Two minute Tuesday #5 - Results

What results are expected during the project and on its completion?

In this article, we will analyse in detail what is required on the second section of the Erasmus+ application form for a strategic partnership project in the field of education, training and youth.

This section is dedicated to the description of the expected results related to your project.

We, as Learnable, during the years, have changed the way we structured this section. This final layout has been defined through a comparison of previously approved projects and suggestions provided by the evaluators.

To bring you closer to achieving your objectives, the project should produce certain results. Project results are extremely important because they fill the gap in relation to the needs identified and contribute to solving the existing problem. In fact, on the basis of the problem you have identified, you can define what results can be expected from your project in line with the specific objectives previously described (Two minute Tuesday #4 –  the context, objectives, needs and target groups to be addressed).

Example:

To continue with the example we are describing from the beginning of these series of articles, assuming that the main problem is that the company management doesn’t have up-to-date knowledge on new technologies, the project results can be defined as increased competencies on new technologies. This improvement must be achieved through the project activities.

We can say that the type of results will vary depending on the type and the aim of the project. They may be tangible and intangible results and address internal and external target groups.

In our case, tangible results are the intellectual outputs of the project, such as, for example, curricula, guidelines, pedagogical materials, open educational resources (OER), IT tools, analysis, studies, peer learning methods, etc. The list doesn’t end here. You should define different intellectual outputs according to the objectives previously identified.

Example: One of the tangible results addressing the problem can be a MOOC, an online training course for managers.

Intangible results are referred to any achievement that the project intends to produce for internal and external target groups. For example:

• knowledge and experience gained;  
• increased skills or achievements;
• improved cultural awareness; 
• better language skills.

The enhancement of skills and competencies (whether linguistic, social, or methodological) can be better defined if they are associated with a specific target audience (primary target group, final beneficiaries and stakeholders).

Example: An intangible result for managers that need to improve their digital literacy can be improved e-skills (primary target group)

A well made “results” section must meet the following requirements.

The evaluator should understand that there is a direct link between the objectives that we intend to reach and the results identified. In fact, the results should be defined in relation to specific objectives.

We have to demonstrate that the results are identified from an analysis of the resources we have, such as, for example, the expertise of the partnership, budget available and timeline defined. That means that the results must be coherent and consistent with the size, profile and capacities of the applicant organisation and project partners, within the budget allocated and the duration of the project. In most cases, we tend to underestimate the work-plan and the time we need to reach the expected results.

Both tangible and intangible results must be measurable. Although tangible results are easy to measure, we cannot say the same for the intangible results. We recommend the use of interviews, questionnaires, tests, observations or self-assessment mechanisms to help record this type of result.

Don’t forget that we are designing a project under Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices. In this case, the project must produce results that will be innovative for its field in general, or for the geographical context in which the project is implemented. We will focus on the innovative dimension in the next Two minute Tuesday article.

For now, we have designed the structure of your project. In the next Two Minute Tuesday article, we will focus on how your project can reach the expected results!