IT INNOVATION SUCCESS

Formed in 1991, and part of the Electronic and Computer Science School, the IT Innovation Centre (ITINN) is an applied research centre specialising in the advancement of innovative information technologies and their deployment in industry and commerce. It has a rich history of winning EU funding, working collaboratively across Europe and establishing consortia that work to help solve the big societal challenges that we face in the world today.

We spoke to Dr Stefano Modafferi, Professor Michael Boniface, Dr Stephen Phillips and Dr Steve Taylor from ITINN and asked them to give us the lowdown on their EU successes.

Why do you think IT Innovation has been so successful with EU funding? It is a combination of factors. The most important point, and something we are proud of, is our collaborative approach that aims to help multiple stakeholders work together to address important societal challenges. This is supported by a large network nurtured by active involvement in European research and innovation communities, e.g. the Big Data Value Association (BDVA), the Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE) initiative, the Future Internet Public-Private Partnership (FI-PPP) and the Networked European Software and Services Initiative(NESSI).

And importantly we have a track record of being able to deliver results: the IT Innovation Centre is a well-known player in the EC programs having participated for almost 30 years. Examples of successful projects originated from our community engagement are FLAME, BigMedilytics and DataPitch.

In your experience, what are the key steps to successfully securing EU funding? There is no one way to write a successful proposal but, in the end, you must bring together a ground-breaking idea with worldleading European partners to address work programme priorities. Often priorities that we’ve helped the EU formulate through strategic research agendas and community engagement.

The starting point can be research ideas, ongoing partnerships or looking at the work programme for inspiration, often brainstorming with colleagues. A good idea must have a few characteristics: i) fit the call (and not the other way around); ii) have the right level of vision (disruptiveness versus ready to market – a.k.a. Technology Readiness Level (TRL)); complement and additive to other ideas, ideally from other partners, so contributing to a larger proposition. The integration of research objectives into a larger proposition is an essential part of EU funding. Vision, completeness (with respect to the call objectives), and an eye to the impact (always highly considered by the EC reviewers) are the three key ingredients.

Once an idea is formed within the framework of a call, it is key to set up, or often join, a complementary and smart consortium that is credible for delivering what is promised. Once the proposal has come together, it is important to have time at the end to review it as a whole and make it coherent.

In our experience, successful proposals need to be initiated at least six to 12 months from the call deadline, and for some larger strategic projects more than 12 months is needed. We’ve had a few last-minute successes but usually time is needed to socialise ideas, get partner buy-in and write a high-quality bid.

What makes a successful consortium when working with EU collaborators? As in any collaborative environment, there will always be leaders and followers. The key point is to involve people who can provide a needed contribution, often building on trusted relationships. Complementarity across partners is important, and each point required in the call should have a corresponding main contributor in the consortium. The consortium should be balanced and, again, the expected TRL is a good indicator of the type of partners.

For instance, a Future Emerging Technology (FET) or a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) call is most suited for academic driven consortium, while an Innovation Action (IA) call should be driven by industrial players or SMEs.

It is often a good practice to have a leader and a core-group to drive a proposal. The same group, possibly with slightly modified roles, would also go on to lead the project. A good relationship among the players in the core group is key for a success in any phase.

How do you go about seeking partners and collaborators across the EU when putting in a bid? We mainly rely on IT Innovation’s network of connections across Europe. Being part of communities is the best way for keep the network updated and get opportunities and invitations to join other consortia. IT Innovation has a strong culture of mutual support in both project proposals and working on projects – we regularly discuss ideas and bid opportunities at group level and we exchange feedback, ideas, and contacts with colleagues within the group. This collective approach exploits the sum of different personal networks, still leaving freedom for personal initiative and recognition.

For you as researchers, does working within the IT Innovation Centre provide advantages when trying to secure a bid and/or find a collaborating organisation? We encourage and support all IT Innovation staff regardless of their level, to identify and bid for proposals. This is a key activity for all the researchers and engineers in the group as it allows staff to pursue interests and secure funding for research that excites them and helps support career progression.

Regular supporting activities at group level are in place and senior people are always available to help more junior ones. The group supports the single researcher through a collaborative process. Within IT Innovation, helping a colleague to win a proposal is a valuable contribution. The experience gained from winning proposals, but also very importantly learning from unfunded proposals, should not be underestimated, and often we translate EU success into UK funding streams.

We have now a group of people able to deliver EC proposals, providing valuable contributions as per the required proposal role but also mentoring colleagues. EFPF is an example where our strategic community engagement in NESSI led to IT Innovation team participation in a major smart manufacturing project, bringing together our expertise in cyber security systems, interoperability and SME engagement through open calls.

What advice/tips do you have for any researchers wanting to secure EU funding? There are three main points for a successful proposal: collaboration, collaboration, and collaboration. There is a lot less chance of success for a solo proposal.

On a more practical level we also suggest the following:

• Try to be involved in EC communities relevant for your research area.

• Look at the call text, think what you can contribute and identify gaps. Be very visionary or very market oriented, according to the call nature but sometimes you will need to balance both.

• Talk to colleagues and share your seed idea. Write it down on one page along with a conceptual picture. There is a small risk that someone steals it, but far more likely you will find it sparks interesting and complimentary ideas, discussion and engagement.

• Credit where it is due – ask for and give proper attribution to colleagues collaborating with you. • Be generous. If your contribution is peripheral for a given call, accept it and be a good team player.

• Institutional and personal reputation is very important. Deliver what is promised when working on a project, be enthusiastic and reliable, becoming a reliable partner and growing your network.