From the archive: the seven deadly sins of multi-partner bids

Identify the hazards involved in consortium bids before you stumble over them

Last week, Funding Insight relayed the advice of a seasoned applicant to, winner of, and applicant advisor for the EU’s research and innovation programmes. Ömer Ceylan’s topline message was that, while bids to Horizon Europe are never simple, they should strive to appear so, at least initially.

Many other pitfalls lie in wait for those preparing complex, multi-partner bids, like those to Horizon Europe. In October 2020, Emmanuel Detsis from the European Science Foundation highlighted seven of them, at least two of which arise from the understandable desire to do ‘over and above’ what is required in application.