The Grant

The RM Framework Quality Label – Making Training Comparable
RM Framework Series #11 with Blanka Csite from EARMA

Check out the episode webiste with links

Research management training across Europe comes in many different forms—from accredited university programmes to short professional courses, micro-credentials and training delivered by professional associations. In episode #11 of the RM Framework Series, I’m joined by Blanka Csite from EARMA to explore how the project’s proposed Quality Label could help bring more transparency to that landscape.
Blanka explains why the current approach is voluntary, developmental and proportionate rather than pass-or-fail, and how self-assessment can help training providers reflect on their purpose, target group, learning outcomes and links to RM Comp competencies and proficiency levels. We also look at what the Quality Label could mean for research managers themselves: clearer information about what different programmes actually offer, making it easier to identify training that matches their own professional development needs. The concept is still being refined through pilot feedback and wider consultation with the European research management community.

Time codes:
02:13 Guest introduction and fly in
04:17 Introducing the Quality Label
09:59 Developing the Quality Label Approach
19:06 Supporting Training Across the ERA
25:13 From Development to Testing
29:05 Reflections

Inside Creative Europe – Helping Culture & Media Access EU Funding

With Nicoline Joy Haas and Lone Friboe Garde from Creative Europe Desk Denmark
Check out the episode website for more information

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For episode #245, I travelled to the Danish Film Institute in Copenhagen, where Nicoline Joy Haas and Lone Friboe Garde joined me for an in-person recording inside one of the Institute’s cinemas.

Together, they introduce the two main corners they work with: Nicoline covers the Culture strand, spanning areas such as music, literature, performing arts, architecture, museums and cultural heritage, while Lone works with the MEDIA strand, covering the audiovisual industries including film, TV series and video games. #245 Culture and Creativity NCP… #245 Culture and Creativity NCP…
But the main focus is their work as a Creative Europe Desk. We look at how they help applicants identify relevant opportunities, qualify project ideas, understand calls, review applications, find international partners and navigate the particular language of EU funding. We also discuss what makes a strong Creative Europe proposal—including meaningful international collaboration, international potential, realistic project structures and strategies for reaching audiences.

Time codes:
00:00 En route and Arrival
05:26 Creative Europe Desk Denmark
13:52 Introducing Creative Europe
26:07 Supporting Danish Applicants
48:43 Developing a Strong Application
01:0010: Advice, reflections and the toughest challenge

Tidligere på året udsendte The Grant i samarbejde med Aalborg Universitets Missionssekretariat en podcastepisode som introducerede forskere og forskningsteams til missions-tilgangen. Nu er det blevet tid til en samtale om hvordan man effektmåler i den missionsdrevne forskningstilgang, når flere forskellige forskningsdiscipliner og samfundsaktører er involveret.

I episoden taler jeg med Maria Abel Nissen og Jacob Brix fra Aalborg Universitet om, hvad der gør effektmåling i missionsdrevet forskning anderledes end i et traditionelt forskningsprojekt. Samtalen tager udgangspunkt i, at en mission ikke kan vurderes alene på resultaterne fra de enkelte projekter. Effekten opstår i samspillet mellem projekter, forskningsmiljøer og de aktører uden for universitetet, som skal være med til at omsætte ny viden til konkrete forandringer.

Vi ser blandt andet på forskellen mellem teknologisk modenhed og samfundets evne til faktisk at optage og anvende nye løsninger. Her kommer begreber som Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Societal Readiness Level (SRL) og implementeringskraft i spil. Derefter går vi tættere på arbejdet med et impact framework: Hvordan kan man skabe en ramme, der forbinder missionens overordnede samfundsmål med porteføljer, projekter, aktiviteter, adfærdsændringer og den effekt, man i sidste ende ønsker at skabe?

Endelig diskuterer vi arbejdet med tippepunkter – de steder i en forandringsproces, hvor man begynder at kunne se, at noget reelt har flyttet sig – og hvad hele denne tilgang betyder for forskerne selv. For hvis effektmåling skal have værdi i en missionsdrevet tilgang, skal den ikke alene fungere som dokumentation og rapportering. Den skal også kunne bruges som et redskab til læring, prioritering og til at forstå, hvordan den enkelte forskningsindsats bidrager til en større samfundsmæssig forandring.

Tidskoder:
02:22 Gæsteintroduktion
05:52 Åbning: Hvorfor er det her spørgsmål vigtigt?
13:58 Hvad er særligt ved missionsdreven forskning?
24:02 Fra teknologi til samfund: TRL, SRL og implementeringskraft
30:59 Impact framework: Hvordan bygger man en ramme for at forstå effekt?
40:12 Tippepunkter: Hvornår kan vi se, at noget har flyttet sig?
51:05 Hvad betyder det for forskerne?
01:04:50 Afslutning: Hvad er næste skridt?

Adjusting the Course – When EU Projects Don’t Go to Plan

Implementation Series #17 with Antonietta Pizza from ENCO ConsultingSee how you can collaborate with The Grant

Check out the episode website

Nothing goes exactly according to plan in a multi-year EU project. Activities are delayed, technical results differ from expectations, one work package becomes dependent on another, partners go quiet, or assumptions made during proposal writing simply turn out not to hold.

In episode #17 of the Implementation Series, I’m joined by Antonietta Pizza, Head of EU Projects Unit at ENCO Consulting, to look at how coordinators should respond when this happens. We discuss the difference between ordinary turbulence and a structural problem, why bilateral conversations with partners matter, how to keep the consortium aligned and why the project officer should hear about emerging problems early rather than receive surprises later.

We then move into adjusting the project itself: tasks, resources, budgets, formal amendments, documentation and the knock-on effects across the rest of the project. Antonietta also explains why a technically disappointing result does not necessarily mean that the work has no value—and why negotiations around money and budget reallocation can be the toughest challenge of all.

Time codes:
02:11 Guest introduction and fly in
05:56 Recognising That the Plan Is No Longer Working
19:02 Leading the Consortium Through Uncertainty
28:47 Adjusting the Project Without Losing the Project
45:04 When Failure Creates Better Results
53:57 Reflections and Advice
56:53 The toughest challenge

Inside the Proposal Deadline – Life at a Grant Consultancy
An in-person recording with Søren Houmøller, Maria Battistel and Tereza Marie-Jo Berk from 1st Mile
Check out the episode website with links, photos from the session etc.

What does a grant consultancy actually look like when several proposal deadlines are approaching at once?
For episode #243, I visit 1st Mile at DTU during a busy proposal period. Together with founder Søren Houmøller and team members Maria Battistel and Tereza Marie-Jo Berk, I look behind the scenes at how a small consultancy organises several applications in parallel: who manages the proposal, who writes what, how budgets and work plans are handled, how people move between teams, and what happens when something goes wrong close to submission.

But this episode is just as much about people as proposals. We talk about the relationships with clients, why team fit matters, how 1st Mile tries to create enough redundancy for colleagues to step in when needed, and why being able to say “no” early can be healthier than promising something you cannot deliver. Finally, Søren explains how he thinks about leadership, recovery after deadlines and building a workplace where intense periods do not become the permanent norm.

Time codes:
00:00 Arrival & Introduction
04:40 What's on the Table?
13:31 Building Proposals as a Team
33:32 When the Deadline Takes Over
52:20 Managing the People Behind the Proposals
01:03:24 After the Deadline
01:12:03 Goodbye