The Grant

The impact problem is a constant. Making sure that the projects that are being funded moves on into self-sustainable initiatives post-project is not as easy as it seems. Or at least as simple as the EU Commission THOUGHT that it would be. Back in episode #60 I had freelance science journalist Catherine Collins in the studio where we talked about the EU Commissions initiatives to get project result...

The impact problem is a constant. Making sure that the projects that are being funded moves on into self-sustainable initiatives post-project is not as easy as it seems. Or at least as simple as the EU Commission THOUGHT that it would be. Back in episode #60 I had freelance science journalist Catherine Collins in the studio where we talked about the EU Commissions initiatives to get project result...

Some times when you record a podcast episode magic happens in the interaction in-between the guest and the host. You are about to listen to one of the most heart felt The Grant episodes I have recorded to date. I was supposed to record an episode with two other podcasters on how we are working with our podcasts for you all. One of them got ill, but instead of cancelling independent consultant and...

I have been looking very much forward to release this weeks episode. Universities and their project support departments are heavy users of the EU R&D funding programmes. Therefore it has been an ambition since I started this podcast last summer to get representatives from a university project support office into the studio to share with you all how they work and support their research teams. A...

Somehow Norwegians seem to like to be on The Grant… I have a good handful of recordings in the box now with organisations from our dear associated friends in the North. There is a great R&D and innovation environment in Norway, so I am very happy to be able to share that with you all. This week I am zooming in on the area of regional representation in Brussels. Brussels is filled with regional...

It is time to harvest the fruits of lots of sowing. Research organisations are quite difficult to get on board the podcast and I have managed a few since I started, but now I am finally having a handful of research organisations already recorded or lined up for recordings. This week I have Senior Researcher Antonio M. Ortiz from the Norwegian private research organisation NORCE in the virtual podc...

Europe is at war. Not just since February 2022, but actually since 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea. That incident triggered a reaction in the former European Commission under President Juncker. It was decided to establish a defense fund to strengthen European defence industry and military capacities. We all know what happened later on and as such establishing the fund is almost prophetical. Calls...

Europe is at war. Not just since February 2022, but actually since 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea. That incident triggered a reaction in the former European Commission under President Juncker. It was decided to establish a defense fund to strengthen European defence industry and military capacities. We all know what happened later on and as such establishing the fund is almost prophetical. Calls...

Brussels has a lot of university liaison offices representing universities from all over Europe. They do a tremendous work – I have seen it with my own eyes. Some universities decide to gather into a collaboration around their Brussels activities. I have an old contact that is representing exactly such an initiative in Brussels. Simona Costa is Head of Office of the university collaboration Tour4E...

Brussels has a lot of university liaison offices representing universities from all over Europe. They do a tremendous work – I have seen it with my own eyes. Some universities decide to gather into a collaboration around their Brussels activities. I have an old contact that is representing exactly such an initiative in Brussels. Simona Costa is Head of Office of the university collaboration Tour4E...

Large energy companies are very popular in the EU funding eco-system. If you manage to get one of these babies onboard your EU energy proposal then you know that you have just made your chance bigger to access funding. Even better if it is from one of the continents big capitals! I happen to be so lucky that The Grant has a regular listener from exactly such an organisation. Amy Radlberger is EU F...

I am very proud to present to you all a new episode concept in this podcast: The Grant Q&A. The concept is as simple as it is hopefully informative: 1.       A guest has some questions in relation to EU funding 2.       Another guest is a capacity and can reply those questions Through this concept other beneficiaries throughout Europe approaching the same funding scheme can get enlightened on...

Large industry and EU funded projects are a particular combination. The EU Commission is eager to get them involved in especially Horizon Europe Pillar II projects because of potential big effect that their participation has on impact of the rolling out project results post-project. However, from the face of it large industry rarely needs to funding – they can just pay for the research and innovat...

The complexity of the overwhelmingly large EU funding system is massive. In spite of standardization measures over the years and efforts to make funding more accessible from the EU Commission, the system has grown so big that it has proven almost impossible to make a make it simpler to apply for funding. It seems when one big measure from the EU Commission to simplify and standardize has been impl...

The research manager is a title that is becoming more and more common in the university world. In short, a research manager is the supportive and facilitating function in the university administration that supports the researchers and research teams towards public funding. And with this of course also EU funding. The increasing importance of EU funding to universities throughout Europe has raised...

For many many years there has been an imbalance between all the funding for projects and efforts carried out in these projects versus the actual utilization of the project results after the projects end. The EU Commission has over many years tried to deal with this fundamental and critical imbalance in the whole funding-based system. I was reminded of this when I saw a post on LinkedIn by Catherin...

Digging into specific sectors and how they work with EU funding is also part of what I intent to unfold in this podcast. It is through examples from the stakeholders out there that the importance of EU funding really becomes clear. The Technological Platform of Wine (or PTV) from Spain is an association that facilitates innovation and development for the wine producing sector in Spain. The organis...

The Horizon Europe framework programme for R&D funding is a bush with many flowers. I have troughout the last year built up content on particular Horizon Europe Pillar II which is focused on collaboration projects solving socio-economic challenges. Now it is time to have a look at one of the other flowers in the bush: The ERC programme for researchers. The programme is THE most important fundi...

The Horizon Europe framework programme for R&D funding is a bush with many flowers. I have troughout the last year built up content on particular Horizon Europe Pillar II which is focused on collaboration projects solving socio-economic challenges. Now it is time to have a look at one of the other flowers in the bush: The ERC programme for researchers. The programme is THE most important fundi...

Lately the Erasmus+ programme has opened up to me. I have gained nice contacts that work with the programme regularly and through them of course I am becoming aware of the large dedicated community working with this funding scheme. So, I decided to open up The Grant for this area and start giving the stakeholders a voice. Given the nature of Erasmus+, funding education in all aspects, you also hav...

The gender aspect in the EU R&D framework programmes has long lived a life as sections of the R&D proposals that was not really taken serious. Standard generic 10-lines paragraphs, rolling eyes, frowns and in general being ridiculed as absolutely irrelevant. Those times are slowly fading away. The EU Commission keeps pushing for real gender-related reflections and input both in specific se...

In the beginning of the year ChatGPT blew to world away – and continues to do so. The level of complexity of the feedback from ChatGPT made it clear for all that here we are dealing with a ground-breaking technology that will have a major impact on development of society. Very quickly after the launch of ChatGPT the number of posts on the impact on grants proposal writing exploded In my LinkedIn f...

I have slowly moved into including other funding schemes than Horizon Europe. The Grant is thought to cover broadly the main European funding schemes. Not long ago I had a double-episode presenting an Erasmus+ project, so the natural step for me was move to Erasmus+ next. Therefore, this episode is an introduction to the Erasmus+ programme. Or Erasmus+ the EU programme for education, training, you...

I have slowly moved into including other funding schemes than Horizon Europe. The Grant is thought to cover broadly the main European funding schemes. Not long ago I had a double-episode presenting an Erasmus+ project, so the natural step for me was move to Erasmus+ next. Therefore, this episode is an introduction to the Erasmus+ programme. Or Erasmus+ the EU programme for education, training, you...

I have reached the end of the line. The Timeline, that is, naturally. And it is of course the submission episode that you are about to listen to. Submitting the Horizon Europe proposal is the last intense stretch in a marathon that has lasted for months. And it IS intense. And there are many things you need to deal with that you didn’t realize you had to pay attention to. Together with the things...