In this first episode of this three-part Idea Development Workshop mini-series, I sit down with Ana-Marija Špicnagel (IPS Konzalting) to take the time to read and analyse a Horizon Europe call text, line by line. Using an old Horizon Europe Mission Soil call on harnessing soil biodiversity as a case, we look at where to start (budget, number of projects, type of action and co-funding rules), what grants to third parties actually mean for your consortium design, and how the call connects to wider EU strategies like Farm to Fork, the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the SDGs.
From there we dig into the heart of the text: expected outcomes, scope and proposed activities. We explain why the “small words” matter (“must”, “need”, “should”, “may”), how to tell which bullets are truly mandatory, and why you need to keep re-reading the call while you build your idea. We also touch on mandatory multi-actor approaches, links to sister projects and EU platforms, and why exploitation and real-world testing (demo sites, living labs, farmers in boots) are no longer optional extras but built into how Horizon Europe defines success.
Time codes:
00:02:35 Introduction
00:06:18 Fly in
00:08:52 Call at a glance
00:17:18 The Expected Outcomes
00:21:20 The Scope (what you actually have to do)
Do you have a question for us on the call text analysis? Reach out
In this second episode of the Idea Development Workshop mini-series, I’m back with Ana-Marija Špicnagel (IPS Konzalting) for an episode where Ana will share the and explain the canvas model she is using for idea development.
Instead of jumping straight from call text to work packages, we use Bird View to capture the essence of a case: internal and external challenges, opportunities that sound like a project, the unique selling proposition, the main “customers and channels” (users, beneficiaries, multipliers) and what a viable future could look like in terms of sustainability and revenue streams. On slide 9 of the presentation, you can see the clean Bird View canvas with its three zones: Challenges of today, Sounds like opportunity and Future, each with guiding questions.
We then move from the blank canvas to a real example: messy handwritten Bird View notes on paper (slide 10), followed by a more structured map where emerging work package ideas are sketched around the central concept (slide 11). This shows how Bird View helps you move from scattered thoughts to a coherent project model that still fits the call analysed in episode 1. Along the way we discuss who to involve in a Bird View session, how to keep the conversation grounded in the call’s expected outcomes and scope, and how the tool makes it easier to discuss business logic, exploitation and long-term collaboration with partners – before anyone opens the Part B template.
Time codes:
00:02:45 Introduction and fly in
00:05:02 The Bird View Canvas Model
00:25:05 How to run the brainstorm
Do you have a question for us on the canvas model? Reach out
In the third and final episode of the Idea Development workshop series, I’m joined by Ana-Marija Špicnagel (IPS Konzalting) to do what the slide deck simply calls “BUILD THE PROJECT SPINE”. We take the work from episodes 1 and 2 – the call analysis and the Bird View canvas – and turn it into a first, stripped-down structure of the project: core objectives, main results, the big work package lines and which types of partners need to sit where. The project spine is the minimal logical structure you need to be sure that your idea actually fits the call and can be implemented in the real world.
Together we talk through how to translate Bird View clusters into work strands, how to link each strand back to specific expected outcomes, and how to avoid the classic “Christmas tree proposal” where everyone hangs their favourite ornament on top. We also discuss sequencing (what genuinely needs to happen first), where coordination, evaluation and impact work should live, and how to use the spine as a reality check for budget, workload and consortium composition. By the end of the episode you have a project spine that can be shown to management and potential partners – and that can grow into a full Part B without losing its logic.
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Workshop links, documents and resources
