Winning money from the Euopean Commission F7

Why and how to succeed!

Background

In 1996 Positive Concepts UK Ltd

Framework 4 Feasibility Study

Framework 4 Pilot Project

Lessons learned

UK to Nordic markets

Euro Baltic Software Alliance As.

The European Commission’s Enlargement plan 1996

The Baltic States and EC approval

Reviewing their suitability

Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania

Why I chose Estonia

1997 – 2003

2004 and refocused objectives

The EC’s Framework 6

The EC’s IST Directorate

IST Directorate’s e-government plans

Estonia’s success in e-government

Manchester an offer to all EU members

The plans for Framework 7

The stakeholder meetings

Framework 7

The directorates

The IST Directorate

The e-government division of IST DG

The stakeholder report

The F7 objectives of EC’s IST e-govt.

N example of what to do

Do your homework first!

What are you good at?

Do you have a Business Plan?

Is your Business Plan up to date?

The Estonian Enterprise Services:Grants for Business PlansExport GrantsAssistance in creating an IT network

Your own network

FIRST

Your own resources

An Estonian network

Your future plans

Who can assist you

Estonian support

Who else can help

Plan your network

SECOND

Use the web

Find other partners

Read about them

Check for ‘calls’

Get expert help

Select a ‘call’.

Build your team!

EAS- Estonian Enterprise

Get advice from EAS

Find an advisor or hire a consultancy

Draft your plan

Get the experts to rewrite it for you.

Seek a grant by investing €1000

Use the grant to rewrite your plan

Draft a team Plan

1. Chose an established Nordic team member from Finland, Sweden or Denmark.

2. Check for some other experienced members from the UK, Germany or the Netherlands

3. Review potential local partners in the Balkan states who could benefit.

4. Also review potential technical partners in the CIS and Russia

Get NDA’s signed FIRST

Register your idea here in Estonia

Apply for EU registration of the idea

Get everyone to send signed NDA’s

Evaluate team members

Check their skills and experiences

Draft the team member’s responsibility

Get each member to confirm in writing

Create detailed plans

1 Who will be the Manager of the whole project? Can you handle it yourself?

2 Do you have a balanced team able to do each aspect of the project?

3 Will each member be able to deliver their parts on time? Ho do you know this??

4 Check everyone’s financial background and credit ratings. Can they deliver?

Assign responsibilities

Send everyone an outline plan

Define clearly everyone’s roles

Define each person’s responsibilities

Draft an overall time table

Ask each member for THEIR timetable

Review the overall plan. Can it work?

Check each element

1 QUESTIONS to ask

Did each team deliver

Is their plan complete

Is their English good

Are their ideas good

Do you trust them

2 POINTS to check

Creditworthiness

Skill sets and people

Client references

Their documentation

Does it still make sense?

Create your plan

Give deadlines:… with reserve time

Get some overlap in the team roles

Get outlines first then detailed plans

Send each element to everyone

Does it still all make sense?

Rewrite your plan

Hire the best professional you can buy!

Select this professional at the start

Have them advise you at each stage

Do they believe in your final plans?

Create the final proposal

Get a draft checked by experts

Rewrite it again

Have all the figures re-checked

Send in the proposal EARLY

The final result ?

Based on past experience, you now have a 1 in 10 chance of winning funding from the EC.

So wait until the proposals have all been reviewed. You may need to defend your plan, be prepared!

Good Luck !