0
Qualify
Go or no-go, in writing
Base success rate, fit against the current evaluation criteria, whether the topic returns next year, national co-funding for your preparation, a written go/no-go.
When T−6 months
1
Decode the call
Verbatim, then mapped
Verbatim capture checked across page breaks; every research question mapped to an objective, section and instrument; the template’s hard rules; a post-mortem of past winners; a map of related projects.
When T−5 → T−4 months · re-verified at T−90/60/30
“Verbatim first. We capture the call word for word and trace every rule, quote and figure to its primary source.”
One of seven principles
2
Architect the consortium
Roles that survive stress
Partner qualification gates, graded roles (beneficiary, associated partner, advisory board), institutional roles, governance clauses that survive stress, an Advisory Board recruited by function.
When T−5 → T−2 months
3
Design the evidence and work plan
Built the way the work runs
Work packages derived from how the work actually runs, a payment profile per reporting period, a solidity matrix, a quality gate per evidence strand, a naming system, an ethics and data regime.
When T−4 months → freeze at T−45 days
4
Build the budget
Recomputed, independently
An effort model per partner and work package, unit-cost build-ups using public price indices, partner-budget intake with error flags, proportionality tests, a cash-flow check per partner, an independent recompute.
When T−60 → lock at T−14
“Assert, don’t assume. Every scripted change states what it expects and stops if reality differs. Every total is recomputed.”
One of seven principles
5
Write and engineer the Part B
Layout first, words last
Drafting inside the official template, impact written for the current rules, page-limit engineering, figures generated from the proposal’s own tables, a verified and linked reference system, a compliance audit.
When T−90 → freeze at T−7
6
Run the consortium
A written decision trail
Partner kits, one-pagers, a living requests register, a secretariat across every channel, meeting briefs, a written decision trail.
When Continuous
7
Submit
Full upload at T−5
Portal entry from a single execution map (the portal follows the Part B), budget justifications, ethics pages, a consistency check, full upload at T−5, a checked PDF.
When T−10 → T
“Keep a contingency line. Any partner not signed off a month before the deadline gets a version of the proposal built without them.”
One of seven principles
8
After submission
Ready for the result
Public status, a visual summary, a publication plan, a lessons note, grant-preparation readiness.
When T+1 → result
