Hello all, after careful consideration of the bad news from Newcastle, we (Edgeryders) would like to propose a way to move forward. The main idea is: we believe we have a solid, fundable concept, and we would like to develop it. So, we propose to finish our proposal and submit it to CAPS anyway. For developing a concept, nothing like hammering it into a formal proposal! If none of our more established academic partners wishes to reconsider their position, Edgeryders is willing to stand as consortium leader. We are far from ideal as a leader (very inexperienced as a company, a bit less so as individuals), but this is the best we can do. In this way:
- We honor the time and effort all of us have already put into the proposal.
- We advance our thinking around the concept, to the benefit of near future (non-EU) "plan B" funding proposals.
- We gain the benefit of formal feedback on the proposal from the EU.
And who knows – we might even win! Just today a piece of good news came in from that side: the City of Milano, doing really advanced stuff in the social care space (example: baby-sitting services shared at the neighborhood level, funded by private philantropy, free for low-income households), has expressed interest in joining the consortium. We (Costantino, Zoe and myself) know well the people who do social innovation stuff in the municipality – they are solid.
However, this does mean, at a minimum, a reallocation of writing tasks formerly taken on by KITE.
We appreciate that you are all busy people, and might decide not to put any more work in the proposal. If this is so, we will stand down in an orderly way, and wish each other well. Would you have the time to participate in a call tomorrow? Would 11.00 am CET be all right? Ping @Costantino, @melancon, @markomanka, @Lakomaa, @Noemi