Proposal Coordination

Giving shapes to ideas

Proposal writing for European Research calls, tenders or other calls that involve funding for innovative ideas is a process that requires deep knowledge on the state-of-the-art and streamlined processes for creating an excellent proposal. A well-written proposal needs to take into account reviewers’ expectations and award criteria as well as call-specific subjects that only experienced teams can combine.

We collaborate with partners and assist our customers to participate in European Project Proposals, tenders and other innovation calls for the sectors of Transport and Mobility, Smart Cities, Logistics & Sustainability, Digital Innovation and more. We coordinate proposal writing and execute an elaborate project management plan that is able to generate an excellent proposal in a short time span.

Unboxing – from thinking to doing

Due to our background as a technology company and our experience in generating technological applications, we understand the meaning and importance of “unboxing” an idea: the process from idea conception to imprinting it in paper considering the call’s specific objectives and scope. This process involves deep research on previous projects, understanding of the current level of research and of the added value that the proposal/idea will bring.

“Unboxing” is not only an internal activity, since obtaining the information may require participation as a consortium. Through the consortium, various views can be obtained and incorporated into the proposal, ensuring multidisciplinarity and holisticness. For unboxing and proposal writing, AETHON implements an elaborate Lean startup method for proposal writing.

Participatory design

Whether it’s a proposal tackled by a single entity or a consortium, we are capable of utilising the knowledge of all participants, including AETHON’s technical and business knowledge, in the scope of providing an exceptional final proposal in all aspects, Excellence, Impact and Implementation.

Participatory design in proposal writing involves hands on approaches for determining gaps, finding solutions and tackling the scope holistically. For this we use tools besides the conventional meeting-workshop structure, involving polls, pair working and more. This ensures that each member of the proposal is actively engaged and has the appropriate channels to share ideas that improve the proposal.

Project Management

Proposal writing is a project in and of itself. In AETHON, we handle it using conventional and unconventional approaches, creating a clear plan for all participants of the consortium and using Agile/Lean startup approaches that ensure participatory design and successful project execution. Project management, especially in proposal writing, relies heavily on clear communication and AETHON employs multiple solutions to achieve it.