Federica Righi, Head of Innovation and Business Development at Teamit Research attended the IHI Call 9 Brokerage Event in Brussels this week. The fact that nearly 1700 participants, both online and in-person, joined the event which featured 61 pitches demonstrate the high interest and expectations for Call 9’s new bottom-up approach within the research and innovation community.
We asked Federica to share some reflections from the event that can inspire and assist future applicants:
- It is crucial to have a well-structured concept that clearly demonstrates:
- SMART objectives: These should be linked to a clear pathway towards achieving the project’s results, expected outcomes, and desired impact.
- Innovative Approach: Your proposal should go beyond the state of the art, leveraging existing and past initiatives. It is important to analyse how your idea differentiates itself and brings new value.
- Building the consortium for IHI single-stage calls can be complex. Achieving a good balance between public and private interests is essential yet challenging. It is advisable to carefully consider each participant’s perspectives and needs with the aim of creating a co-ownership of the project’s vision and ambition.
- Ultimately, people and leadership skills are critical to navigating this complex environment. Successful IHI projects require thoughtful and committed leaders who can manage multiple complexities that arise throughout the project lifecycle.
These insights are intended to guide future applicants as they prepare their proposals. As experts in EU-funded research initiatives and public-private partnerships, we understand that developing a proposal is complex, but the reward lies in creating impactful, actionable collaborations that can truly make a difference in people’s lives.
