Course 4: How to write an excellent impact section in an European Grant application proposal (HEU-102)

Make a difference in your European grant application with a great Impact section​
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Duration

The course duration is min 3 hours face-to-face including interactions. It does not include any break time as well as any presentations to be made by other speakers that should be added if applicable. The structure of the course has been optimized consistently in order to achieve the highest effect at the least possible duration and ensuring the largest participation, especially of individuals with a busy schedule.
The above structure doesn't include any hands on practice. Therefore, in addition, as extra optional module, we can add a  0.5, 1 or 1.5 day that involves practical assignments, group work and customised support on the specific needs that each participant has. The ultimate aim of this module is for participants not only to understand the full recipe with detailed steps on how to develop a great Impact section in an Europe grant application (Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, etc) but also to build them with confidence, energy and joy for achieving breakthroughs in any European Funding Programme. 

Number of participants

 There is no limitation on the number of participants. They can be from 6 to 600+ as long as they can listen to the instructor (Mr. Nikolaos Floratos) with a lavaliere microphone and can see his projections on screen wall and what he writes on the flipchart). ​
​For the Hands on Module it is better to limit the participants up to 50.

Learning Objectives

This course focuses on step-by-step best practices and techniques in developing an Impact section of high value within your grant application form. It is mainly applicable for collaborative type of actions (e.g. transeuropean actions, etc) but also many tips and techniques can be applied in all other type of actions. More specifically, by the end of the course, participants are expected to:
  1. Realise the value of a Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy in your Research and Innovation proposal
  2. Understand the difference between dissemination & exploitation and communication strategies
  3. Understand what EC evaluators expect to see under the Impact section and how to address that
  4. Understand why you need three different managers with different roles and expertise for successful implementation of the expected impacts
  5. Budget effectively the project communication, dissemination and exploitation activities 
  6. Identify, analyse and prioritise your project stakeholders
  7. Describe convincingly how to engage the project stakeholders
  8. Identify highly related impacts in addition to the ones expected from the European Funding call topic and show how the project will contribute to each one of them
  9. Suggest measures for advancing innovation capacity and integrating new technology
  10. Identify, analyse and prioritise potential Barriers and Obstacles for achieving expected impacts and how you will avoid or overcome them
  11. Discover resources for building your strategy on expected impacts and barriers 
  12. Describe an effective communication strategy
  13. Describe a great dissemination and exploitation strategy
  14. Understand the Innovation Development Cycle in your project and seeing beyond the end of the project
  15. Understand the value and describe in your Horizon proposal the commercialisation strategy of your project beyond its contractual period
  16. Describe in your Horizon proposal the business strategy of your project beyond its contractual period and
  17. Describe a research data management plan of high value

Course Structure and Approach

Module 1: 
  • Clarifying different concepts under Impact section in your European grant application 
  • Understanding what evaluators expect to see under Impact section
Module 2:
  • Mastering techniques on dealing successfully and methodically with strategies for showing how to achieve the various expected impacts and how to overcome related barriers
Module 3:
  • Developing an effective communication strategy
  • Developing a great dissemination and exploitation strategy
  • Writing a research data management plan of high value
Module 4:
Adding extra value in your proposal by considering strategies applicable beyond the contractual project end
  • Describing the commercialisation strategy of your project
  • Describing the business strategy of your project
Module 5 (optional)
  • Hands on Practice to build participants with confidence, energy and joy for achieving breakthroughs in Horizon Europe Impact section. ​
  • Duration  of this module as an extra/optional one can be 0.5, 1 or 1.5 day

Specialisation Certificate

All participants after attending the whole course can receive a specialisation certificate on "Valorising European Projects"  issued by Institute of Leadership and Management,  part of City and Guilds group.

Important Note - Why you should attend this course:

  • Do you know that most of the European  grant applications above the threshold that have not been funded, have received a lower mark in Impact? 
  • Do you know that anyone with the proper guidance, practice and access to resources can develop an excellent Impact section in any Horizon Europe grant application? 
  • Writing an Impact section of high value is actually one of the key-success factors for developing a winning proposal in Horizon Europe but many organisations including research institutes, industry, SMEs, policy advisors (NGOs, Non-profit ones) face many challenges on preparing an impact section of high value. This course will support participants to master best practices and apply well-proved techniques for developing more effectively a great impact section in an Horizon Europe proposal.

Available Unique Resources

In addition, we will make available  to all participants the following powerful tools and templates that are based on best practices from more than one hundred successful applications in Horizon Europe:
  1. The Full-Module Training Handbook™ with the training slides for each one of the modules above
  2. The IMPACT section toolkit™ that contains key examples and editable templates related to Impact section. 

Training fee

We offer the best training experience at the most economical price. Please contact us at [email protected] to provide you more details on the training fee for delivering this distinct course at your premises. Please indicate to us 
  1. the exact course you are interested in,
  2. the provisional dates that are more convenient for you,
  3. the expected location,
  4. the estimated number of participants as well as 
  5. whether you are interested in your participants receiving the ILM/City & Guilds Specialisation Certificate.

Training Logistics

A lavaliere microphone, projector to be connected to trainer’s laptop or to a PC, a screen wall, a flipchart and markers, wifi.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee: 

We are the only training organization on Horizon Europe that our approach is based on results and not on effort. We are so confident of the high value of our training that we personally guarantee on its quality, effectiveness and distinct value. In case, you are not satisfied with our training, then we will not get paid anything. Even if some of the participants have already participated in any another training session, we are committed to deliver an eye-opening session for all participants from novices to senior experts in European Research and Innovation.

About the Trainer - Nikolaos Floratos

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Nikolaos is ranked by Google and Linkedin in the top three positions as funding expert. His passion is education and training and his mission is to transform the life of individuals and make them better persons with his training. He is also a Phd researcher in student engagement and eLearning. He is a lifelong learner with B.Eng and M.Sc in Electrical Engineering and Communications from Imperial College, London, an MBA from National Technical University & Athens University of Economics and Business and recently completed his Bachelor of Arts in history of civilizations as a hobby. The last 10 years, he has transformed thousands of individuals from more than forty countries into successful grant application developers through outstanding training and coaching practices. He is the author also of the ebook "Who are the champions in Horizon 2020 and what you can learn from them" and he is also the host and organiser of the Horizon 2020 Virtual Summit (www.horizon2020summit.eu) the largest annual virtual training event with more than 35 top experts in Horizon 2020 as trainers and more than 2500 participants. He is an expert on behalf of the European Commission on evaluating and reviewing projects and proposals since 2003 and currently, through his research, he focuses on student engagement and he has proved that anyone can master even complicated subjects very fast by receiving training and support in an engaging way and with the proper instruction strategy. He delivers all his courses and seminars based on continuous interactions with his audience and based on “recipes” and practical steps that allow them to absorb easily what they should master and achieve extraordinary results very quickly. He has trained hundreds of organisations, universities and research institutions from all over Europe on how to exploit successfully Horizon 2020 and has received more than 100  recommendations at his linkedin profile as a funding expert, coach and trainer. Recently, he has founded the Funding Expert Academy for transforming individuals into great grant application developers. A list of indicative universities and other european or international organisations that Nikolaos has supported  researchers and individuals on Horizon 2020 follow below:
  • Open University of Catalonia (Spain)
  • Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain)
  • Sabanci University (Turkey), 
  • University of Bergen (Norway),
  • Seinajoki University (Finland)
  • Satakunta Univesity (Finland)
  • Cergy Pontoise University (France)
  • European Academy (Ireland)
  • Center for Research and Technology (Greece)
  • National Center for Scientific Research "DEMOKRITOS" (Greece)
  • Technical University of Cyprus (Cyprus)
  • University of Malta (Malta)
  • KU Leuven (Belgium)
  • Louvain University (Belgium)
  • University of Perugia (Italy)
  • Hogeschool van Amsterdam (Netherlands)
  • Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)
  • European Academy for Education and Social Research (Ireland)
  • Olympic Committee of Serbia (Serbia)
  • European Regions Research and Innovation Network (European)
  • European Platform for Rehabilitation (European)
  • South Africa Research and Innovation Management Association (South Africa)
  • Western Africa Research and Innovation Management Association.