SME Instrument Phase 1 Manual

€186.00

IMPROVED THIRD EDITION IS NOW PUBLISHED! 

  • adapted to the new 2018-2020 Work Programme
  • new examples
  • even more detailed step-by-step writing instructions
Printed, large format, 187 pages

WITH THIS KNOW-HOW YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

  • quickly identify the potential of your innovation
  • develop the right strategy for the proposal
  • step-by-step lead the team that prepares the proposal
  • focus on the important elements of the proposal
  • recognize and avoid mistakes that could kill your proposal
  • replicate the best practices used by winning SME Instrument proposals
  • prepare a winning SME-1 proposal in accordance with the evaluation criteria
  • save enormous time otherwise spent on getting through 450+ pages of documentation available online

    WHO WILL FIND THIS KNOW-HOW USEFUL

    • experienced consultants that want to deepen their understanding of the SME Instrument
    • consultation companies that want to save time and resources when transferring their SME-1 knowledge to their junior consultants
    • innovative SMEs looking to learn how to pitch their business ideas from experience of the winning Horizon 2020 applicants
    • first time applicants for the SME Instrument Phase 1
    • applicants re-submitting their proposals to SME Instrument Phase 1 
    • all SME Instrument applicants interested in getting the insider knowledge on writing winning H2020 proposals

      Join thousands of companies that succeeded on SME instrument call and got funding for their project!

          100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE

          If you're not satisfied with the manual and you think that it does not provide value for money, simply return the book in its original condition within 7 days of receipt, and we'll credit your account for the full amount of the title less sending and handling fee.

          Get the insider know-how and win the SME-1 grant! 

            WHAT IS THE MANUAL ABOUT

            The Phase 1 of the Horizon 2020 SME instrument is a great tool for turning strong, innovative business ideas into winners on the market. Great ideas are awarded with 50.000 EUR grant for exploring their technical feasibility and commercial potential.

            However, only 14% of all of the applicants' proposals to SME Instrument calls do pass the threshold. Why is that? How is it possible, that as much as 86% of the proposals do not even meet the minumum quality threshold? An evaluation insight reveals that there is a similar writing pattern for both successful and unsuccessful H2020 SME Instrument proposals. Most of the winning proposals use similar writing approach, formation and tricks that allow them to be assessed fast and earn exceptional evaluation scores. On the other hand, most of the rejected SME Instrument proposals fail to deliver the right information, contain fatal mistakes or drop out essential but not obvious elements that are critical for success. 

            This manual contains the step-by-step guidance for writing a winning Horizon 2020 SME Phase 1 proposal, backed with examples of best practices and inside knowledge. Whether you have already applied to SME Instrument's Phase 1 or are applying to the next cut-offs, this manual will help you get the insiders' knowledge, learn the secrets from the winners and win the SME Instrument grant!

             

            CHAPTER LIST

            CHAPTER 1: BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SME INSTRUMENT - PHASE 1

            • What Is The H2020 SME Instrument?
            • Whole Application Process Explained
            • Information About The Funding

            CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING THE EVALUATION PROCESS

            • Whole Evaluation Process Explained
            • The Evaluators' Insight on the SME-1 Proposals
            • The Evaluation Criteria

            CHAPTER 3: BEFORE WRITING: GENERAL RULES FOR WRITING A WINNING PROPOSAL

            • Where to Start
            • The 8 Key Elements of the Most Winning Proposals
            • The 7 Fatal Mistakes That Will Kill Your Proposal

            CHAPTER 4: HOW TO BUILD A GREAT VISUAL APPEARANCE OF THE PROPOSAL

            • Document Layout and Formatting
            • Recommended Visuals

              CHAPTER 5: HOW TO WRITE A COMPELLING EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

              • The Relevance of the Summary for the Evaluators
              • How To Properly Formulate the Summary
              • Avoid Most Common Mistakes

              CHAPTER 6: HOW TO WRITE AN EXCEPTIONAL "EXCELLENCE"

              • 5 Important Things to Know Before Writing "Excellence"
              • Recommended Structure of the Section
              • How to Properly Formulate the Challenge and Solution
              • How to Properly Explain the Approach

              CHAPTER 7: HOW TO WRITE AN OUTSTANDING "IMPACT"

              • 6 Important Things to Know Before Writing "Impact"
              • How To Properly Write And Structure Impact
              • How To Properly Explain Measures to Enter the Market
              • How to Properly Outline the Business Model
              • How To Properly Address the IPR Issues

              CHAPTER 8: QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF THE IMPLEMENTATION

              • 4 Important Things to Know Before Writing Implementation
              • How to Present the Team
              • How to Describe the Tasks
              • How to Justify the Resources to be Committed

              CHAPTER 9: HOW TO CREATE A REPRESENTATIVE SECTION 4

              • 6 Important Things to Know Before Writing Section 4
              • The Key Company Information That is Being Evaluated
              • The Importance of Third Parties Involved in the Project
              • Which Appendices Can Significantly Improve Your Chances

              CHAPTER 10: WHEN IS IT OBLIGATORY TO FILL THE SECTION 5: ETHICS AND SECURITY

              • When is it Necessary to Fill Ethics
              • How to Properly Address the Ethics Issues

              All chapters include:

              • Checklist: Dos And Don'ts
              • Examples
              • Recommended Visuals

              ABOUT THE AUTHORS 

              Authors of the manuals are an international team of experts with years of direct and hands-on experience in EU funding and have successfully consulted, cooperated, evaluated and managed several EU projects.

              Borut Del Fabbro is an experienced project developer and evaluator and serves also as consultant to Venture Capital Funds. He has coordinated numerous successful EU funded proposals and participated in several EU funded projects. He is a tireless executive with a broad set of knowledge ranging from project appraisal and financing  to leadership and marketing skills.

              Rok Berovič is a project and business development manager with a proven expertise in project management, business planning and strategy, market research, and project planning and implementation. His skills and knowledge have contributed to realization of multiple H2020 and other EU funded proposals.

              Dr. Benjamin Leskovec has years of experience in EU funding programmes. As an accomplished entrepreneur, he is known for his ability to recognize feasible project opportunities. He has thus contributed to development and preparation of several EU proposals that led to projects with meaningful outcomes for participants and European society in general.

              Helena Suárez Lozano is a visual communication expert. She specializes in creating compelling and effective document designs that facilitate reading and conveying of ideas.

              Anja Bartol has international experience and specializes in writing the Impact section of H2020 proposals. She contributed to the thoroughness of the section dedicated to impact.

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              WHY ARE WE OFFERING THIS?

              A great Idea is not enough

              An excellent project proposal is essential. In order to prepare one, most winners have relied on outsourced EU proposal experts. But good experts are expensive and have only limited time. This means that organisations, that already have funding, also have the best chances to succeed. But it should be exactly the opposite. The EU funds should support those projects that cannot be realized due to lack of or insufficient funding.

              Fair opportunity for everyone

              We decided to change this and give everybody a fair opportunity to get their project funded. This is how the H2020 Manuals were born. We decided to share our knowledge and know-how in this manual and make it accessible to larger public at just a fraction of the regular cost. In this way we can help more great ideas succeed and we give an opportunity to all those, who cannot afford a one-on-one consultancy.

              Our experience shows that...

              Most of the winning proposals use similar writing approach, formation and tricks that allow them to be assessed fast and earn exceptional evaluation scores. On the other hand, most of the rejected SME Instrument proposals fail to deliver the right information, contain fatal mistakes or drop out essential but not obvious elements that are critical for success.