Ervaringen met EU-FP7 projecten Walter SERMEUS, PhD RN4CAST Coordinator Professor, Department of Public Health, KU Leuven, Belgium Associatie KU Leuven Dag van Europa Dinsdag

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 BronWanneer ?NaamRol Concerted Actions TelenursingPartner FP WisecareCoordinator FP Telenurse, Nightingale Partner Leonardo da Vinci EHTANPartner FP RN4CASTCoordinator FP72011Failed application

RN4CAST - NURSE FORECASTING IN EUROPE PROJECT OVERVIEW Walter Sermeus, KU Leuven, Belgium On behalf of the RN4CAST CONSORTIUM

RN4CAST FUNDING & CONSORTIUM  ‘RN4CAST: nurse forecasting in Europe’: €3 million funding for  Health theme 3: Optimising the delivery of health care  16 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

RN4CAST CONSORTIUM 6 BelgiumCatholic University Leuven EnglandKing’s College London FinlandUniversity of Eastern Finland GermanyTechnical University Berlin GreeceUniversity of Athens IrelandDublin City University NetherlandsRadboud University Nijmegen NorwayNorwegian Knowledge Centre HSR PolandJagiellonian University SpainInstitute of Health Carlos III SwedenKarolinska Institute SwitzerlandBasel University United StatesUniversity of Pennsylvania BotswanaUniversity of Botswana ChinaSun Yat-sen University South AfricaNorth-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 ≥3/5 Implementation ≥ 3/5 Impact ≥ 3/5 Prioritise projects Commission External evaluators Panel + Commission THRESHOLD To be funded

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 proposal criterion1: 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 –First deadline for DoW and GPFs based on recommendations –End of first round of negotations, –deadline for submission of final version of DoW and signed GPFs –The Commission launches its internal procedures for the formal adoption of the proposed financing and finalisation of each Grant Agreement –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

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