Ervaringen met EU-FP7 projecten

Walter SERMEUS, PhD

RN4CAST CoordinatorProfessor,

Department of Public Health, KU Leuven, Belgium

Associatie KU LeuvenDag van Europa

Dinsdag 06.11.2012

Overzicht

• Ervaring met Europese projecten• Ervaring met FP7 als coordinator RN4CAST• Projectaanvraag – indienen van een project• Het management van een project – wat komt erbij

kijken?• Faal- en succesfactoren

Ervaring met Europese projecten

Bron Wanneer ? Naam RolConcerted Actions 1994-1996 Telenursing Partner

FP4 1997-1999 Wisecare Coordinator

FP4 1997-1999 Telenurse, Nightingale

Partner

Leonardo da Vinci 2003-2005 EHTAN Partner

FP7 2009-2011 RN4CAST Coordinator

FP7 2011 Failed application

WWW.RN4CAST.EU

RN4CAST - NURSE FORECASTING IN EUROPE PROJECT OVERVIEW

Walter Sermeus, KU Leuven, BelgiumOn behalf of the RN4CAST CONSORTIUM

WWW.RN4CAST.EU

RN4CAST FUNDING & CONSORTIUM

‘RN4CAST: nurse forecasting in Europe’: €3 million funding for 2009-2011 Health theme 3: Optimising the delivery of health care16 partners: 12 European countries, USA, China, South-Africa,

Botswana Co-ordination: Leuven University (W. Sermeus), U. Pennsylvania (L. Aiken)

5

7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development

WWW.RN4CAST.EU

RN4CAST CONSORTIUM

6

Belgium Catholic University Leuven

England King’s College London

Finland University of Eastern Finland

Germany Technical University Berlin

Greece University of Athens

Ireland Dublin City University

Netherlands Radboud University Nijmegen

Norway Norwegian Knowledge Centre HSR

Poland Jagiellonian University

Spain Institute of Health Carlos III

Sweden Karolinska Institute

Switzerland Basel University

United States University of Pennsylvania

Botswana University of Botswana

China Sun Yat-sen University

South Africa North-West University

Overzicht

• Ervaring met Europese projecten• Ervaring met FP7 – coordinator RN4CAST• Projectaanvraag – indienen van een project• Het management van een project – wat komt erbij

kijken?• Faal- en succesfactoren

Evaluation procedure: what we know

100 proposals

ELIGIBILITY

S&T Excellence ≥3/5Implementation ≥ 3/5Impact ≥ 3/5

Prioritise projects

Commission

External evaluators

Panel + Commission

THRESHOLD

-5

-50

To be funded 20

-25

Timeline voorbereiding proposal

• Call due-date: Sept. 18, 2007• First discussions January 2007, EANS Barcelona• Meeting L. Aiken, Leuven, February 2007• Meeting with Leuven research coordination office, May, 2007• Contacts LA (IHOS) and WS (WISECARE, EANS) networks• EANS summerschool• Writing first proposal: summer 2007• September 6-7, Leuven meeting with partners• Contact EU-officer K. McCarthy • Contacts with Poland• Finalising proposal and submitting Sept. 18, 2007

Writing a good proposalcriterion1: S/T Excellence

• Put a lot of effort in « concepts & objectives »• Educate the evaluator

– Likely not a « real expert »– Use facts & figures, schemes & illustrations– Balance: scientific >< popular– Write to the point– Structure your text (alineas, bold,…)– Quantify your arguments

• 30-seconds-rule– Why bother (what is the problem?)– Is it a European problem?– Solution already available?– Why now (what happens if we do not fund this?)– Why you (are you the best consortium?)

Thanks to Stijn Delauré and Leuven onderzoekscoordinatie, Leuven meeting 6-7 Sept 2007

Criterion 2: implementation

• Building an excellent consortium– Provide a balanced mix– Each partner should add value– Experienced manager, good leaders

• Appropriate management structure– Handling conflicts, decision making, care for quality, division of

work– Follow-up of milestones, decisions, …– IPR-management

Criterion 3: Impact

• Write deliverables in the words of end-user (cfr. Call)

• Involve end-users in the project (e.g. advisory board)

• Answer questions:– How does the project address EU challenges ?– How can the project affect citizens ?– How is the uptake in health industry arranged/

organized ?

Evaluation RN4CAST

• Evaluation by panels of independent experts• Criteria:

– Scientific and technological excellence (5/5)– Implementation & management (4,5/5) – Potential impact (5/5)– Total (14,5/15)

• Remarks (for negotiation)• Change in environment and location of care• The role and participation of ICPC to be better explained; work

environment specialist inclusion and selection.• Grant: 2,999,988 Euro

More detailed feedback (1)

• Scientific / technological excellence– Two main methods of nurse forecasting

• Empirical measures of workplace dynamics and their effects on nurse retention & productivity

• Links between management of nurse resources and quality/safety of care

– Key strength: 11 European countries + 3 outside Europe

– Critical mass of data (20-50 hospitals/country), one of the largest nurse workforce investigation in Europe

– High validity, allowing global modeling– 30y forecasting: need to consider change in

environment and location of care

Implementation & management (2)

• Positive– Good management structure– Several committees: steering, technical, stakeholder, evaluation– Clear milestones & deliverables– Link to reference group of interested countries is commendable– High expertise: universities, US participation is useful and

justified, …• Suggestions

– Role of ICPC should be more explained and selection of countries justified.

– Inclusion of work environment specialist should be recommended

– Possibility of consortium having underestimated the resources required

Potential impact (3)

• Contribution to current EU programmes are identified

• Help policy makers in different level of performance in relation to future movement of patients and staff

• Help in global assessment of EU health care systems

• Will help EU in the development of an extended research community capable of addressing this and related issues in the future.

Negotation Timeline

• 08.05.2008– First deadline for DoW and GPFs based on recommendations

• 10.10.2008– End of first round of negotations, – deadline for submission of final version of DoW and signed

GPFs• 17.10.2008

– The Commission launches its internal procedures for the formal adoption of the proposed financing and finalisation of each Grant Agreement.

• 01.01.2009– Official start of the project – first meeting 15&16/1/2009

• End June 2009– Final contract signed

Overzicht

• Ervaring met Europese projecten• Ervaring met FP7 – coordinator RN4CAST• Projectaanvraag – indienen van een project• Het management van een project – wat komt erbij

kijken?• Faal- en succesfactoren

Rol van coordinator

• Contactpersoon met EU en partners• Organisatorische en financiële verantwoordelijkheid• Het gezicht van het project naar buitenwereld

(congressen, beleid, ….)• Moet partners gemotiveerd houden en stimuleren• Zorgt voor een goede verstandhouding tussen partners

(werkt iedereen even hard?)

(Bijna) verplichte lectuur

• Hofstede G. & G.J. Hofstede, Cultures and organizations: software of the mind, McGraw Hill, 2004, 300pp.

E. g. Uncertainty avoidance - Power distance Dimensions

(Hofstede, 1991)

Noodzakelijke voorwaarden• Voldoende mankracht en ondersteuning:

– Administratief (wij hadden 0.3 FTE voorzien)– Inhoudelijk (wij voorzagen 0.5 FTE postdoc + 1 FTE

wetenschappelijk medewerker– Financieel (in Leuven via LRD)

• Coördinatie vindt best plaats in een instelling met ervaring met coördinatie (cfr. KU Leuven)

• Tijd vrijmaken als coördinator – grote tijdbesteding komt er bovenop

• Voldoende aandacht geven aan Grant/consortium agreement (niet alleen maar administratie)

• Bijkomend: publication policy• EU-taal leren, aanwezigheid op relevante fora

Resultaten RN4CAST

• Alle milestones tijdig behaald (zelfs meer)• Meer dan 20 papers in peer reviewed journals

– Incl. Special issue International Journal of Nursing Studies• Boek: klaar tegen juni 2013• Afsluitend congres (samen met 2 gelijklopende

projecten – Prometheus, MohProf)• Heelwat beleidsimpact via Europese / internationale

organisaties: WHO, OECD, ILO, ICN, MEPs, …

Wat nu?

• Juni 2012, rapport officieel aanvaard• Oktober 2012, uitbetaling laatste schijf a/ partners

• Momenteel kijken we naar verdere financiering om het project verder af te werken:– Boek– Publicaties– Netwerking– Eventueel COST ?

Faal- en succesfactoren• Succesfactoren:

– VIS-financiering ter voorbereiding van consortium, proposal– Ervaring met FP7 aan KU Leuven: LRD, onderzoekscoordinatie– Sterk onderzoeksteam Leuven: administratief, inhoudelijk– Samenstelling van consortium (balans, aanvullend)– Specifieke rollen: scientific lead, advisory committee,…– Pro-actieve meetings– Gestructureerde communicatie

• Moeilijkheden:– Lange doorlooptijd van project: 2j voor en 1jaar na– Verandering van partners: veranderen van job, nieuwe

medewerkers– Post-project management– Verandering van EU-officers

Dank voor uw aandacht