RESEARCHERS NIGHTS 2010 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Transcription

1 RESEARCHERS NIGHTS 2010 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Preliminary remark: The list f questins and answers belw has been elabrated n the basis f the previus years' experiences, and in particular f the issues that didn't always appear crystal-clear t the participants. The bjective f this dcument cnsists f anticipating and helping slving cncerns yu might face during the whle prcess, but desn't prevent yu neither frm cnsulting the several detailed guides made available, nr frm directly asking fr infrmatin t yur Prject Officer. I. GENERALITIES What des the Researchers night cnsist f? What are its bjectives? The Researchers night, launched at Eurpean level under the Researchers in Eurpe 2005 Initiative, cnsists f a ne-night event ffering t the public at large "edutainment" activities which allw the visitrs t imprve their knwledge abut researchers and research while having a gd time n the furth Friday night f September. Its main bjective is t bring clser t ne anther public at large and researchers, whichever the tpic f the research they carry n, as t allw an imprved mutual understanding; as a side-effect, Researchers'night shuld als allw cnvincing yung peple t cnsider scientific careers as a valid ptin, and cntribute t a glbal imprvement f the researchers' envirnment in Eurpe. What specific requirements shuld selected prjects cmply with? Take place n furth Friday f September, e.g. n 24 September 2010, except fr Israel which fr strng cultural reasns is expected t chse a date as clse as pssible t the 24th September 2010; Address the public at large: all categries f age, all types f skills, whether scientific r nt scientific prfile; Be fcused n researchers as human beings, and, as such, actively invlve researchers at all implementatin stages; Offer a balanced cmbinatin f science-linked activities (demnstratins, simulatins, hands-n experiments ) and festive nes (games, quizzes, cmpetitins ) Plan at least ne "Eurpean crner" (see "specific requirements" dedicated dcument) Culd the Researchers' night make part f a lnger lasting event? (Science week, science days ) Yes. Tw cnditins have hwever t be satisfied in such a case: The Researchers'night has t cnstitute a srt f crnerstne f the lnger-lasting event (pening, clsing, specific day ) REA- Octber P3-CR 1

2 The csts linked t the Researchers'night itself have t be easily identified in the accunting f the applicant. (The EU cntributin being bviusly limited t the csts related t the Night itself). What is the nature f the call? The call is an pen call fr prpsals with a fixed deadline (13 January 2010), launched and implemented under the Seventh Framewrk Prgramme fr Research, technlgical develpment and demnstratin activities (FP7). This specific call is related t FP 7 Crdinatin and supprt actins (supprt) under the Specific Prgramme "PEOPLE". This ntably means that: N research activity is intended t be undertaken in this framewrk; The EU supprt might g up t 100 % f the eligible csts; Indirect csts will be deemed t represent 7 % f the direct csts (except subcntracting and resurces set at dispsal by third parties utside the participants' premises). In which language shuld the prpsals be submitted? Prpsals may legally be submitted in all Eurpean fficial languages. Fr the sake f evaluatin and in rder nt t lengthen the prcessing delays, it is hwever recmmended t submit the prpsal in English. II. PARTNERSHIP Wh can participate? All legal entities, identified either as natural r legal persns cnsidered under natinal, Cmmunity r internatinal law, established in an EU Member r Assciated State r Candidate Cuntry in FP7, e.g. researchers, private and public research rganisatins, academia, cmpanies, including SMEs, public authrities, schls, science musea, parents /teachers assciatins, mbility centres, fundatins, and the media (List nt exhaustive) What is the minimum number f participants? Crdinatin and Supprt actins-supprt (CSA) may be implemented by a single legal entity. Cnsrtia cmpsed f different stakehlders and in particular invlving industrial representatives are hwever welcme and encuraged. The invlvement (direct as legal participants in the grant agreement with the Cmmissin and/r indirect as "cperating bdies" nt signing the grant agreement) f the majr actrs f the lcal/reginal/natinal research cmmunity and f industrial partners will be cnsidered an asset. D the prjects require a multinatinal partnership? A multinatinal partnership, althugh welcme, is nt necessary. REA- Octber P3-CR 2

3 III. GEOGRAPHICAL EXTENT OF THE PROPOSALS What shuld be the gegraphical cverage f each prpsal? Applicants bviusly determine the mst relevant gegraphical cverage fr their prpsal. It shuld hwever be pinted ut that t narrw an area culd prevent the prpsal frm reaching significant attendance bjectives. The assessment will hwever be cnducted n a case by case basis. It is als wrth mentining that effrts aimed at reaching remte and rural areas will be appreciated at the evaluatin stage. What shuld be the ideal gegraphical distributin f the prpsals at Eurpean level? At verall level, the Eurpean Cmmissin wuld intend t fund at least ne Researchers night per cuntry cvered by the present call (27 Member States, Cratia, Frmer Yugslavian Republic f Macednia, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Nrway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey). The evaluatin f the prpsals hwever remains exclusively based n the quality f the prpsals and their cmpliance with the requirements. In clear terms, this means that being the nly prpsal in a determined cuntry desn't ensure a systematic funding regardless f the quality f the prpsal. Hw many prpsals culd be selected per cuntry? As earlier mentined, the Eurpean Cmmissin wuld intend t fund at least ne Researchers night per cuntry cvered. Shuld mre than ne prpsal be selected and funded fr a determined cuntry, crdinatrs f funded prpsals wuld be infrmed f the ther prpsals ptentially funded in their cuntry and wuld be expected t define a cmmn awareness campaign at natinal/reginal level (cmmn visual identity, participatin in cmmn radi TV prgrammes, cmmn psters, cmmn website). This cmmn natinal awareness campaign, which is likely t represent several scale ecnmies, des bviusly nt prevent the individual prjects t undertake a mre specific campaign addressing a mre restricted gegraphical area (lcal r reginal level). What "average attendance" des the Cmmissin expect? "Mass participatin" is clearly a ntin that has t be appreciated accrding t the very cntext f the varius actins, and in particular the cuntry cncerned. As a rule, an bjective f ver 5,000 visitrs per prject wuld seem sensible. It's wrth pinting ut that, when estimating the ptential number f peple likely t be reached thrugh their prject, applicants shuld take int cnsideratin nt nly the visitrs directly present during the event, but als all thse wh culd be reached thrugh the awareness campaign, e.g. thrugh Radi, TV, ppular newspapers, Internet thse tw apprximate figures will be very helpful fr the evaluatrs when assessing the ptential impact f the prpsals submitted. REA- Octber P3-CR 3

4 IV. FINANCIAL ISSUES What is the verall indicative budget fr this call? The indicative budget fr the call amunts 3,500,000. Althugh the ntin f "average cntributin" f a prject is nt really relevant, since the cntributin will be calculated n the basis f the actual csts, varying frm ne prject t the ther accrding the activities planned, the scale f the prject, the gegraphical lcatin etc, ne may cnsider that a cntributin wuld represent the average (knwing that sme prjects will request a higher cntributin and thers a smaller ne). Which csts can be cnsidered as "direct eligible csts"?' Direct eligible csts are all the csts directly linked t the implementatin f the prject, and indispensable t its achievement, i.e. all the activities necessary t the implementatin f the Researchers' night in all its cmpnents. The activities will be rganised arund the fur fllwing cmpnents (Wrk Packages): Awareness campaign: cnceptin/realisatin f prmtinal material (leaflets, gadgets, psters, brchures ), varius annuncements n different medias (newspapers, radi, TV, websites ), rganisatin f press cnferences, elabratin f a lg, setting up and maintenance f a website, prgrammes n radi, TV, cnceptin and prductin f prmtinal material (such as psters, banners, leaflets, inserts, gadgets ) and, a mre general sense, all the activities aimed at making as many peple as pssible aware f the Researchers'night and its bjectives and cnvincing as large an audience as pssible t directly take part in the event. Implementatin f the night itself: preparatry wrks (purchase f cnsumables, renting f equipment, setting up f bths, cnceptin/realisatin f quizzes, enigmas, demnstratins, renting f premises ) and implementatin f the activities (animatin n site, hstesses if any, technical services during the night ) Impact assessment: this may cver bth the analysis f the current situatin (i.e. current public perceptin f researchers and their rle) and the assessment f the event's impact itself, such as elabratin f questinnaires/interviews, surveys abut the public perceptin f the researchers' jb after having taken part in the Researchers' night, realisatin f interviews n site, prcessing f the answers, elabratin f final impact assessment Fr prjects which actually cntinue previus similar events, the analysis carried ut in the framewrk f the previus events shuld be taken int cnsideratin and the evlutin shuld be described. Management: all csts linked t the prcessing f data (human, financial, accunting ) at prject's level, as well as the crdinatin f different partners' and different sites' activities; in multi partner prjects, the crdinatr as such shuld bviusly have the highest management csts but ther participants might als incur sme f them (links with crdinatr/central management cell, in particular in case f multi-lcatin prjects). REA- Octber P3-CR 4

5 What abut the s-called "indirect csts"? Indirect eligible csts are all thse eligible csts which cannt be identified by the participant as being directly attributed t the prject but which can be identified and justified by its accunting system as being incurred in direct relatinship with the eligible direct csts attributed t the prject, such as fr example: phne, mail, lighting, heating, electricity, cleaning, security Which indirect csts are eligible? A distinctin has t be made between the indirect csts t be declared and thse taken int cnsideratin as being eligible: The indirect csts that have t be declared : they will be based n the methd chsen by the participant, EXCEPT fr thse (research rganisatins, public bdies, SMEs and secndary and higher educatin establishments) benefiting frm a 60 % flat rate fr indirect csts, wh will have t declare a 20 % flat rate; The indirect csts that will be taken int cnsideratin: whichever the methd chsen by a participant regarding the determinatin f the indirect csts, in the framewrk f crdinatin and supprting actins, indirect csts will be deemed t represent 7 % f the direct csts (except subcntracting and resurces set at dispsal by third parties utside the participants' premises). In ther terms: Declared indirect csts might be, accrding t the calculatin methd applied by the participant either actual indirect csts, r simplified methd fr calculating indirect csts, r 20 % flat rate f the direct csts; Eligible (and paid) indirect csts will be: as a maximum 7 % f the direct csts (except subcntracting and resurces set at dispsal by a third party utside the premises f a participant) Which share f the ttal csts may management csts represent? Management csts cnsist f: csts related t the technical management at prject level, t the verall legal, cntractual, ethical, financial and administrative management, t the general crdinatin f knwledge management (amngst all partners), t the verseeing f genderlinked issues in the prject, Althugh n maximum share limit is fixed fr management csts, it is expected that these csts will be higher in multi-partner prjects than in thse having ne single beneficiary. The eligibility f the management csts share is left t the appreciatin f the relevant Prject Officer. A 10 % share f the ttal direct csts shuld hwever be cnsidered as a theretical maximum in case f a multi partner prject. What percentage f funding may be requested? EU supprt in favur f Crdinatin and Supprt Actins (Supprt) may amunt up t 100 % f the eligible csts. The participants are hwever warmly encuraged t search financial active REA- Octber P3-CR 5

6 invlvement f lcal/reginal/natinal stakehlders. As a cnsequence, adequately c-funded prjects demnstrating supprt by natinal, reginal r lcal authrities r rganisatins will be favurably cnsidered during the evaluatin, the natinal, reginal r lcal envirnment being hwever als taken int cnsideratin. On what kind f bank accunt will the EU cntributin be paid? The cntributin will be paid n the crdinatr's bank accunt. This has t be an "interestbearing bank accunt", (either in mn partner r multi partner prjects). This means, in ther wrds, that a crdinatr shuld ensure that the bank accunt n which the EU cntributin will be paid is bearing interest. This rule applies t all entities, bth public and private. Furthermre, at the reprting stage, the crdinatr will have t declare the amunt f the interests prduced by the advance payment (as a rule 80 % f the ttal cntributin as stipulated in the Article 5 f the Grant agreement); In case f multi beneficiary grants: this applies fr the amunts due t be paid t the ther partners in case f multi beneficiary grants and nt yet distributed; In case f mn beneficiary grants: this applies t the amunts paid n the crdinatr's accunt and nt used fr the prject's purpses. Fr the sake f clarity, shuld yu be the crdinatr f a previus prject and nt have pened any interest-bearing bank accunt in the framewrk f this previus prject, this wuld mean : That yu wuld have t pen a new bank accunt crrespnding t the rule with a view t receiving the future EU cntributin f the current prject; That n actin will be taken regarding the "ld" prject, since this arrangement nly applies t future Grant agreements and negtiatins cncluded after 1 st Nvember What will ccur with the interests declared? By definitin, the declaratin f the interests perceived will ccur at the reprting stage, i.e. at a mment when the advance payment will already have been received by the crdinatr and split between the participants in case f a multi partner prject. The amunt remaining t be paid frm the EU cntributin will be calculated as fllws: Maximum EU cntributin (as stated in Article 5 f the grant agreement, prvided the eligible csts are at least equal) (advance already perceived + interests declared) = amunt t be paid at the end f the prject. What abut the Guarantee fund? Intrduced under FP 7 as a substitute t the previusly existing "financial cllective liability" f the participants, the Guarantee Fund aims at limiting the risks incurred by bth REA and the participants when implementing RTD indirect actins. Its mdalities are rather simple: at the cnclusin f each Grant agreement, a maximum amunt representing 5 % f the EU cntributin as stipulated in the Grant Agreement is "retained" as a cntributin t the Guarantee fund. This 5 % share remains hwever due t the prject and will be re-paid at the end f it, nce the final reprt and financial statements are apprved. This is illustrated belw: example: Ttal cntributin as stipulated in the GA: 100 Advance payment (as a rule): 80 REA- Octber P3-CR 6

7 Amunt actually paid t the beneficiary at the signature f the GA: 80 5 (5 % f the ttal cntributin) = 75 Amunt t be paid nce final reprting apprved: 20 (ttal cntributin 100 advance payment 20) + reimbursement f the 5 % retained fr the Guarantee fund 1. Be aware that there might be a slightly different timing fr the payment f the remaining amunt (20 in the abve example) and the reimbursement f the 5 % retained since they cme frm different budget surces within the services. What abut "third parties"? A third party is, by definitin, a bdy nt signing the Grant agreement. As such, it desn't have any legal link with the REA, but its csts might be taken int cnsideratin under certain cnditins. Third parties can be classified under 3 grups, i.e. Subcntractrs, third parties making resurces available withut carrying any part f the wrks, and third parties carrying ut part f the wrks linked t the prject. I. Subcntractrs: These are bdies supplying services t the participants (such as fr example a cmmunicatin cmpany which wuld cnceive and implement the awareness campaign r part f it); they are paid by the participants having asked fr their services n the basis f an invice; Such invice is t be cnsidered as a cst f the participant(s) and is included in its direct csts statements (under the "subcntracting" heading) during the reprting stage (C frm); They d nt prduce any indirect csts (since indirect csts f the subcntractr are already included in the price mentined n its invice); The tasks t be subcntracted have t be mentined in the Annex I f the Grant agreement (DW, descriptin f wrk, except fr sme minr tasks subcntracted during the prject's implementatin); Shuld yu be cnstrained t call upn subcntractrs withut having planned it in the DW, always advice yur Prject Officer and get his/her written apprval. II. Third parties making resurces available withut carrying ut any part f the wrks: These third parties d NOT carry ut any part f the wrks linked t the prject, but make resurces available; fr example a research institutin nt having signed the GA makes sme f its researchers available fr the event, they cperate in the participant(s) premises and under the participant(s) authrity; These third parties shuld have been identified in the Annex I f the GA; shuldn't they (fr example since they have expressed their interest at a later stage), get the written apprval f yur Prject Officer fr invlving them; Tw pssibilities: The third party makes resurces available and desn't get any financial cmpensatin by the participant: the csts (which crrespnd t the financial value f the resurces set at dispsal, fr example the equivalent f the researchers' salary fr the perid f time cnsidered in the case referred t abve) appear in the participants' csts (C frm); they als shuld be recrded in the accunts f the third party in case f audit; 1 Example given prvided the actual csts are at least equal t the cntributin as stipulated in the Grant agreement and withut prejudice f interests perceived as explained under the previus item. REA- Octber P3-CR 7

8 The third party gets a financial cmpensatin by the participant(s): this cmpensatin is cnsidered as a cst incurred by the participant(s) (C frm) III. Third parties carrying ut part f the wrks linked t the prject: These third parties d nt sign the Grant agreement but carry ut a part f the wrk; they HAVE t be identified in the Annex I f the GA (clear identificatin f the third parties, descriptin f their tasks and f the resurces put in fr their achievement); As such, a special clause (clause 10) will be inserted in the Grant agreement (Identifying the third party, its future tasks and the resurces dedicated t their achievement); The csts incurred by the third party will be cnsidered eligible under the same rules as thse applying t participants (need fr validatin f the legal entity, rules regarding direct and indirect csts); The third party will fill in a C frm, which will be presented tgether with the ne f the participant fr which it has been carrying ut the wrks, as well as a summary financial reprt cvering expenses f bth the participant(s) and the third party; Shuld this kind f third party nt have been identified in the DW and cnsequently nt cvered by a special clause in the Grant agreement, and shuld yu hwever wish t be authrised t take their csts int accunt, yu wuld have t request fr an amendment f the Grant agreement aimed at intrducing this special clause referred t abve; in all the ther cases, the csts incurred by the third party wuld nt be taken int accunt. Can the prject generate receipts and, if yes, hw d I deal with such issue? "Receipts" f the prject can be f different types: Financial transfers/cntributins in kind t participant(s)frm third parties NOT planned in Annex I f the GA (see abve abut third parties) Incme generated by the prject Financial transfers r cntributins in kind frm third parties These transfers/cntributins will be cnsidered as receipts f the prject if: They are allcated t the participant(s) specifically fr the prject's purpse (example a grant frm a public authrity explicitly linked t the prject will be cnsidered a receipt, while a grant cnceded withut any mentin f a specific activity, thus the use f which is entirely left t the decisin f the participant(s) benefiting frm it, will nt) AND N cmpensatin is paid by the participant t the third party (example: anther institutin makes persnnel available t participant(s) in the prject, specifying that this setting at dispsal is intended fr the prject, and the benefiting participant desn't pay any cmpensatin therefre). Incme generated by the prject This culd cnsist f the payment f an entrance fee, r the cmmercialisatin f sme material prduced in the framewrk f the prject All amunts cnsidered as receipts will have t be declared as such in the C frms f the relevant participant(s) and will be deduced frm the ttal eligible csts used fr calculating the remaining amunts t be paid at the end f the prject. REA- Octber P3-CR 8

9 V. EVALUATION OF THE PROPOSALS Which prpsals will be evaluated? All the prpsals received in respnse t a call will be submitted t evaluatin, except thse which wuld be rejected during the "eligibility check" cnducted by REA. This eligibility check nly relates t the cmpnents f the prpsal and the satisfactin f the frmal requirements (cmpleteness f the prpsal, scpe, requirements regarding date, number f participants) and desn't at all relate t the intrinsic merits f the prpsal. Wh will evaluate the prpsals? Independent experts will evaluate the prpsals cnsidered eligible during the evaluatin sessin that will take place frm 15 t 19 February The experts will be selected n the basis f their prfessinal skills and cmpetences, in particular regarding cmmunicatin f science. Each prpsal will be examined by at least 3 experts, each f them elabrating an "individual assessment reprt" (IAR) n which basis a cnsensus reprt, reflecting the views f the three f them, will be established and cmmunicated t the crdinatr under the frm f an "Evaluatin summary reprt" (ESR) (See further). On the basis f which criteria will the prpsals be evaluated? The verall evaluatin criteria fr Specific Supprt Actins activities under the specific prgramme Peple apply, e.g.: Scientific and/r technlgical excellence Quality and efficiency f the implementatin and management Ptential impact thrugh the develpment, disseminatin and use f prject results. These criteria will f curse be applied accrding t the bjectives and characteristics f the actin: Scientific and technlgical excellence: is t be intended as the quality f the cmmunicatin actin aimed at researchers' public recgnitin; Quality and efficiency f the implementatin and management: is t be intended as the quality f the verall "architecture" f the actin and its management, as well as its likelihd t wrk well; Ptential impact thrugh the develpment, disseminatin and use f prject results: is t be intended as the analysis f the ptential cntributin f the actin twards a better public knwledge and understanding f the researchers' rle, jb and scietal cntributin. What will be the results f the evaluatin? Prpsals having btained at least 3 (ut f a maximum f 5) fr each f the three criteria referred t abve, AND an verall scre f at least 10 (ut f a maximum f 15) will be cnsidered as having passed the evaluatin. REA- Octber P3-CR 9

10 They will be ranked n the basis f the verall scre btained. Shuld 2 r several prpsals have btained the same verall scre, pririty will be given t thse having btained the highest scre against the "impact "criterin; shuld the scre against the impact criterin be equal, then pririty shuld be given t the prpsal(s) having btained the highest scre against the scientific excellence criterin, and in case f equal scre als against the scientific excellence criterin, pririty will be given t the prpsal having btained the highest scre against the "management " criterin. The "ranked prpsals" (thse having passed all the evaluatin threshlds) will be rganised in tw lists: The s-called "main list" cmpsed f the first ranked prpsals f which the ttal f the cntributins requested exhausts the indicative call budget; The s-called "reserve list" cmpsed f the prpsals ranked lwer which will be funded in case the cntributins requested fr the main list prpsals wuld be reduced (ntably thrugh the fine tuning exercise that will have taken place after the deadline fr submitting prpsals)r in case sme prpsals wuld be withdrawn. VI. NEGOTIATION PROCESS What des happen nce evaluatin is cmpleted? Once the ranked list is established, each crdinatr is infrmed abut the results f the evaluatin prcess, thrugh the sending f the "initial infrmatin letter" accmpanied by the "Evaluatin Summary reprt" (See abve under "evaluatin f prpsals"). By means f the "initial infrmatin letter", the crdinatr will knw whether the evaluatin threshlds have been exceeded and which are the pssibilities t get EU-funding. In ther wrds, thse being n the "main list" will fr sure get funded, while there remains a certain level f uncertainty fr thse being n the "reserve list", althugh s far it prved pssible t fund bth main and reserve list prjects. Once the crdinatrs are all infrmed and the results f the evaluatin fficially "blessed" by the Cmmissin, the negtiatin prcess may start. What des the negtiatin prcess cnsist f? The negtiatin prcess aims at taking int accunt the experts' recmmendatins and at finetuning the prgramme f activities, which might lead t sme budget adjustments. Negtiatin will start with the first ranked prpsals, which cntributin requests represent the available budget ("main list") while the remaining ranked prpsals ("reserve list") will be negtiated prvided sme financial resurces wuld be made available during the negtiatin prcess f the main list. REA- Octber P3-CR 10

11 VII. EUROPEAN DIMENSION Hw will the Eurpean dimensin f the event appear twards the public at large? The Eurpean supprt prvided t the prject shuld clearly appear during the awareness campaign and all the prmtinal material (brchures, leaflets, psters, gadgets ) shuld be marked with the Eurpean flag. During the event itself, the "Eurpean crner", t be set up in the mst frequented lcatin by the crdinatr, will witness the Eurpean dimensin f the events. Cmmn visual, infrmative and prmtinal material will be prvided at Eurpean level. The ptential attractiveness f the Eurpean crner, as well as its cntributin t a better public knwledge f the Eurpean actin in favur f researchers and research, will be taken int accunt by the independent experts when assessing the prpsals against the "impact" criterin. May nt funded prpsals benefit frm lgistic supprt frm the Eurpean Cmmissin as it was the case in the frame f the 2005 Researchers in Eurpe initiative fr assciated events? Events nt funded may benefit frm lgistical supprt (prmtinal material) and be allwed t use the Eurpean "Researchers in Eurpe" lg prvided the mentin "assciated event" wuld clearly appear. The "assciated event status" will be granted n the basis f the infrmatin cntained in a frm t be filled by the candidates (which will be available n due time n the Researchers' night website). The assciated events will be published as such n the Eurpean Researchers'night website. VIII. TIPS FOR SUCCESS What can I d fr ensuring the best success pprtunities t my prpsal and a decisin n due time? At prpsal level: Carefully read the "guide fr applicants" and check that all requirements are filled; D nt hesitate t get in tuch with the relevant POs when needing further infrmatin/explanatins; Cmply with the page limits mentined in the guide fr applicants and keep t the pint withut useless lengths; Use a clear and straightfrward language, likely t ease the evaluatrs' jb. At negtiatin level: Take advantage f the delay between evaluatin and starting f the negtiatin fr fine-tuning the prgramme and the budgetary aspects f yur initial prpsal; Be prepared t mdify sme parts f yur initial prpsal in particular n the basis f the experts recmmendatins; Quickly react t the requests addressed frm EU level. REA- Octber P3-CR 11

12 Hw can I avid the delays resulting frm the need fr validating the "legal entities" and the bank accunt? All legal entities participating in FP 7 need t have a "Participant Identity Cde" (PIC). Shuld yu have already taken part in an actin under FP 7, then yu are already registered and have a PIC, which yu will mentin in the prpsal itself (this allwing an autmatic filling in f several items). Shuld it be yur first participatin in FP 7, then, even befre knwing whether the prpsal will be funded r nt, g t get registered, which will allw yu t get a prvisinal PIC number, and prvide the requested dcuments which will make yur registratin cmpleted. Having a valid PIC prevents yu frm filling in all the dcuments with yur crdinates, legal frm, authrised representatives etc and eases als speeding it up- the whle prcess twards signature f the Grant Agreement. Shuld yu be the crdinatr, make sure that nt nly yu have a valid PIC as explained abve, but that the bank accunt n which yu wuld like t see the EU cntributin paid is als validated in the EU database and linked t yur institutin. THIS IS LIKELY TO PREVENT FROM DELAYS IN PRODUCING THE GRANT AGREEMENTS, MEANING ALSO DELAYS IN PAYING THE PRE-FINANCING Where can further infrmatin abut the call be fund? CORDIS n.htm; Marie Curie actins web site: Cntacting Clette Renier, REA, phne , mail: clette.renier@ec.eurpa.eu r David Wizel, REA, phne , mail: david.wizel@ec.eurpa.eu. REA- Octber P3-CR 12