Course 5357

How to Write a Competitive Proposal for Pillar II (Horizon Europe)

(Workshop for Coordinators of Pillar II Proposals)

This workshop is designed for Coordinators of Pillar II Proposals. The workshop is designed to help coordinators streamline the preparation of Pillar II Proposals. The workshop is based on the designers experience in over 150 research proposals, evaluating over 200 European research proposals and coordinating 16 European research projects.

This course is also available as an in-house course.

(The workshop does not cover Financial Rules, Legal Rules, Ethics, Data Management etc.)

Delivery of Course: Online (Zoom)

Target Audience: Researchers planning to Coordinate a Pillar II Proposal.

The course is NOT open to Private Consultants

Course Presenters: Dr. Seán McCarthy and Sylvia McCarthy (EU Policy Analyst)

Date: Tuesday 15th July 2025 (11:00-13:00 CEST)

Total Cost: €375 per participant

(For organisations wanting to book more than 5 participants contact Mary for a special rate)

Bookings and Enquiries: Send an email to mary.mccarthy@hyperion.ie

Contents of Course

Module 1: Sources of Information for Pillar II Proposals

Pillar II Work Programmes

Proposal Forms and Evaluators Forms

Support Services for Pillar II Proposals

Module 2: Profile of Researchers with High Success Rates

Skills of Researchers with High Success Rates

Converting Excellent ideas into Competitive Proposals

Module 3: Pillar II Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Background to Pillar II Evaluation Criteria

How to Address Pillar II Evaluation Criteria

Module 4: How Pillar II Proposals are Evaluated

The Evaluation Process for Pillar II

The Role of the Remote Evaluators

The Role of the Evaluation Committee

Module 5: How to Analyse a Pillar II Work Programme

From EU Policies to Pillar II Work Programmes

From Specific EU Policies to Pillar II Topics

Outputs, Outcomes and Impact Pathways

Module 6: Proposal Intelligence (Who Wrote the Topic?)

From EU Policies to Pillar II Topics

Expert Groups Consulted for Pillar II Topics

Module 7: Guideline for Writing Pillar II Proposals

How to Screen Proposal Ideas

Diagrams used to explain the proposal

Compiling the Proposal

Programme Designers and Presenters

Dr. Seán McCarthy

In 2021 the European Commission published a list of the top 100 universities and research organisations participating in Horizon 2020. Dr. McCarthy has delivered training courses in 78 of these top 100 universities and research organisations in Horizon 2020.Seán has been active in the Framework programmes since 1980. He has been involved in over 150 research proposals to the Framework programmes and has participated in over 60 Framework projects. In 16 of these projects Seán was the coordinator. Today, he does not participate in the Framework programmes but concentrates on designing and delivering training courses. Since 1995 over 130,000 participants have attended his courses in 29 countries. He has presented training courses on the Framework programmes in over 290 research centres throughout Europe (www.hyperion.ie/clients.htm).

Sylvia McCarthy

Sylvia is an EU Policy Analyst. Based in Brussels since 2008, Sylvia has worked in the European Parliament and various EU consultancies and representations.
Sylvia has a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies (University College Cork,Ireland) and a Master’s degree in International Politics and Europe (University of Warwick, UK).

Limitation of Liability

This webpage has been designed to help researchers prepare proposals for Horizon Europe. Every effort has been made to ensure complete and accurate information concerning the material presented in this webpage. However, Hyperion Ltd cannot be held legally responsible for any mistakes in printing or faulty instructions contained within the templates. The authors appreciate receiving notice of any errors or misprints.There are no warranties, expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, made with respect to the materials or any information provided to the user herein. Neither the author nor publisher shall be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the contents of this webpage.