Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NMP TeAm 4 (Improving the services of the NMP NCP Network through Transnational Activities 4)

Teaser

NMP NCP Network is the main source of practical information and individual assistance in participation in the Industrial Leadership KET Part (Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing) of the HORIZON 2020 Framework Programme. The network...

Summary

NMP NCP Network is the main source of practical information and individual assistance in participation in the Industrial Leadership KET Part (Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing) of the HORIZON 2020 Framework Programme. The network consists of National Contact Points (NCPs) from all 28 EU member states and H2020 associated states as well as NMP third country contacts.

NMP TeAm 4, the continuation project of the EU projects NMP TeAm 1,2&3, is a Horizon 2020 project which supports and coordinates activities of the network of National Contact Points in the Industrial Leadership KET Part of the HORIZON 2020 Framework Programme. The project is aiming at facilitating trans-national co-operation between NCPs within the Industrial Leadership Part of FP HORIZON 2020 with a view to identifying and sharing good practices and raising the general standard of support by the NMP NCPs to programme applicants.

NMP TeAm 4 aims to:

o create the mechanisms and tools for capacity building of NCPs\' skills that will ensure the NCP Network\'s high and consistent level of services to clients.
o provide the necessary tools to all NMP NCPs so that they can assist their clients to increase their success rate in H2020 and lower the barriers for participation for new applicants.
o improve the outreach of the NMP NCP Network and maximise the impact of its activities, services and results to a wide audience of clients and stakeholders.

The specific objectives of the project, measured and assessed through deliverables, are:
Objective 1: the standardisation and the provision of high quality services to all NMP NCPs.
Objective 2: To provide the necessary tools to all NMP NCPs so that they can assist their clients to increase their success rate in H2020.
Objective 3: To improve the outreach of the NMP NCP Network and increase the impact of its activities, services and results to a wide audience of clients and stakeholders.
Objective 4: To establish tools and support mechanisms in order to ensure the proper implementation of the project and the timely conclusion of all its activities.

Work performed

During the first period of the project several activities addressed to NCPs and their clients were organised. The main achievements during the first period of the project are the following:

• One training seminar organised in Brussels with 28 participants.
• Two webinars organised for all NMP NCPs with 63 NCPs participating.
• Expression of interest from 11 NCPs to participate at the twinning scheme
• Seven micro learning modules were produced
• The Partner Search Facility (PSF), first launched in 2009, received a major update in 2017 that increase the security, the performance and the user experience. During the last two and a half months that PSF was re-launched, 68 search offers and 6 partner searches were posted in the tool, while 190 users were registered during this timeframe.
• Organisation of the 5th EU Brokerage Event on KET in Horizon 2020 in Strasbourg (France) with 164 participants from 16 different countries.
• Organisation of the brokerage event: Industrial Innovation Information Days 2017 Matchmaking Event in Brussels with 214 participants from 27 countries and 379 scheduled meetings.
• H2020 Brokerage Event: Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials in Cambridge UK on the 4th of April with 108 participants and 290 bilateral meetings
• Assisted on the organisation of the Brokerage event held during the EU presidency event EuroNanoForum 2017 in Malta on June, attracting 187 participants from 36 countries resulting in 806 meetings.
• Brokerage Event on Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials in Munich on November 16 2017, with 160 participants and 300 meetings.
• Organisation of 3 virtual events for clients with 550 registrations.
• Maintenance of the NMP TeAM 4 website
• Active dissemination through social media numbering 78 new followers in 2017 having submitted 140 tweets.
• Active promotion of the project and the NMBP Services thought the stand activity in four major EU events.
• 19 NMP NCPs assisted clients through the NMP TeAm 4 stand
• Active collaboration with other networks during trainings and webinars
• Regions with KETs in their RIS3 priorities were identified and a list of proposed synergies and joint activities was produced

Final results

The main scope of the NMP TeAM 4 project is to facilitate an improved NCP service across Europe and beyond. The project incorporates activities and tasks aiming at assisting both NCPs and their clients to achieve easier access to H2020 calls, support and enhance newcomers’ participation and improve the average quality of submitted proposals.

One of the main objectives of the project is to provide to newly appointed NCPs the necessary skills and knowledge in order to successfully assist their clients and provide them added value services. The project implements activities such as continuous trainings and workshops, webinars, micro-learning modules, partner search facility, dedicated website, twinning schemes and a benchmarking tool among others. The variety of the tasks undertaken in this project are designed in order to help the NMP NCPs offer improved services, more structured and in a consistent and standardised way thus increasing the impact and the quality of the NMP NCP Network.

The NMP TeAm 4 project also incorporates a range of NMP related events targeted to clients. A variety of events such as virtual events for clients, brokerage events, and joint activities with other available Networks related to NMP programme, such as the Enterprise Europe Network, are designed in such a way thus reaching the widest possible target audience and have an increased impact to the clients of the NMP NCP network. The main objective of those activities is to lower the entry barriers for newcomers and raise the average quality of submitted proposals.

NMP TeAm 4 goes beyond the tasks and activities undertaken in the successful NMP TeAm 1,2&3 projects by introducing tasks aiming at assisting NCPs play a significant role in the development and implementation of RIS3 strategies in their countries. The establishment of cooperation links and common activities with regional stakeholders in European regions with NMBP related priorities in their RIS3 agendas is attempted through the NMP TeAm 4 project. European regions with NMBP related priorities in their RIS3 agendas are identified and cooperation links between regional stakeholders and the NCP Network are attempted. Furthermore, the project is aiming at assisting proposers and their consortia foster an optimal combination of H2020 and ESIF funding for their projects and how to clearly reflect this information on their proposals.

NMP TEAM project is a coordination action and it primarily concerns networking and awareness activities about the NMP NCP network and its services to the NMP community. The impact of the project can be observed on the better awareness of the H2020 NMBP programme and calls to the research community. It is expected that the outcomes of the project have a direct impact on the number and the quality of proposals being submitted especially from newcomers whereas the project is aiming at raising the awareness of proposers in schemes or modus operandi linked with new EU initiatives and in connection with the preparation of future research programmes.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.nmpteam.eu/.