Summary of collected feedback and recommendations from: Coffeе klatch events, Network meetings, NCP Info SessionsCL2 info session, brokerage and pre-proposal check
1.5 Coffeе klatch

7 April 2022: 52
13 May 2022: 35
15 June 2022: 25
28 October 2022: 17
9 February 2023: 22
16 May 2023: 30
14 September 2023: 22
7 April 2022: 52/0
13 May 2022: 9/26
15 June 2022: 3/22
28 October 2022: 3/12
9 February 2023: 2/20
16 May 2023: 1/30
14 September 2023: 6/22
7 April 2022: 93.7% (n=32)
13 May 2022: 81.8% (n=11)
15 June 2022: 100% (n=8)
28 October 2022:
9 February 2023: 80% (n=15)
16 May 2023: 66.7% (n=12)
14 September 2023: 88,3% (n=6)
1.6 Network meetings

Network meeting #1
Event:
22-23 September 2022, Athens GR
22-23 September 2022 - Athens: 45 participants
Represented countries: 34
> of which:
- members states: 20
- associated countries: 10
- third countries: 4
Represented widening countries: 18
22-23 September 2022 - Athens: 45/0
> of which*:
- previously participated in N4S or other network meeting: 57%
- first time participants in a network meeting: 43%
* Based on evaluation survey (n=37)
Have you participated in another network meeting before (in any cluster/sector of the FP programmes or in Horizon 2020)?
40.50% | Yes, in past Net4Society networks
16.20% | Yes, as part of other networks
43.20% | No
At the end of this network meeting, how well do you understand:
- Net4SocietyHE objectives:
0.00% | Not sure
2.72% | Not well enough
18.91% | Well enough
78.37% | Very well
- Net4SocietyHE activities
0.00% | Not sure
2.72% | Not well enough
24.32% | Well enough
72.97% | Very well
- Your role and place as part ofthe NCP network
0.00% | Not sure
0.00% | Not well enough
37.83% | Well enough
62.16% | Very well
- How the network can support you as an NCP
0.00% | Not sure
0.00% | Not well enough
29.72% | Well enough
70.27% | Very well
How satisfied were you with:
- The interactive activities
2.72% | Not sure
2.72% | Not satisfied
8.10% | Somewhat satisfied
86.48% | Very satisfied
- The presence and intervention of theProject Officer
0.00% | Not sure
0.00% | Not satisfied
29.72% | Somewhat satisfied
70.27% | Very satisfied
- The networking opportunities during the event
2.72% | Not sure
2.72% | Not satisfied
2.72% | Somewhat satisfied
91.89% | Very satisfied
Did you learn new things regarding the NCP job in the sections of the agenda dedicated to:
- Info days
32,43% | No
67.56% | Yes
- Brokerage events
16.21% | No
83.78% | Yes
- Pre-proposal check events
16.21% | No
83.78% | Yes
- SSH Integration
10.81% | No
89.18 | Yes
- Mentoring and on-the-job training
8.10% | No
91.89% | Yes
- Coffee klatch, network meetings
21.62% | No
78.37% | Yes
- Widening participation in Cluster 2
13.51% | No
86.48% | Yes
02.22% | Very low
06.67% | Low
31.11% | Average
33.33% | High
26.67% | Very high
Were you able to identify potential partners for a new Horizon Europe project?
21.28% | No
57.45% | Too early to say
21.28% | Yes
- Coffee klatsch on funding and tenders portal, b2match (how to make an attractive profile) Training on lump sum, how to write a lump sum proposal? How to evaluate it
- Having list of participants available In this event with email would be great!
- The walking tour seemed unorganized. However, it was nice walking & talking with other NCPs.
- This network meeting offered so many answers and opened so many good questions for our work as NSP.
- It's a bit of a shame for me that I didn't have time to talk to all the representatives from all the countries, there wasn't enough time to have an in-depth conversation with everyone - let's hope this is just the first of many meetings. It would have helped if we opened the meeting with an interactive initial presentation of everyone - that way at least I would know who is in the meeting, representatives from which countries.
For the future: it is most important for me to know when and where the partner search events will be, this is the thing that most interests the stakeholders in my country, so I would love to receive updates in the future , as already given during the meeting (glad you will add to the calendar in the NCP Portal). - 6.1. I think that the meeting was too short taking into account the costs of the travel in money, in time (travel time and time related to administration linked to travel) and not least under an environmental perspective. Also we should take into account that the last meeting was 3 and a half years ago and the next one in 2 years only (and not all NCPs are able to take part to all meetings) so it is a rare opportunity. Maybe for future meetings we could have some reference that the meeting time should at least exceed the mean travelling time, or to add a training to the meeting.6.2. Also, I would have liked at least one moment during the meeting where everyone could say his/her name and country. Of course I would have not memorized all but it would have helped. At the end of the meeting there were still participants from whom I haven't heard the voice.
6.3. Some other networks have had their kick-off meetings as closed meetings for beneficiaries only. I find it very strange/not normal. Thank you for making it open to all NCPs!
Evaluation survey (n=37, 82% of all participants)
- NEW NCPs are those who are attending a network event for the first time ever
- EXPERIENCED NCPs are those who have attended network events previously (N4S or other networks)
All 3 batteries of the survey are well into the very positive/positive marks. A few numbers stand out:
- At the end of this network meeting, how well do you understand: [Net4SocietyHE objectives]. New NCPs are less certain in their 'Very well' answers (69%) than experienced NCPs (86%), with a gap of 17 percentage points.
- At the end of this network meeting, how well do you understand: [How the network can support you as an NCP]. New NCPs are more categoric (81%) than experienced NCPs (62%) when stating that they understand how the network can support them, a difference of 19 percentage points.
- In 'Learning new things' battery, new NCPs give more affirmative answers than experienced NCPs with regard to coffee klatsch & network meetings (gap of 27 percentage points), pre-proposal checks (gap of 18 pp) and mentoring (gap of 14 pp).
- The gap is reversed (-4.5 pp) for brokerage events, where experienced NCPs state in greater numbers that they have learned more
Network meeting #2
Event:
4-5 May 2023, Valeta, MT
4 - 5 May 2023 - Valeta: 42 participants
Represented countries: 29
> of which:
- members states: 10
- associated countries: 10
- third countries: 3
Represented widening countries: 15
4 - 5 May 2023 - Valeta: 41/0
> of which*:
- previously participated in N4S or other network meeting: 66.70%
- first time participants in a network meeting: 33.30%
* Based on evaluation survey (n=36)
Have you participated in the Net4Society network meeting in Athens in September 2022?
66.70% | Yes
33.30% | No
In your view, to which extend was the following meeting objective achieved?
"Get to know our Cluster 2 NCP colleagues (better)"
72.20% | Fully achieved
In your view, to which extend was the following meeting objective achieved?
"Increase our knowledge of Cluster 2 NCP's competencies and are better equipped to advise our national research communities on the impact part of a proposal"
72.20% | Fully achieved
At the end of this network meeting, in how far have you understood...?
- Net4Society's services for NCPs
41,66% | Well enough
58.33% | Very well
- Net4Society's services for Cluster 2 applicants
5.55% | Not well enough
50.00% | Well enough
44.44% | Very well
- Net4Society's activities on the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities in Horizon Europe
2.77% | Not well enough
41.66% | Well enough
55.55% | Very well
- Net4Society's activities regarding the identification of "new stakeholder communities"
2.77% | Not sure
25.00% | Not well enough
47.22% | Well enough
25.00% | Very well
- Net4Society's communication activities relevant for your work as NCP
5.55% | Not well enough
47.22% | Well enough
47.22% | Very well
- Your role and place as part of the NCP network
2.77% | Not sure
2.77% | Not well enough
50.00% | Well enough
44.44% | Very well
- How the network can overall support you as an NCP
38.88% | Well enough
61.11% | Very well
Feedback on the training "How to advice on the impact section"?
At the end of the training, in how far have you understood...?
- The impact logic of the European Commission
11.11% | Not well enough
52.77% | Well enough
36.11% | Very well
- The content of the impact section of the Horizon Europe standard template
8,33% | Not well enough
50.00% | Well enough
41.66% | Very well
- The testemony on what to focus on when writing the impact section of a Horizon Europe proposal
5,55% | Not well enough
52,77% | Well enough
41,66% | Very well
- How to use Evaluation Summary Reports (ESR) in the context of your NCP work
50.00% | Well enough
50,00% | Very well
How useful were the group exercises for you on:
- How to discribe effective impact pathways
8,33% | Not well enough
33,33% | Well enough
58,33% | Very well
- What to learn from Evaluation Summary Reports (ESRs)
2.77% | Not sure
27,77% | Well enough
69,44% | Very well
- Creating a good practice checklist forevaluating the impact section
2.77% | Not sure
36,11% | Well enough
61,11% | Very well
How satisfied were you with:
This is the main satisfaction indicator used for the Dashboard
- the meeting's agenda
22,22% | Somewhat satisfied
77.77% | Very satisfied
- the networking opportunities during the event
16.66% | Somewhat satisfied
83.33% | Very satisfied
- the meeting overall
11.11% | Somewhat satisfied
88.88% | Very satisfied
- Keep offering a mix of presentations and practical exercises
- the first exercise (the one with the canvas) would have benefited from more copes of the papers for the exercise and more background/base information..the topic and some consortium information was not enough...it is only enough for general comments 🙂
- The content was really great and well prepared. Placing us in St Julian’s was not that great idea… also Malta is hard to reach
- Less reading during group work, simpler training excersises - smaller break-outs and maybe divided into more break-out session
- Please, provide next tíme the copies for evrybody for the exercise.
- More detailed info on transportation options related to the agenda’s objectives would have been beneficial. Availability of mobile data and gps not to be taken for granted, especially for people coming from outside the EU
Network meeting #3
Event:
Next meeting: 12-13 June 2024,
Tallinn, Estonia
2.1 On-site/online CL2 info session, brokerage and pre-proposal check event

Event:
18-19 January 2023 (online)
Last update:
5 May 2022
- The event was too close to the deadline to submit the proposals: consortia already working on a topic might have not attended as almost closing their proposals, while potential leads creating a consortium during the event will not have enough time to develop a quality proposal
- As a research lab intending on submitting a proposal our greatest difficulty was identifying relevant (potential) partners among the hundreds of participants. A possible solution is to ask for more detail in the registration process, which would allow for more filtering when searching the participants list.
- Booking meetings was a bit clumsy. It should be easier to reject meeting requests. I was not able to find a 'reject' or 'reschedule' button, instead I had to cancel meetings
- For some reason I always have to input the company data for all B2B platform events one by one. Is it possible to get that information stored? We are involved in multiple Clusters and it is a bit consuming to describe the company and upload the logo again and again.
- Improve match and profil of particpants. Some of them are just there to promote their companies. Not relevant.
- It is very easy to sign up for virtual meetings but when the time comes it is very challenging to prioritise it over other work when they are remote. Please bring back face to face meetings. I attended one in Strasbourg in november for CL4 which I got much more out of and made many connections. Additionally, I am finding my profile difficult to manage as i am a funding coordinator at a business school and i attend the events to represent my organisation and academics who all have different expertise and research areas. When I sign up for a new event I tweak my profile to match the topics of the event. However, I have noticed that this changes my profile text across all events. Additionally, it would be good to see the all events we have signed up for e.g. Horizon Europe Cluster 2 Brokerage event January 18-19, AGRIP event on 1-2 Febuary, MBM TOURISM PRAGUE 2023 March 16 - March 17, 2023. each requires a slightly different profile and there is no way of moving from one event to the next. I have to save the individual links to access the relevant event.
- Perhaps face to face meetings are more effective. In any case, the possibility to acces participants data is a good way to "professional tinder".
- Potentially asking NCPs from participants' countries to screen/contact participants from their countries before the event - to be honest, not all were up to scratch and of those that were, many weren't aware of how to even read a call or communicate their potential contribution to projects
- The problem with the limited (late) available time selection slots needs to be remedied.
- This kind of events should be organised in a more focused manner, by Destination, and with more time from the deadline. For 2023 all the consortia are already made and working since weeks ago. We need right now events to help organise consortia to the 2024 calls.
- When I tried to book meetings on the afternoon of the designated 'matchmaking session', no slots appeared - no matter who the partner was, the only free slot offered on that day was 23:30-0:00, which must surely be an error. So we always agreed on a different date. Generally it was great, really a useful tool - especially the opportunity to search for partners for an existing consortium vs a consortium to join. Here, further refined search functions would have been welcome.
Did the online brokerage event on January 18 meet your expectations?
10.64% | It was worse than expected
76.60% | It met my expectations
12.77% | It exceeded my expectations
Has any of the meetings you had online resulted in further communication outside the platform?
34.78% | No
65.22% | Yes
Have you participated in previous brokerage events for Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020?
57.45% | No
42.55% | Yes
How good was the registration process?
02.13% | Poor
04.26% | Average
23.40% | Good
70.21% | Excellent
How satisfied are you with your participation at the brokerage event?
This is the main satisfaction indicator used for the Dashboard
06.38% | Unsatisfied
14.89% | Neutral
38.30% | Satisfied
40.43% | Very satisfied
How would you rate the process of booking meetings?
04.26% | Average
36.17% | Good
59.57% | Excellent
How would you rate the relevance of your meetings?
02.22% | Very low
06.67% | Low
31.11% | Average
33.33% | High
26.67% | Very high
Were you able to identify potential partners for a new Horizon Europe project?
21.28% | No
57.45% | Too early to say
21.28% | Yes