DG INFSO shoots H2020 in the foot

Through an enthusiastic campaign of auditing and error correction, DG INFSO has reduced the error rate in FP6 project cost claims to 1.9% by the end of 2011. This has significant implications for the EC’s proposed simplifications for Horizon 2020, because it shows that some EC teams can achieve the target 2% error without imposing unrealistic limitations on eligible cost rules.

The target error rates in costs claimed for FP6, FP7 and H2020 are all 2%. The EC’s proposals state that a 2% error rate can only be achieved in H2020 if its many proposed simplifications are accepted. These include overheads of 20% of direct costs, a standard number of working hours in a year, and the same funding rate for all types of organisation.

DG INFSO (the Directorate General for Information Society and Media) administers the Information and Communications Technology theme within FP7 and its FP6 predecessor. This theme accounts for 16% of the total FP7 budget. The same DG achieves time to grant (from proposal submission to grant agreement signature) of about 270 days, compared with 360 days across the whole of FP7. In Horizon 2020 the EC aims to achieve 270 days average across the whole programme. Seems that better management might achieve the EC’s objectives without imposing many changes on

participants.

Regards

Singleimage - FP7 Training Workshops and Advice

FP7 and the London Olympics

Those planning a trip to the London Olympics don’t need to worry that athletes, officials, dignitaries and spectators might arrive late for their events. FP7 project STADIUM is designing ICT applications to control transport for large events hosted by big cities. And the London Olympics is one of the project’s demonstration sites.

We hope the consortium have Tom Cruise on standby, because it looks like “Mission Impossible” to us.

Regards Singleimage - FP7 Training Workshops and Advice