Electronic Proposal Submission System

1. Electronic Proposal Submission System European Commission Research DG Hubert van DELFT Hubert-Yves.van-DELFT(at)ec.europa.eu

2. Note that the presentation is based on advance information on the EPSS. Actual implementation may differ Watch http://www.esp-fp7.org for more information 22 January 2006

3. EPSS for FP7 • Agenda • Scope of the EPSS, infrastructure needed, process overview • Achievements and lessons learned in FP6 • Changes from FP6 • Changes needed to comply with the rules of participation • Immediate planning • EPSS phase two: further simplification • Quick demonstration (if test system is available) • Question time

4. EPSS for FP7 • What is the EPSS ? • An electronic system enabling project coordinators to prepare and submit their proposal online through the Internet using a web site accessed seamlessly from Cordis or accessed directly once the participant is registered • Operating 7 days a week, operating 24 hours a day, free of charge to the participants, supporting most IT configs • Avoiding paper based submission costs and issues • What is needed to use it ? • An access to the Internet – the faster, the better though the system works even with dial-up connections • A computer – most of the platforms are supported, even old ones

5. EPSS for FP7 • The FP7 proposal-project time line EPSS closes Projectstarts Evaluation finishes Decision is taken

6. EVALUATION SUPPORTSYSTEM EPSS for FP7 • EPSS in the process chain CALLSPUBLICATION CORDIS PUBLICATION OF RESULTS CORDIS PROPOSALS e e CONTRACTINGPROJECT MANAGEMENT FINANCING REPORTING RANKING NEGOTIATION COM DECISION ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL SUBMISSION SYSTEM e e e e:denotes electronic information transfer

7. EPSS for FP7 • Achievements and lessons learned in FP6 > 38.950 proposals

8. EPSS for FP7 • Achievements and lessons learned in FP6 • Confidence has been built into the online version Over 350.000 unique users during FP6 The offline preparation tool was identified very early as a trouble maker

9. Registration, navigation, data entry One account for each proposal Multiple submission possible Continuous, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week operation Monitoring of issues at submission stage by the Commission Telephone support operated from Brussels 08:00 to 18:00 Stays identical Stays identical Stays identical Stays identical Stays identical Stays identical EPSS for FP7 • Similarities from FP6 to FP7

10. Paper submission was a valid submission method Choice possible of off-line preparation and online submission Break in the submission activity (disclaimer) Internet address pointed to the sixth framework program Paper forms present in the EC documents No paper submission without prior authorisation No offline preparation tool to download: everything happens online Streamlining of the submission process: no break Internet address will be: https://www.epss-fp7.org Focus on information collection, see EPSS documentation EPSS for FP7 • Changes from FP6 to FP7

11. EPSS for FP7 • Changes needed to comply with the simplification and rules of participation • Data entry screens have been changed to reflect the changes in the rules for participation • Participant identification code appears on first form for later user. The PIC is equivalent to a participant account number • Extension of the participant information: all field must be completed, notably SME information is now imperative • Budgets are no longer a unique screen but are implemented as one screen for each participant: in other words the coordinator has to enter detailed budget information for each participant

12. FP7 FP6 EPSS for FP7 • Administrative forms changes from FP6 to FP7 A3.1 A3.2 A3 A1 A2 A1 A2 A3.1 A2 A2 A3.1 A2 A2 A3.1 A2 A2 Submit Submit Part B PDF Part B PDF Proposal coordinator actions

13. One account (user id and password) for each submission Repeated (but simple) information submission in part A during the process cycle Limited reported facilities offered to end users No intelligence at the submission stage: only simple computation (additions) provided. One account by participant, at the legal entity level Single information submission, occurring independently of the submission cycle (URF) Information consolidation possible (PDM) Better eligibility guidance and information, with computation of reimbursement of costs ceilings EPSS for FP7 • Changes from FP7 phase 1 to FP7 phase 2

14. EPSS for FP7 • Quick demonstration – steps to submission • Identify call and funding scheme on Cordis • Register on the EPSS – give basic details on project • EPSS mails the user id and password to the proposal co-ordinator – Watch your electronic mail • Go straight to the EPSS or go to the EPSS via Cordis • Enter user-id and password • Set up the consortium – or enter participant detail • Enter the relevant information • see next slide • Submit the proposal and log-out

15. EPSS for FP7 • Quick demonstration – steps to submission • Relevant information to enter in order to submit proposal • The object of the proposal – one entry screen – entered by the coordinator (A1) • The participants – one entry screen by participant – entered by the coordinator or the partner to the proposal (A2) • The budget – one entry screen by participant – entered by the coordinator (A3) • Feedback provided by the system • Overall budget computation • History of actions performed – audit logs • Proposal submission status – ‘NOT SUBMITTED’ at thisstage – part B upload is needed

16. EPSS for FP7 • Quick demonstration – steps to submission • Uploading the proposal is not a submission action. A transfer of the proposal document must be followed by a submission action. • The proposal file must use the Adobe PDF format, with embedded fonts, no password, no print prevention mechanism • The proposal file name must use the letters ‘A-Z’, the numbers ‘0-9’, the ‘-’ sign. All other characters, including the space, the point, the ampersand, etc. are may cause upload problems • At the end of the upload, you will be prompted to perform the submit • Feedback provided by the system • History of actions performed – audit logs • Proposal submission status “SUBMITTED”– completedby an email sent to the coordinator of the proposal

17. EPSS for FP7 • Quick demonstration – steps to submission • Warnings issued by the system • do not prevent submission • are potentially linked to the eligibility issues • EPSS system requests information in the form of a text box • Errors issued by the system • prevent submissions • are linked to missing documents and information • must be corrected by the proposal coordinator

18. EPSS for FP7 • Immediate planning of the EPSS • System set-up • Opening for testing (identifying boundaries in terms of load expressed in concurrent users and performing cycle testing) • Opening to the public(actual use) • First closure of the system • First eligibility committee • First evaluation of proposals

19. EPSS for FP7 • Using the EPSS successfully • The submit button disappears at 17:00:00.000, CET • In case of doubt, get support early. Phone. Do not wait • No special characters in file names. Stick to ‘A-Z’, ‘0-9’, ‘-’ • The system allows multiple submissions. Use the facility but do not abuse. • Do not change budgets at the last moment: this may prevent you from getting the proposal submitted on time • Do not upload the proposal at the last moment: this invalidates the previous submission • Monitor CORDIS, you email should the EPSS encounter technical problems: the two systems are independent

20. EPSS for FP7 • How should I proceed as a coordinator? • Access the Cordis website for a specific call, register on the EPSS • Check your electronic mail for the EPSS access details & FAQ • Login for accessing the online EPSS • Change the passwords for the coordinator and the partners • Send the partner’s username and password to the partners • Set-up the proposal by indicating the number of participants, their participant id, name and email addresses, once in the registration process and after in the proposal setup screen • Edit Part A forms (object, participants, budget) • Upload the Part B file (detailed proposal text) • Upload Part B annexes if needed or required • Validate proposal to ensure basic checks are satisfied • Submit the proposal – to modify, go back to step 6, 7 or 8 • Verify that the system gives a proposal number • Logout and check your email for a confirmation mail

21. More information on the EPSS will be available from the EPSS itself: Electronic mail: support @ epss – fp7.org To help the Commission in the initial testing of the EPSS or request a test account, please contact: hubert – yves . van – delft @ ec.europa.eu