The Grant

Idea Development Workshop (2) – Outlining the canvas modelObjectives, outcomes, logic and what belongs in your Horizon ideaMore info and presentation: https://www.thegrant.eu/204-206In 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 development - the Bird View Canvas Model, an innovative tool developed by IPS Konzalting and adapted here for Horizon Europe proposals. Instead of jumping straight from the call to work packages, we stay at “bird’s-eye” level and map a concrete case on the Bird View canvas: internal and external challenges, opportunities that sound like a project, the unique selling proposition, who the “customers and channels” really are, and what a plausible future (including business logic and sustainability) might look like.From there we follow the real process: a messy Bird View sheet full of notes and arrows (like the one on slide 10) gradually turning into a more structured concept where emerging work packages are sketched around the central idea (slide 11). We talk about who to invite to a Bird View session, how to keep the discussion anchored in the call’s expected outcomes and scope, and how this step makes it easier to talk honestly about exploitation, long-term collaboration and what should not be in the project. The goal is simple: use Bird View to create a shared project model before anyone starts fighting over templates and task lists.Time codes:00:02:45 Introduction and fly in00:05:02 The Bird View Canvas Model00:25:05 How to run the brainstorm

Idea Development Workshop (1) – Reading a Horizon Europe CallBudgets, outcomes, scope and decoding the fine printHere you find all the information you need for this episode: https://www.thegrant.eu/204-206In 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 Horizon Europe Mission Soil call on soil biodiversity, we start with the basics that shape your whole idea – budget per project, number of projects to be funded, type of action and co-funding rates (including what 70% means for SMEs and how grants to third parties change your consortium logic). We then look at how the call anchors itself in EU strategies like Farm to Fork, the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the SDGs, and why that matters for partner choice and story-telling. From there we unpack expected outcomes, scope and proposed activities: what the Commission really expects you to deliver, how to read the small words (“need to”, “should”, “may”), and how to see when you must cover all bullets rather than “at least some”. We also touch on demonstration and on-field work vs purely lab research, multi-actor requirements, links to sister projects and platforms, and why exploitation planning is now baked into the call text. Throughout the episode, Ana shares practical habits like re-reading the call every two weeks during proposal development to make sure your great idea still fits what is actually being asked.Time codes:00:02:35 Introduction00:06:18 Fly in00:08:52 Call at a glance00:17:18 The Expected Outcomes00:21:20 The Scope (what you actually have to do)

The RM Training Handbook – from competences to programmesProgramme guides, RMComp clustering and a living European standardMore: www.thegrant.eu/rm4This 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 Horizon Europe RM Framework project – designed to create a European qualification system, handbook and quality label for RM training. We start with the “why”: professional identity for research managers, shared reference points across Europe, and the shift from supply-driven “what can trainers offer?” to demand-driven “which competences do specific roles actually need?”. From there we unpack the Programme Development Guide (a checklist from programme conception and business model to curriculum design, delivery and continuous improvement) and the Curricular Component Method, which makes RMComp project's 800+ learning outcomes usable by clustering them into areas, identifying competences relevant for all RMs and then narrowing down to what a specific training should cover. Using a pre-award training example, we walk through how to pick competences, translate them into learning outcomes and build concrete session topics. We close on the handbook as a living document – connected to pilot testers, national ambassadors and evolving topics like AI – and how it could eventually support self-assessment and personalised career paths for research managers across Europe. Time codes:00:02:48 Introduction00:04:49 Fly in00:05:26 Why we need the handbook? 00:14:10 The purpose and structure00:20:25 How to use the handbook00:39:28 The added value and final reflections

Missioner på AAU – fra strategi til hverdagspraksisSeed funding, impact frameworks og projektportefølje i et missionsdrevet universitetMere information: www.thegrant.eu/aau-missioner 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 samfundsudfordringer omsættes til konkrete mål, indsatser og samarbejder på tværs af fagmiljøer. Sammen med tre gæster – Frede Blaabjerg (professor på AAU Energi og formand for Danmarks Forsknings- og Innovationspolitiske Råd), Niels Bech Lukassen (afdelingschef ved Missionssekretariatet) og Paw V. Mortensen (Energy Mission Officer) – folder jeg den missionsdrevne tilgang ud fra tre vinkler: strategi og forskning, ledelse og organisation samt hverdagen tæt på kommuner og virksomheder.Vi går bag om begrebet “missionsdreven”: Hvad adskiller det fra “bare” at lave gode projekter? Hvordan tager man afsæt i konkrete samfundsudfordringer og samtidig værner om faglighed og nysgerrighed? Undervejs deler gæsterne eksempler på missionsdreven forskning og samarbejder, nye roller for forskere, projektledere og støttefunktioner, og hvordan seed funding og projektporteføljer kan bruges til at samle kræfterne om nogle få, tydelige missioner. Episoden er tænkt som en invitation til AAU-medarbejdere – uanset om du arbejder med forskning, undervisning, administration eller eksterne samarbejder – til at se din egen rolle i AAU’s missioner.Tidskoder:00:02:32 Introduktion00:08:07 Hvorfor taler vi om missioner?00:12:24 Hvad betyder “missionsdreven” egentlig?00:25:29 Hvordan ser missionsdrevet forskning ud i praksis?00:51:02 Hvad kræver det af os som universitet?00:59:10 Hvad kan vi lære af erfaringerne indtil nu? 01:06:37 Afslutning og opfordring

Erasmus+ Rising Proposals, Falling Success RatesData, AI, evaluators and the future of proposal-based fundingMore: www.thegrant.eu/205In 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 collapsed in many actions, with some calls now around 5–10%. We talk about what’s driving the surge in proposals - NGO funding crises, organisations submitting dozens of applications, template convergence across EU programmes, Covid-era online consortia and, of course, AI tools that make it much easier to write applications at scale. We then look at the consequences: overwhelmed evaluators and agencies, inconsistent assessments that can feel like a lottery, big geographic differences between countries, and the risk that people start seeing the system as unfair. Finally we explore ways forward: better evaluator training in logical framework and theory of change, clearer and more consistent policies on AI in evaluation, more flexible programme management (caps, two-stage calls, better stakeholder feedback) and why genuinely well-rooted, mission-driven projects still stand out.Time codes:00:02:06 Introduction00:03:46 Fly in00:07:03 The numbers and the trends00:14:48 What’s driving the surge? 00:25:18 The consequences: For organisations and the system00:38:11 How do we move forward?00:56:06 The toughest challenge