Is it smart to use an external consultancy company to write my proposal?

It can be useful to get external help. Several consultancy companies offer their products. So yes, it can be useful and it can save you time and effort. You will get the best out the consultants if you also involve yourself heavily in the writing process. Research Support offers help and support of high quality internally at OUS and that is free. However capacity may be limited in periods.

Choose a consultancy company that:

Has written proposals that have been funded in H2010
Have written proposals within health
Offers a dedicated person with a proven track record

Consider also the following:

The scientific content for the State of the Art chapter is probably best written by you and your science partners. At least you must supply very precise content and drafts for the consultants.
The work packages i.e. what you will do in a project should be written by you and your partners. It is you who is going to do the work afterwards, not the consultants.

This means:

That you must contribute with considerable resources to the proposal
You will get a better more precise text because you know the science
When you and the partners write the work packages you have a much stronger commitment to the work when you get the project funded
Your contribution should affect the price you pay

The budget requires knowledge of OUS yearly salaries, socials cost etc and this is probably best handled by Research Support. It is also Research Support that will calculate costs when you report the project. This process is much easier done if they have also done the budgets.

You should NEVER agree on a fee to the consultants based on a percentage of what you get in funding. It must be either a fixed price or pay per hour.

You should NEVER make any arrangements where the consultants pay is dependent on work, management or IPR in a funded project. The engagement with the consultants should end when the proposal has been sent in.

If the consultants offer help in the contract negotiations or include that in their offer say NO to this. When you get a project funded it is best handled internally. It must then be included in the internal accounting and approval procedures.

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