European Commission has its own language and it evolved over the years. It is in fact a very complex language that is quite difficult to learn and speak! To speak “EU”, first of all one needs to understand the basic grammar: “The NIT” and “The PESTLES”.
What is the NIT Analysis?
It is the NEED, the IDEA and the TECHNOLOGY. When European Commission evaluates proposals, the evaluator first of all focuses on the need. It has to be an established need (the preferred need is generally an industry driven need and/or a social driven need). The need has to be demonstrable. If your concept is focusing on an established need, then you are on the right path already. The second important part of a NIT analysis is the IDEA. You have to have a unique idea (not a me too product or solution) to solve this need. We will focus on what makes a good idea in a moment when we are looking at the PESTLES. The third part of a NIT analysis is the TECHNOLOGY. The proposed technology doesn’t have to be a ground breaking new technology (unless you are going for Future & Emerging Technologies Funding Schemes). The technology can be a convergence of the existing technologies, by combining them you have a solution to a problem.
What is the PESTLES Analysis
If you are one of those like me who spent a significant time studying acronyms in the MBA class then I am sure you are already familiar with the PESTLES Analysis (normally MBA classes use the PESTLE – EU language uses an extra “S” at the end). It can be summarised as below:
Political – The political motivations behind your concept
Environmental – The Environmental considerations for your concept
Social – The Social factors and your concept’s suitability to these factors
Technological – The technological aspect of your project.
Legal or Legislative – The European legislations that support your concept
Economical – The economical viability of your concept and its EU-level economic impact
Scale – The scale of the concept in terms of any other exploitable results from this concept
Looking at the businesses that I advise on EU funding, 90% of the businesses that tried to apply for funding (and failed on the first try) focused too much on the Technology bit in their proposals. They all forget the very important bits such as supporting legislations, economical impacts and political aspects of an EU project. They might not sound as important as the technological aspect of the project but EU thinks otherwise. When they distribute the tax-payers hard-earned cash to relatively risky projects, they would like to see a Total Solution that will benefit EU as a whole. Keep this in mind in your next application!
If you are planning to apply for EU funding, you can contact me first for advise and a friendly chat. At European Innovation Network (where I work), we have a completely free of charge service that tells you if your concept is eligible for EU funding and what type of funding is most suitable for your concept(s). Contact me for more information (funding@cagriyilmaz.com).
