Dos and don'ts of ITNs

The Innovative Training Networks (ITN) is a unique funding scheme within Horizon 2020 which aims at training a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers (ESRs). In contrast with other funding schemes where training is an afterthought, in the ITN it is an integral part of the project, as the grant covers only training-related costs. This adds a layer of complexity that makes ITNs one of the more sought-after grants with low success rates. In this article, we will present some dos and don’ts that we used over the past years to ensure a much higher than average success rate for our submissions in this call. Keep in mind that this article is solely focused on the European Training Network (ETN) partnership within the ITN, not European Industrial Doctorates (EID) or European Joint Doctorates (EJD). For some tips and tricks on those, please reach out to us through our contact form or by sending us an email to info@beegranted.eu.

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Remember what the scope of the ITN is and DO focus on the training program. The concept of the ITN should start from a problem you, as coordinator, can already see our society (or industry) will face in 10-15-20 years (‘societal need’). The ITN should bring forth your vision on how the project will change the status quo. To solve the problem identified, you need to train a new generation of scientist now (‘training need’) that have unique skills. DO thoroughly explain what those skills are and why they are needed. The ideal training structure would give this new generation of scientists multi-disciplinary and cross-cutting skills. This ranges from fundamental research in several various fields to entrepreneurship, enabling them to address the bottlenecks (‘research need’) you will run into in your progress towards solving the societal need. DO include online training and massive open online courses (MOOCs) to ensure continued learning throughout the program. A very important element to stress, and one that is often missed in proposals, is DON’T put the research first, but the training need and the training program.

A strong ITN should prepare its ESRs to either continue with a post-doc or move to industry once their PhD is finished. For that reason, entrepreneurship skills are crucial. DO include SMEs as beneficiaries, and large companies as partners that can provide secondments. This will not only provide increased career perspectives, but also streamline technology transfer.

DON’T build a huge consortium. Most ITNs funded have between 6 and 9 beneficiaries. Less, and the proposal is not interdisciplinary enough. More, and the project becomes very difficult to manage. The need for any beneficiary above ninth should be very clearly presented in the proposal. In addition to the SMEs discussed above, DO include at least three different scientific expertise areas in your proposal. Remember the three key words that describe a strong ITN consortium: international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral.

The next ITN call is expected to be opened in October 2019, with the deadline in early January 2020. An excellent proposal requires a strong concept and an outstanding consortium. Both require a significant time commitment from the coordinator, so make sure you DO invest the time.

Bee Granted has previously built several successful ITN proposals from the ground up, starting from brainstorming concepts together with the coordinator to building the consortium and recruiting beneficiaries and partners. If you need an additional perspective when preparing your ITN application, let us know at info@beegranted.eu or using the contact form and one of our experienced consultants will reach out to you as soon as possible.