Criteria for Success in Developing Project Proposals for the European Union in the Field

Criteria for success in developing project proposals for the European Union in the field of language promotion

This document is intended to provide a simple guide for developing project proposals for the European Union in the field of language promotion. We hope it will be useful for all anyone involved in designing, planning and implementing cultural and linguistic projects, as well as other projects aimed at particular linguistic communities. This guide discusses a number of the main issues that any proposal must have resolved before it is submitted to the European Commission. It draws heavily upon 1) a document byMichelle K. Carter, 2) the guidelines for funding from Phil Bartle at (both websites available in English, French and Spanish) as well as 3) usefulInternet learning materials developed by different International Organisations[1].

It is structured in two parts. Firstly, a list of general advice on the preparation of your EU proposal and the organisation of the consortium of partners as well as some considerations related to looking for others sources of funding. Secondly, we propose some concrete guidelines for designing your proposal taking in mind all stages of the circle of a project (conceptualisation, design, implementation and evaluation).

Index

A. GENERALUSEFUL ADVICE

1. SELECT THE EU FUNDING’S MISSION WHICH MATCHES YOUR NEEDS

2. ORGANISATION AND TIMING

3. IDENTIFY THE NEED/PROBLEM

4. CONSTITUTION OF A CONSORTIUM OF PARTNERS

5. CHOOSING A WORKING LANGUAGE

6. COLLECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON YOUR ORGANISATION

7. DEVELOP A PROPOSAL WRITING TEAM

8. RESEARCH AND IDENTIFY OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING

9. CONTACT POTENTIAL FUNDERS

10. CONTACT PREVIOUS GRANTEES

11. MOBILISING SUPPORT

12. DEVELOP A PROPOSAL PRODUCTION PLAN

13. GENERAL CRITERIA AND PRINCIPLES FOR EU FUNDING

14. THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE GUIDELINES

B. THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK

1. OVERVIEW

2. STRUCTURE

3. THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK MATRIX

3.1. THE STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

3.2. THE HIERARCHY OF PROBLEMS

3.3. THE HIERARCHY OF OBJECTIVES

3.3.1. DESCRIPTION OF CELLS

3.3.2. CHECKING THE DESIGN

3.4. INDICATORS FOR THE HIERARCHY OF OBJECTIVES

3.4.1. DESCRIPTION OF CELLS

3.4.2.CHECKING THE DESIGN

3.5. THE MEANS OF VERIFICATION COLUMN

3.6. THE ASSUMPTIONS COLUMN

4. SEQUENTIAL USE OF THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK

4.1. PROGRAMMING

4.2. IDENTIFICATION OF THE BEST ALTERNATIVE

4.3. ORIENTATION AND PREPARATION OF PROFILE II

4.4. ANALYSIS AND PREPARATION OF THE APPLICATION

4.5. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

4.6. EX-POST EVALUATION

C. THE WORK PLAN

D. EVALUATION AND PROJECT APPROVAL

E. ANNEXES

ANNEX 1: BASIC CRITERIA AND PRINCIPLES FOR EU FUNDING

ANNEX 2: PRINCIPLES OF THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK APPROACH

ANNEX 3: CONDUCTING A STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

ANNEX 4: COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN FORMULATING THE OBJECTIVE HIERARCHY

ANNEX 5: STANDARD EU WORK PLAN FORM

ANNEX 6: EVALUABILITY GUIDELINES

ANNEX 7: PROJECT DESIGN CHECKLIST

A. GENERAL USEFUL ADVICE

1. SELECT THE EU FUNDING’S MISSION WHICH MATCHES YOUR NEEDS

Every year the EU launches many calls for proposals related to EU programmes: It is important to be aware in good time of all EU information notices announcing the main objectives, types of beneficiaries and activities, budget available and deadlines of future calls for proposals. A good strategy should be to devote one person from your organisation to closely monitor this issue. It will allow you to have time enough for the proposal writing process. It also will give you an overall perspective of all different EU funding source and you will be able to choose the call for proposals best suited to your needs.

2. ORGANISATION AND TIMING

Proposal writing is more than just putting together pieces of information in accordance with funders' guidelines: It is a process that requires organisation, especially in the light of impending deadlines.

With a limited staff and time constraints, organisation is essential: To manage your efficiently, a plan for organizing grant information should be in place before you begin to write.

3. IDENTIFY THE NEED/PROBLEM

Funders are looking for ways to meet needs. That is, to close the "gap" between how things are and how things should be:You should prepare a statement that substantiates yourneed including statistical data that supports it.

4. CONSTITUTION OF A CONSORTIUM OF PARTNERS

Most of the EU programmes only fund projects with partners from at least three EU Members States: You should start to made contacts for potential partners in good time. If you don’t know how to start this process, you should ask the EU representations of your region and/or state for help, and look for existing organisations or networks working on similar issues.

If your organisation is not enough strong to lead a project, you should identify the networks which could develop your idea-project and/or a potential partner with wider expertise and self-funding soundness. During the first contacts with potential networks or a lead partner, you should present to them a first draft of your proposal with special emphasis on the potential benefits forthem if they accept your proposal. However the results of this negotiation should always ensure that your needs will be covered in all phases of the project.

The EU always requires a wide geographical representation in the consortium of partners. To select partners for your project, you should analyse your gaps which could be covered by other partners (taking into account this geographical representation as well as the background of each potential partner). A good potential partner should have the following elements: expertise, prestige, a transparency policy and financial soundness.

5. CHOOSING A WORKING LANGUAGE

The involvement of partners from different EU countries will usually require the use of a single working language during the proposal writing process and throughout the life of the project. You should ensure that your organisation always has staff with language skills and international expertise for establishing relations with potential partners from other countries and developing joint proposals.

6. COLLECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON YOUR ORGANISATION

Documentation about your organisation (and the partners involved in the case of a consortium) should be readily available: This collection of information should include articles of association of the coordinating institution, recent proof of the existence of the coordinating institution (i.e.the latest annual report, a bank declaration), details of the qualifications and previous experience of the participating institutions in the project area (including CVs of staff to be involved in the project).

7. DEVELOP A PROPOSAL WRITING TEAM

Identify all tasks for the proposal writing process. Assess the skills of each staff member (in each participant organisation) to determine who will be responsible for each part of this process; Who will conduct the desk research? Who will write? Who will draft the budget? Who will type, make copies, etc.?

8. RESEARCH AND IDENTIFY OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING

Nearly all EU grants require other sources of funding (a percentage which should be ensured by the applicants and/or by other public bodies or private funders). We highly recommend you obtain resources from several sources. Here you will have to plan a fund-raising strategy:

Analysing the different funding options offered by national, regional and local authorities in your country (and those of your prospective partners) and their relevance to the main EU guidelines of the call of proposals chosen.

Researching potential private donors working in fields close to your objectives. Many foundations have websites providing guidelines and application information. There are also printed directories that list thousands of foundations and a number of government agencies that provide grants.

As you identify potential funders, ask yourself: Does the funder's mission match our needs? Do we meet the funder's eligibility requirements? Are the prospects for funding good?

Almost all government agencies, foundations and private agencies have their own proposal format that they will want you to follow. While format varies, agencies and foundations ask for the same information, though their selection criteria may be different. Create a profile for each potential funder. In any case, your project proposal should be practical, not too costly and have the potential for being repeated in other situations.

Increasingly, funding agencies are looking for “integrated approaches”at European education and cultural projects. This means that you should try and make sure your project supports and supplements existingactivities and is designed to overcome identified problems.

9. CONTACT POTENTIAL FUNDERS

To obtain guidelines and applications, contact funders whose missions match your needs: This initial contact is the first step for cultivating a relationship with the funder.

10. CONTACT PREVIOUS GRANTEES

Prior grantees are generally listed on the funder's web site: This list is evidence of what a particular funder is interested in funding.

Contact at least three of such grantees.

Ask them about their experience with the funder and why they think they were successful. Try to get a copy of one of the applications to use as a model.

11. MOBILISING SUPPORT

In addition to the other sources of funding, your EU proposal will be reinforced if it can demonstrate kinds of support other than the financial ones. It is important to generate interest and mobilise support among public authorities and prestigious organisations. Letters of support from these as annexes to your application will give it an added value.

12. DEVELOP A PROPOSAL PRODUCTION PLAN

This plan should include:

a list of your goals and objectives;

an outline of the elements of the proposal and who is responsible for designing each;

an activity schedule detailing who will do what and when; and

scheduled meetings with the proposal writing team.

The preparation of this plan is much more complex when the applicant is a consortium of partners. The lead institution negotiates between all partners to identify the distribution of tasks and the level of responsibility of each partner.

13. GENERALCRITERIA AND PRINCIPLES FOR EU FUNDING

Each EU programme has its own specific requirements. However, before developing your proposal you should know the basic criteria and principles that should be contemplated in all proposals seeking EU co-funding (European dimension, transnationality, added value, multiplier effect, innovation, etc.)

14. THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE GUIDELINES

A detailed analysis of the specific requirements of the selected call for proposals is essential. It should include a careful examination of the guidelines; your proposal should fall within the main objectives and issues requiredin the call for proposals. The analysis of the main EU policy documents in the field (Resolutions, Actions Plan, Communications from the EC, etc.)can also give you an overview of the principal interests of the EU and they can be useful resources to quote in your proposal.They are usually available the EU programme website in the Official Documents folder (“Key documents”)

TO RECAPITULATE:

EU Documents for preparing your application
Before filling in the forms, you should read carefully all available documents on Internet related to the call. Usually they are the following:
Note of publication of the call for proposals on the Internet
The text of the call for proposals
Grant request form
Explanatory Note annex to the form (when appropriate).
Budget Breakdown
Financial identification form
Frequently Asked Questions
Other annexes as for instance table per diem subsistence cost and travel costs by country, staff costs categories, etc.
Writing your proposal
While preparing your project proposal, be sure to consider the following points:
have a well-defined thematic orientation which is related to the priority themes defined in the call for proposals
detail the concrete needs identified
state your objective clearly, identifying the added value to the already existing pool of knowledge that already existand the European dimension
describe in detail methods to be used in order to achieve the desired results
describe the phases of the project (through a clear working plan) and the concrete outcomes of each
describe how project results/products will be disseminated, taking into account the desired target audiences
describe how the project will be evaluated

B. THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK APPROACH

1. OVERVIEW

In order to develop your proposal, we recommend you organise your ideas following the “Logical Framework Approach” (LFA). This is a tool for the conceptualization, design, implementation and evaluation of projects. Its purposes are 1) to give structure to the process of planning and 2) to communicate essential information about the project. It can be used at all stages of project preparation: programming, identification, orientation, analysis, presentation to review committees, implementation, and ex-post evaluation. Early participation of all partners involved in the project is important.The logical framework approach is widely used in development and humanitarian aid projects. We consider that can also be very useful for cultural,educationaland community developmentprojects.

The approach was first developed to cope with three commonly-found problems:

1. project planning lacking precision, with multiple objectives not clearly related to project activities;
2. projects not being executed successfully, and the extent of the manager's responsibility being unclear; and,
3. there was no clear picture of what a particular project would look like if it were successful, and evaluators had no objective basis to compare what was planned with what actually happened.

The LFA addresses these problems by stressing clarity of objectives, determination of responsibilities and measurability. It provides a number of advantages over less structured approaches:

1. a uniform terminology that facilitates communication and helps reduce ambiguity ;
2. a common analytic outline that can be used by all partners involved inthe projectto develop both the project and the final report;
3. the focus of technical work on critical aspects that can shorten profiles and project documents considerably;
4. the information to organise and prepare the project implementation plan;
5. the necessary information for design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation all in one place.
6. a structure which presents the most important information about the project in a single table.

Once you have developed your proposal using the LFA, fillingin the EU form will be very easy!

2. STRUCTURE

The logical framework is presented as a four by four matrix (see Figure 1). The four columns provide the following information:

1. A Narrative Summary of the Objectives and Activities
2. Indicators (specific targets to be reached)
3. Means of Verification
4. Conditions/Assumptions (external factors that imply risks)

The rows of the matrix present information on the above (objectives, indicators, means of verification, and assumptions) at four different times in the life of the project:

1. Goal to which the project contributes significantly after the project has been in operation.
2. Purpose achieved when the project has been completed.
3. Outputs/components achieved during implementation.
4. Activities required during production of the Outputs.

The LFA helps project designers better understand the problems they are trying to solve. The framework is based on twobasic principles: first, cause-effect relationships between different parts of a problem which correspond to the four levels (or rows) of the framework which relate to activities (or inputs), outputs (or components), the purpose and the goal as the set of hierarchical project objectives; second, the principle of correspondence, which links the four levels of objectives to the measurement of attainment (indicators and means of verification) and conditions which may affect attainment (or assumptions).

3. THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK MATRIX (Figure 1)

Narrative Summary / Indicators / Means of Verification / Assumptions
GOAL/S or OVERALL OBJECTIVE/S
The long-term objective, change of state or improved situation towards which the project is making a contribution.
How to write it: put the verb in the past tense, as something already achieved over the long term / The indicators at Goal level describe how the overall impact of the project shall be measured. They are specific in terms of quantity, quality, and time (target group and location if relevant). / The means of verification are the sources of information that can be used to verify that the targets were achieved. They can include published material, surveys, etc. / The assumptions indicate the important events, conditions, or decisions necessary for the sustainability in the long run of the benefits generated by the project.
PURPOSE
The immediate project objective, the overall observable changes in performance, behaviour or resource status that should occur as a result of the project. It is a hypothesis about the impact or benefit that the project attempts to achieve.
How to write it: put the verb in the present or past tense, as if already achieved / The indicators at the Purpose level describe how the direct impact of the project shall be measured. They should include targets reflecting the end of project status. They are specific in terms of quantity, quality, and time (target group and location if relevant). / The means of verification are the sources to which the executor and evaluator can refer to see if the targets are being achieved. They can indicate that there is a problem and suggest the need for changes in project Outputs. They can include published material, sample surveys, etc. / The assumptions indicate the events, conditions, or decisions that must occur in order for the project to contribute significantly to the achievement of the Goal.
OUTPUTS
The products, services or results that must be delivered by the project for the goal and purpose to be achieved.
How to write it: They should be expressed as work completed (services actives, people trained, etc.). / The indicators for Outputs are succinct, but clear, descriptions of each of the Outputs that have to be completed during implementation. Each should specify quantity, quality and timing of the people trained, services actives, etc. to be delivered. / This cell tells where an evaluator can find the sources of information to verify that the products/services contracted have been delivered. Sources can include auditor's reports, etc. / The assumptions are the events, conditions, or decisions that have to occur in order for the Outputs to achieve the Purpose for which they were undertaken.
ACTIVITIES
Activities are the tasks that the executor must carry out in order to produce each of the Outputs of the project and that denote costs. Activities are listed in chronological order for each Output. / This cell contains the budget for each Output produced by the project. / This cell tells where an evaluator can obtain information on whether the budget was spent as planned. It is usually the accounting records of the lead institution and partners. / The assumptions are the events, conditions, or decisions that have to occur in order to complete the Outputs of the project.

3.1. STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS