FAQ European project / Projet Européen

EIfEL will not respond to queries such as:

• Our organisation is a world class leader in eLearning and we would like to be considered as a potential partner the next time you respond to a call for tender (Socrates, Leonardo, etc.).
• Are you interested to respond with us to an eLearning call for tender

EIfEL will respond only to demands with the following information:

• Specific call for tender references (Socrates, Minerva call #, etc.), action line, etc.
• Name of the organisation acting as coordinator for the response
• Objectives of the project, potential ouputs/deliverables
• Why should EIfEL be a partner? How does this project fit with EIfEL's mission and vision?
• Partnership envisioned – not necessarily to final one!
• How shall EIfEL get its co-funding back?

The last point is particularly important: as projects are co-funded, it is critical that the co-funded part of the project is translated into potential or real benefits to EIfEL Members. One alternative option is to make the other partners of the consortium pay for EIfEL's co-funding part – generally not necessary if the partners are or become EIfEL Corporate Members

On the other hand, if you would like EIfEL to build a proposal and a consortium for you, you could either choose to join EIfEL as Sponsor Member or to use our services, for example, building a Socrates proposal is typically a 5 days senior consultant work (free for Sponsors, cost is 5,000 for Professional Members, 8,000 for non-members).

EIfEL is extremely conscious that the funds provided by the European Commission are tax-payers money. We feel therefore that it is our duty to provide the maximum return on investment of European tax-payers money and to support and only contribute to projects sharing that have a chance to make a real difference in terms of:

• Innovation, advancement of research
• Social inclusion, accessibility, employment
• Quality

Do:

• Do read the call for tenders carefully and do respond that call
• Define what the objectives are and the unique benefits your project will bring
• Define clearly identified deliverables
• Identify very early on who are the partners you need to achieve your objectives
• Plan efficient communication and reporting system

Don't:

• Don't respond to a call for tender unless your project fits 100% the requirements
• Don't apply if your objective is to make money –projects are generally co-funded (50 to 80%)
• Don't cut and paste from a previous proposal, changing just a few words in the text (it has happened!)
• Don't apply unless you know how to get the return on your co-funding
• Don't underestimate the risks you, your partners and the other people involved take
• Don't underestimate the management efforts required to make the project successful
• Don't underestimate the travel expenses

• Don't wait until the end of the project to disseminate: initially the project, then its outcomes

   

   

The chances of being successful are directly linked to the quality of the proposal, then, if it is good, to its ranking among all the other responses.

It isn't unusual that 1/3 of the responses are rejected, simply because the authors haven't read nor understood the proposal.

EIfEL is a leading European professional association in the field of knowledge, information and learning technologies (KILT) at the service of education, training and human resource development.

EIfEL has:

• a strategic vision on the way knowledge, information and learning technologies can be used to build together a Learning Europe
• an extensive experience with European projects
• an extensive network of partners throughout Europe
• a state of the art collaborative environment and project management tools
• the ability to maximise the future self-sustainability of your project, the exploitation of its results by a large community of practitioners.

• a European presence that provides a natural framework for the dissemination of the results of a project, accelerate adoption

   

EIfEL can help you in different ways:

1. EIfEL can lead a European project, from the response to a call for tender, down to the redaction of the final report; or
2. EIfEL can be a partner in a project led by another organisation, to contribute to operational tasks or to act as an ‘internal reviewer' responsible for project's quality assurance; or
3. EIfEL can assist your organisation to respond to a call for tender, find relevant partners, etc.;

Depending on their status, EIfEL provides part or all of those services to its corporate members. For non-members, those services are limited (e.g. publish a request for partnership on EIfEL's member website).

Depending on the nature, size, duration, of the project and EIfEL's role, EIfEL will be able to provide staff, either internal (this is typical of an Institute's lead project) or external.

Initially, the interlocutor will be an EIfEL staff member, then, depending on the nature of the project and your needs, EIfEL might put you in contact with one of our members who will provide the resources required for the duration of the project.

EIfEL's team will remain responsible for the quality assurance of the service provided.

If your organisation is a Corporate member of EIfEL, you will receive regular information on the opportunities for projects such as calls for tenders. You will also be identified by other organisations that are looking for partners

If your organisation is a Professional Member, you will have the opportunity to be solicited to be part of projects lead by EIfEL or one of the Institute's members.

If your organisation is a Founding Member or a Sponsor Member, EIfEL will organise responses to call for tenders especially for you

If your organisation isn't a member, EIfEL will be glad to disseminate to our members your request for partnership, or to become a direct partner to your project, depending its nature, and the contribution required.

Please contact angela.harrison@eife-l.org