As promised in the previous post, I want to review the human relation and proposal management side of coordinating a FP7 proposal. That is a daunting task. Several things appeared to be obvious while I was in the midst of the process. Afterwards and in retrospect, however, it is clear that my used-to-be clear thoughts was muffled with the energy of the process itself. Too many details involved.
Another factor is time available to do the review. Unfortunately, not nearly enough really. That's why you will not get the full review even today. Since the last time I wrote I have been involved in submitting another proposal; for ERC advanced grant this time; so I have gather some more information on the differences. And I am writing on the coordination part offline. So there will be something, only later.
Now, is there anything I can say already? Probably.
My first advice as a coordinator to my fellow coordinators is: Search out as early as possible which parts of the proposal the consortium is reluctant to write. Then, start working on those. Find out who should write it, discuss openly that it will be hard to put together. And make sure that something happen. Be prepared to spend considerable amounts of time on those parts yourself. One particular thing to watch out for in a STREP proposal will be the Impact section. It's always the Impact section, right? Maybe not always, but certainly it's a recurring topic. Make sure that you start early on that one. And keep refining. Get input from everyone.
My second advice is that you should not let others drag you out of your comfort zone. Maybe you have a plan, but through discussions you as a group end up with something else. If you're not happy with that, don't just let it slip through. Stay on top of it, demand further discussion — either just with yourself, with a few others, or with everyone. It's your thing after all, so you are the one who have to live with the decision. This can be about simple things. Maybe you feel that a face-to-face meeting should happen early, while others demand (for good reason) that some things must be figured out first. Be sure that you are happy with decision, according to the timetable you have defined. And if you are not, don't stick to the plan. It's ok to make new plans. At least if it's still somewhat early. Be demanding within the limits made possible by the role you have been given.
My third advice is simple. Define your timetable. Then multiply it with a factor of, say, 1.5, for each partner you have not worked together with before. There will be events you don't know about today, and eventually those event will make you submit a proposal not as good as you hoped for. It's just a reality. It has nothing to do with whom you work with, besides the fact that since you have a different perspective and background, there will be events you have not thought about which will delay you.
This will be all for today. I plan to continue "later."
