The Grant

Erasmus+ Therapy – Rising Proposals & Harsh Evaluations A panel on frustration, burnout and what needs to change Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Henriette Hansen , Daiana Huber and Alessandro Melillo for what we ended up calling “Erasmus+ Therapy Session” . Over the last two calls, many in the community have seen record-high proposal numbers, tougher evaluations and...

Clean Tech in CEE – Funding, Gaps & Policy Shifts Slovenia, Innovation Fund, widening, deep tech and raw materials Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Nina Meglič , director of ACT-SI – Association CleanTech Slovenia , project manager at a deep tech spin-out from the National Institute of Chemistry and part of the national contact point team for the STEP platform on str...

Impact in EU Projects – From Innovation Theatre to Adoption Why so many results die after funding, and what must change Check out the episode site with more information In this episode I’m joined by Jorge Gonzalez , director of Ticbiomed in Spain, to talk about impact in EU projects – not as a buzzword in a template, but as the messy reality after the pilot ends. Jorge has worked in more than 20 E...

Juniors in Research Management – Between Research and Support Leaving research, identity, skills and the job market reality Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Marina Kliuchko , who has done “everything right” in research – biology degree, PhD in psychology/brain science, several postdocs and big collaborative projects – and is now in a transition towards research support a...

Microcredentials in Erasmus+ – Concept, Policy & Practice Learning outcomes, assessment and making it work in real projects Check out the episode site In this episode I’m joined by Daiana Huber and Samuel Bogdan to talk about micro-credentials – a term that now pops up in Erasmus+ calls, policy papers and conferences, but is still fuzzy for many of us. Daiana starts from the pedagogical side:...

Proposal writing, project delivery, compliance and the human impact Check out the episode site In this episode I’m joined by Chiara Liguori to talk about Erasmus+ from the perspective of small organisations , where a “team” can mean two paid staff and a group of volunteers. Chiara’s career started in a Brussels-based youth NGO working on Erasmus+ with just a Secretary General, herself and sometime...

Validation, diversity and learning with real training providers Check out the episode website In this fifth episode of the RM Framework Series , I’m joined by Marcos Gomes , Research and Innovation Manager at the University of Coimbra and co-lead of the RM Framework pilot work package. Marcos explains why the consortium made pilot testing a central activity: the new handbook for research managemen...

Stress, boundaries and sustainable ways of running EU projects Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Alessandro Carbone to talk about a side of EU projects that rarely appears in work plans: the well-being of project managers . We look at why this role sits in a permanent pressure zone – between funders, coordinators, partners, finance, HR and researchers – and how that plays...

The SET Plan & EU Funding – Inside the Machine Room How EU energy R&I priorities are made, funded and implemented Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Eric Lecomte from the European Commission’s DG Energy – the first time I’ve had a Commission representative on the podcast – to unpack the SET Plan, or Strategic Energy Technology Plan, and its role in EU funding. Eric...

Supporting Postdoctoral Fellowships at FAU’s EU Research Office Masterclasses, proposal review, internal services and rising competition ⁠ Check out the episode site In this episode I’m joined by Svenja Talv and Martina May , who run the EU research office at FAU (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) . We start with the backstory: how FAU’s leadership decided to set up a dedicated EU...

From Bird View clusters to objectives, WPs and a realistic structure ⁠ Check out the episode site In this third and final episode of the Idea Development Workshop series, I’m joined by Ana-Marija Špicnagel (IPS Konzalting) to build what we call the project spine of a Horizon Europe proposal. We start from where episode 2 left off – with a Bird View canvas full of challenges, opportunities, stakeho...

Idea Development Workshop (2) – Outlining the canvas model Objectives, outcomes, logic and what belongs in your Horizon idea More info and presentation: https://www.thegrant.eu/204-206 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 dev...

Idea Development Workshop (1) – Reading a Horizon Europe Call Budgets, outcomes, scope and decoding the fine print Here you find all the information you need for this episode 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...

The RM Training Handbook – from competences to programmes Programme guides, RMComp clustering and a living European standard More: www.thegrant.eu/rm4 This episode in the RM Framework Series is all about the handbook for research management training providers . I’m joined by Prof. Dr. Frank Ziegele and Niklas Rauterberg (CHE – Centre for Higher Education), who lead the handbook work package in the...

Missioner på AAU – fra strategi til hverdagspraksis Seed funding, impact frameworks og projektportefølje i et missionsdrevet universitet Mere information: www.thegrant.eu/aau-missions Dette afsnit er lavet i samarbejde med Aalborg Universitet. Aalborg Universitet har de seneste år truffet et klart valg: AAU vil arbejde missionsdrevet og samle kræfterne om udvalgte missioner, hvor store samfundsudf...

Erasmus+ Rising Proposals, Falling Success Rates Data, AI, evaluators and the future of proposal-based funding More: www.thegrant.eu/205 In this episode I’m joined by Roberto Zanon (Solvere) to dig into what’s actually happening with Erasmus+ success rates. Roberto has analysed national agency and centralised call data and the picture is stark: in just a couple of years, success rates have collaps...

IP in Projects (Part 2) — damage control in real life AI tools, ownership claims, documentation & dispute resolution More: www.thegrant.eu/201-202 In 2nd half of this episode on IP in projects, I continue the conversation with Juan Luis Rodríguez Quintero (RTDS Group) looking at IP once things get messy: ownership claims, conflicts, blocking patents and results nobody planned for in the grant....

IP in Projects — the hard part after grant signature Consortium agreements, background, access rights, patents vs publications More: www.thegrant.eu/201 This episode is a practical guide to IP in project implementation with Juan Luis Rodríguez Quintero (RTDS Group) . We start with the consortium agreement : why it’s the day-to-day rulebook, how to document background in Attachment 1 (including res...

Episode 200 — Guest reflections & the power of conversation What it felt like to be on The Grant, what they learnt, and why it works Link to episode website I used the opportunity for an in-person recording at The Grant Meet-Up in September 2025 in the midst of chats and drinks with a group of dedicated listeners to celebrate 200 episodes . I brought back two former guests - Angels Orduna, Exe...

The Research Management Ecosystem — what it is and why it matters RMcomp, roles & skills, and a practical path to European-level training Link to episode site What does the research management ecosystem look like in Europe—and why does it vary so much by country and institution? In this episode I’m joined by Frank Ziegele (CHE - Higher Education Management and Policy) and Henning Rickelt (Cent...

Finding the Partners — a practical playbook for EU proposals CORDIS, brokerage & LinkedIn sourcing; shortlisting; outreach that gets replies Link to episode website Finding partners—without wasting weeks. In this solo episode I break down exactly how I source reliable EU project partners : start broad with CORDIS and old brokerage/matchmaking sites , scan funded projects and call topics, then...

FP10, decoded with Science|Business editors Goda Naujokaitytė and Florin Zubascu . For applicants, research managers and policy folks : budget scenarios, Pillar II’s tie to ECF , governance/committees, ERC/MSCA signals, bottom-up vs top-down, and how MFF shapes call design and success rates. Link to episode website We separate rumours from reality on budget levels , how Pillar II could connect to...

Episode site Here in the second half of the episode on collaboration architecture, Monica Expositor-Glasco looks ahead: as AI tools make “near-perfect” proposals commonplace, the real competitive edge shifts from what you promise on paper to how your consortium proves it delivers together . We discuss why evaluator attention will increasingly gravitate to team track record , collaboration culture...

Episode site Building a strong connection - at the social level - is one of the most important things in the implementation of an EU project. Mónica Expositor Blasco is an expert on this and therefor a natural expert guest for my episode on social elements when implementing EU projects in my Implementation Series. There were many things to discuss, so this episode is divided into two episodes. In...

Episode site In this sixth episode in the Research Management Shorts Series, that I do together with Stephanie Harfensteller , EU Research Coordinator at FIR an der RWTH Aachen , we explore how you sustain a research management strategy once the initial build is done. We get concrete about monitoring and evaluation : tracking the smooth handling of proposals and projects through trained admin capa...