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Making outreach reporting easier – the importance of continuous monitoring

With this blog post, we list common challenges to the reporting on communication, dissemination and exploitation activities to the European Commission and share our best practices on how to overcome these, including methods and tools.

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Your guide to 2024 Cancer Mission call topics – key Q&As for proposal success

The updated Cancer Mission Work Programme 2024 has recently been released, and six new call topics with total funding of €119 million are now ready for your proposal submission. In this blog post, we provide insights from the Q&A sessions of the Cancer Mission info days to support your proposal preparation journey.

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Planning Cancer Mission cluster activities in your Horizon Europe proposal

Managing a Cancer Mission project can be challenging, especially when it comes to clustering activities. Dive into the insights gained from our experience with Cancer Mission projects and learn about the objectives and methods of the Cancer Mission and how project clustering can effectively harness synergies and prevent duplicative efforts.

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EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2024 – more than just 5 new call topics for proposals

The Pathfinder Challenges 2024 projects set out to pave the way for breakthrough, innovative and radically new ideas in areas of Cleantech and Digitalisation. In this article, we look at the five upcoming proposal calls and give you a short overview of our involvement in EU projects supporting digital transformations and the EU Green Deal.

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EIC Pathfinder Challenges – novelties in this year’s call 2024

The EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2024 offer new and exciting funding opportunities. Here are some points to give you an insight into this funding scheme, with highlights of this year’s proposal, funding type and evaluation considerations. Have a look to see if this call might be right for you.

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Do not let risks become real – best practices for risk management in Horizon Europe

Consortia of Horizon Europe projects need to follow risk assessment procedures to identify and define risk mitigation strategies timely and appropriately. Proper EU project risk management ensures a smooth implementation process and is key for the success of your collaborative research project.

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From data to insight: The power of data visualisation in EU-funded projects

Data visualisation is a powerful tool to simplify and enhance understanding of complex data. Explore some data visualisation tools that can effectively transform research data in EU-funded projects into clear and concise messages for diverse audiences, highlighting the crucial role of ethics and accessibility for inclusive design.

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Effective Reporting in Horizon Europe: Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation

Navigating the intricate requirements set forth by the European Commission for reporting in Horizon Europe can become a challenge. In this blog post, experts from accelopment focus on reporting to the EC about communication, dissemination and exploitation activities.

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Moving from stage-1 to stage-2 with your Health proposal – tips for your work plan

The work plan is a key element of EU-funded research and innovation projects. If you have passed stage-1, you can still finetune the work packages. For Health projects, you might want to consider some specific aspects for your work plan based on our experience from successful proposals and projects.

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EIC Work Programme 2024 vs 2023 – changes in Pathfinder Open and Challenges

This year’s EIC Pathfinder funding instruments have both introduced some key changes. Here, we summarise the important difference from the last year which might help you to better prepare yourself for the submission or re-submission of your project proposal, and its evaluation process.

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Analysis of the EIC Pathfinder Open funded projects 2021-2023 – research areas, disciplines and more

EIC Pathfinder Open proposals that bring together high-risk/high-gain, radically new technologies and establish a highly complementary consortium are likely to be viewed favourably. Which other factors make your proposal compelling? Explore our insights from funded projects 2021-2023.

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The EIC Work Programme for 2024 – Opportunities across the full range of technology readiness

The EIC Work Programme for 2024 has been published. Have a look at the changes and novelties compared to 2023, focusing on the Pathfinder Open, Pathfinder Challenges and Transition instruments.

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How to comply with EU financial rules in Horizon Europe projects

Dive into the most common financial errors in Horizon Europe projects. From timesheet best practices to calculating daily rates, we guide you through ensuring financial compliance and project success, avoiding common errors that can affect funding for the whole consortium.

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Trends in EIC Pathfinder evaluation results – open to accepting the challenge

The EIC Pathfinder programme is a highly competitive funding scheme that supports groundbreaking technologies from a very early stage of development. Understanding the submission and evaluation statistics of previous calls may be informative for deciding if this funding scheme is suitable for your project idea.

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Preparing your Doctoral Candidates for a successful start

To prepare the Doctoral Candidates recruited in your MSCA-DN for a successful project start, a suite of information documents should be made available. Here we summarise which documents are mandatory and which documents we recommend to add to a comprehensive DC starter kit.

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Advancing Open Science through Horizon Europe: mandatory and recommended practices

Open Science in Horizon Europe promotes early, broad sharing of research knowledge. This blog post guides you through integrating Open Science from proposal writing to project implementation, emphasising adherence to Open Science mandatory and recommended practices.

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Cash flow in Horizon Europe projects – from pre-financing, interim to final payments

The most common project types in Horizon Europe, IAs and RIAs, typically receive EU fudning of 4-10 million euro. Although the project budgets and durations can vary significantly, the cash flow in all these projects follows the same rules. We like to share our knowledge and experience in financial management, including calculating payments to partners and monitoring the cash flow at project and partner levels.

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Making the most of the EC support services for innovation and exploitation in Horizon Europe projects

Bringing your publicly funded R&D innovations to the market is anything but straightforward. That is where the EC’s exploitation support services come into play, offering a helping hand to amplify your project’s impact. Join us as we delve into these services and how they can support your innovation endeavours.

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From H2020 to Horizon Europe – our experiences from the first periodic reports

Are your first periodic reports in Horizon Europe coming up soon? Based on our experience we have summarised the needed information and how to upload it to the EC portal.

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Get started – the first (recruitment) activities in your Horizon Europe MSCA DN

Your MSCA Doctoral Network was selected for funding and the Grant Agreement is about to be signed. It’s a good time to think about the next steps: the recruitment of the doctoral candidates. In this blog post, we outline the most important recruitment activities between signature of the grant agreement and the start of the Doctoral Candidates.

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Innovation management in Horizon Europe – from planning to implementation

We explore some of the cornerstones of the first part of our accelINNO® innovation management service by using AI-Mind, one of the projects we are involved in, as example. Learn how Jeanette Müller and Michael Hönger are supporting our partners on their journey from expected project results to the exploitation of valuable outcomes.

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The Implementation Plan: your guide through the complexities of Horizon Europe projects

Managing a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) funded project can be at times demanding and daunting. Our Implementation Plan guides consortia through the key administrative and management processes of their Horizon Europe project. Let’s dive into the details of this resource and explore why we believe it's an essential tool for any EU-funded project.

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Exploitation requirements in Horizon Europe – How to make use of your project results

We discuss the new requirements regarding project exploitation and periodic reporting in Horizon Europe. We explore how R&I projects can meet the requirements outlined in the EU valorisation policy and how accelopment's innovation management system, accelINNO®, can support these efforts. Stay informed by subscribing to our blog updates!

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Taking on the EIC Pathfinder Challenge: new directions in science and technology

The Pathfinder programme supports the research and development of bold ideas for future breakthrough technologies within Horizon EU. It encompasses two funding streams: Pathfinder Open, where applicants can propose any research topic, and Pathfinder Challenge, which provides funding for research projects of high societal, economic and political interest.

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Making EU project management efficient with accelCOCKPIT®

Project coordinators and partners often think that EU project management in Horizon Europe refers to only scientific coordination. However, it also covers the operational management of the grant and it bringstogether up to 15 partners. The project coordinator has a truly challenging job in aligning the work towards a joint project goal and accelCOCKPIT® is designed to make this task a seamless process.

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Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) doctoral candidates explained

Horizon Europe brought many changes to the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) scheme. As the term Early Stage Researcher (ESR) is no longer used and the rules have changed, we summarise the key conditions for the recruitment of doctoral candidates in a MSCA Doctoral Network (DN).

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Make the best of your DN – project management and communication

Transferable skills are key to successful MSCA Doctoral Networks. Provide your Doctoral Candidates with adequate training in project management as well as in communication and dissemination, truly building up their transferable skillset, their disposition towards teamwork, collaboration, and outreach.

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Get ready for your DN grant preparation – what you need to know

For many of the successful MSCA Doctoral Networks (DN) it will be the first time preparing a Horizon Europe grant. While much of the process is similar or unchanged to previous years, it is worth checking that you are aware of the latest terminology and some key principles to ensure a smooth grant preparation process.

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Managing MSCA-ITN projects during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Many ongoing MSCA ITNs that build on the mobility of early-stage researchers have been severely affected by the pandemic. How does the REA handle the four most common issues, 1: ESR recruitment delays, 2: Adapting the training plan, 3: Adjusting the secondment plans, and 4: Delays of deliverables and milestones?

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Innovation management in H2020 and Horizon Europe projects – More than just IP protection

The European Commission recently published the Innovation Scoreboard 2021. The report reveals that several global competitors are exceeding the EU’s performance in innovation. Among other measures to excel in innovation, the implementation of innovation management techniques is considered as a powerful tool to maximise the impact of innovation expenditures.

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From Horizon 2020 to Horizon Europe – what is new in the DESCA Model Consortium Agreement?

If your project gets funded, the EC requires you to establish a Consortium Agreement to ensure the (IP) rights and obligations, for all partners, that are not defined in the EC Grant Agreement. Using the DESCA template remains the gold standard.

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Happy New Eurostars – apply to the first call of 2022

Eurostars is an essential component of Horizon Europe, with 37 countries from within and outside Europe participating in the Eurostars programme. Each of these “Eurostars countries” has its own funding coverage policy for SMEs and other types of participants.

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Quality assurance in Horizon Europe projects and beyond

Good quality at all levels of your Horizon Europe project is highly desirable. From the professional quality management to implement your project, to adherence to scientific quality requirements and operational quality procedures at participant level, we can support you with our experience.

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No luck with EIC Accelerator? – Why not try Eurostars 3 instead?

Eurostars is an essential component of Horizon Europe, with 37 countries from within and outside Europe participating in the Eurostars programme. Each of these “Eurostars countries” has its own funding coverage policy for SMEs and other types of participants.

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There is more than food in the Horizon Europe’s Cluster 6 – check out the new funding opportunities

With a total budget of € 2.2 billion for 2021 to 2022, the Horizon Europe Cluster 6 is expected to support a transformative change of the EU economy and society to reduce environmental degradation, stop and reverse the decline of biodiversity, and better manage natural resources while meeting the EU's climate objectives and ensuring food and water security.

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A clean planet for all – a purposeful research programme to achieve Europe’s vision

With a total budget of € 2.8 billion for 2021 to 2022, the Horizon Europe Cluster 5 will contribute to achieving the EU's goal of becoming a climate neutral society. Although the Horizon Europe Climate, Energy and Mobility programme offers a wide array of funding opportunities, we expect a tough competition similar to the previous Horizon 2020 programmes.

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The Global Challenges of Horizon Europe and how they compare to Horizon 2020

From pillars, challenges, clusters, destinations, missions, calls, and call topics to Research and Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions, and Coordination and Support Actions – Horizon Europe, the new Framework Programme for Research and Innovation has it all. The terminology and structure is new and needs some elucidation.

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Safeguarding the planet through research and innovation projects

The projects that bring forward technologies and innovations for a more sustainable future impress us time and again. They help bringing the European Green Deal to reality. Earth Day puts the spotlight on them.

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From H2020 to Horizon Europe – a closer look at the new Grant Agreement

When your project is selected for EU funding, the Grant Agreement (a funding contract between the European Commission and the project consortium) is a prerequisite for the project to start. The new framework programme Horizon Europe has brought key changes to the Model Grant Agreement.

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Data Management Plan – why it’s important for your ITN and ESRs

A Data Management Plan is a priority for recently started ITNs. Read in this blog how you and your ESRs will get to grips with the essentials of data management.

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Involving Partner Organisations during ITN grant preparations – a best practice guide

A best practice guide to help you best coordinate the involvement and participation of Partner Organisations in your ITN.

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Reporting the impact of COVID-19 on your H2020 project to the EC.

Learn how to assess the impact of COVID-19 on our research projects and communicate it to the EC.

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H2020 project management during the COVID-19 pandemic

Keep managing efficiently your H2020 project with our tips.

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Managing MSCA-ITN projects during the COVID-19 pandemic

Keep managing efficiently your H2020 project with our tips.

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Tips to manage your H2020 project during the coronavirus pandemic

Keep managing efficiently your H2020 project with our tips.

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Make the best of your ITN – project management and communication

Project management and communication are key to successful ITNs. Learn why.

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ITN review – Experiences from the new check meetings

ITN review meetings focus on a transparent application process, equal opportunities with regard to gender and origin, active involvement of ESRs, as well support and communication.

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ITN review – Check meetings and how to prepare

With the introduction of the new ITN review meeting, Project Coordinator need to be aware of some important changes. We provide a checklist to support you.

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Cash flow in Horizon 2020 projects

Learn about the cash flow in Horizon 2020 projects, the risks for participating SMEs and how to avoid them.

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