R&D proposal writing: training for SMEs
On 4–6 July, SMEs from all ESA Member States and Cooperating States can attend a course on “How to write a good proposal in response to an ESA Invitation to Tender for R&D activities”, at ESA ESTEC, The Netherlands. This course does not require specialist scientific or technical knowledge.
Course description
A series of presentations from ESA’s Technical Services and the Procurement Department, will be followed by a hands-on exercise.
ESA will create four teams of six people based on participant CVs sent in at registration (see below). Each team will be handed an ESA Invitation to Tender (ITT) for training and be asked to write a "real" proposal.
The proposals submitted by each team will be evaluated by ESA instructors and discussed publicly in a very realistic simulation of an ESA Tender Evaluation Board (TEB).
For further information and the agenda, click here.
Participation
Due to the highly interactive nature of the course and the hands-on training, the number of course participants is limited to 24.
Only one participant is allowed per SME. Applicants should either have a technical/scientific/team-management background or a commercial/legal background and be selected among staff who are normally involved in the preparation of proposals. Nominees should also have a seniority level allowing them to subsequently provide guidance to other colleagues on preparing proposals for ESA tenders.
Participants are required to attend for the full duration of the course. Partial attendance is, therefore, not allowed.
Registration
To apply, potential participants are asked to submit a short CV to the SME Office at: sme-office@esa.int
CVs should clearly indicate whether the nominee has a technical or a commercial background (or both) and whether he/she already has some hands-on experience in writing proposals for ESA.
The deadline for registration is: 17 May (12:00 CEST). Registration will close sooner if the course is oversubscribed.
Selection
ESA aims to choose four competing teams based on nationality, technical/commercial background and previous experience and role in proposal writing activities. This will ensure a mix of experienced and inexperienced, as well as technical and commercial team members from as many countries and companies as possible.
Successful applicants will receive a confirmation email and detailed instructions by 24 May at the latest.
Cost
This course has no registration fee, however each participant is expected to cover their own expenses, such as travel and hotel.