Answer
27/07/2015
Regarding your particular questions: 1) It is possible to cover a limited set of core areas of research in preparing the bid? 2) How covering a subset of the core areas of research will affect the evaluation? As answer to your questions, it is important to notice that the list of core areas of research in Task 3 "Research activity" is provided as a list of topics susceptible to be developed during the execution of that Task 3. Indeed, the list topics are actually to be selected along the project, concretely at the Preliminary Requirement Review (PRR, at T0+4), taking into account the outcomes of Task 2: "User requirement analysis and State of the Art". In this sense, the description of the Task 3, before the list, establishes the aim as: "The contractor shall, at the beginning of the task, describe in a Research Plan (RSP) the core areas of research that it intends to study together with related planning and effort estimates." The Research Plan is to be delivered by PRR milestone, where it will have to be approved by the Commission. After the selection "The contractor shall then perform the necessary investigations and research activities to develop, assess, test and validate the selected research areas" Thus, a particular selection of core areas of research is not expected – and not to be evaluated - as part of the Tender, as this is part of a task at a later stage during the project. On the other hand, it is expected for the Tender to present evidences that the proposed team has competencies and capabilities to develop the potential areas of research related to Ionosphere. In this sense, a Tender having a proposed team with a wider range of competencies and capabilities in research areas related to Ionosphere (to be developed under Task 3) would obtain higher marks under the Award criterion " Adequacy of the proposed team"