the new has to be argued.

A project always addresses certain needs. Make this your unique selling point.

5. Project description

The project description provides details about organizational aspects and contents of the project.

Although this part of a proposal is the largest, no further guidelines can be provided: It differs too

widely from proposal to proposal. But mostly, strict rules and structures are given for describing a

project.

6. Activities

Performing activities can be considered as part of the method to achieve the project objectives. The

underlying question is Why (do you perform this activity)?

Of course, each activity has to be described carefully in order to show What (is it)?

The next question is How? Each activity has as a defined person who is responsible. And activities

have certain starting and ending dates.

However, the most important aspect is: each activity leads to a physical and measurable result!

Even if not required, activities should be illustrated in terms of an overview figure or table. Typically,

activities are hierarchical with top- and low-level activities.

7. Results

Results are directly produced from activities. As stated for the activities, results are part of the method

to achieve the project objectives. Each result has specifications, what it looks like, a responsible person

and a deadline.


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Results have to be physical and measurable!!! For example.

A project result is NOT students mobility measures but two-page students mobility reportsand transcripts of records, documenting four three-month mobility measures of partner A and B

in 2006.

A project result is NOT a project meeting but the meeting minutes. A project result is NOT a prototype but the test report certifying that the prototype fulfills the

required specification.

The definition of results also forms a basis for risk management. Typically, a result is an input for the

next activity, and a clear definition of the output of the first activity facilitates the analysis of the risk, if

a result is not available for the second activity.

Results should be illustrated in terms of overview figures. Typically, activities and results are commonly

described in the same figure/table.

8. Budget

The most appropriate guideline is: Read the respective program rules. Budget calculations differ widely

from program to program. Most important is to evaluate the eligible costs versus the non-eligible costs.

Popular mistakes are thinking costs eligible, when they are not; neglecting maximumamounts, lump

sums, and, especially, non-eligibility of VAT. If applicable, network contributions to the project costs are

a severe problem.

Typical budget items in a project are:

Personnel Travel costs Consumables Durable equipment Sub-contracting Other costs Overhead.

Overall project logic

The overall logic of a project proposal rests on the following sequence:

ObjectivesActivities Results

After writing a first version of a proposal, re-read it carefully and make a VERY strict examination, if

Each objective is addressed by appropriate activities, and, vice-versa, if each activity addressesa pre-defined objective


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Each activity ends with a physical, measurable result!!!!

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