The Grant

The Hidden Work of Research Managers w/Isabel from RISE Processum

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In this episode I’m joined by Isabel Burdallo from RISE Processum to talk about the hidden work of research managers. We start from a simple but important gap: what many people think research management is, and what it actually is in practice. From the outside, the role is often reduced to administration, paperwork, budgets and compliance. Isabel explains why that is only part of the picture. In reality, research management is also about translation: translating research ideas into fundable structures, funding rules into workable decisions, and institutional constraints into something project teams can live with.

From there we go deeper into the invisible tasks that make projects hold together. Isabel shares how this role often means stepping into complex situations, spotting risks early, smoothing communication between very different people, and handling the kinds of coordination, timing and compliance issues that nobody notices when they go well. We also talk about why this work is still so often misunderstood inside research organisations, how the role differs across countries and institutions, and why research managers need to make themselves more visible — not out of ego, but because the profession deserves clearer recognition for the value it creates.

Time codes:

02:03 Guest introduction and fly in

05:45 What People Think vs Reality

12:52 The Hidden Tasks – What Actually Happens Behind the Scenes

25:21 Why It’s Invisible and the Human Side

36:47 Navigating and Owning the Role

42:28 Advice

44:08 The toughest challenge

A Novel MSCA PF Training Model – The MSCA Catalyst Approach w/Rita Gil Mata from FUNDamentally SCIENCE

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In this new episode of The Grant Collaboration, produced in paid collaboration with FUNDamentally SCIENCE, I’m joined by Rita Gil Mata to talk about a structural problem in MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships: Europe has talent, but too often the preparation system around applicants is not strong enough. Rita brings more than 20 years of experience supporting researchers in European funding, and she explains why the sharp rise in MSCA PF submissions and the drop in success rates should be read as a warning sign. In her view, the issue is not a lack of excellent researchers, but the fact that applicants, supervisors and institutions are often not prepared in a sufficiently aligned and strategic way.

That is exactly why she created the MSCA Catalyst training model. We unpack how it works in practice: a structured applicant training built around the real template, supervisor mentoring so the academic side is fully engaged, and expert review for the strongest proposals selected by the institution. What I like in this conversation is that it goes beyond “another training offer” and instead treats MSCA preparation as an ecosystem challenge. If Europe wants to keep strong young research talent in the system, then programmes like this matter — not only for better proposals, but for the long-term health of the research landscape itself.

Time codes:

02:05 Guest introduction and fly in

05:44 Motivation - A Spark to Build Something New

10:31 Why Traditional Support Is Not Enough

16:48 The Training Concept

25: 47 Why This Matters

Life Cycle Assessment in EU Projects – Sustainability by Design w/Mirko Busto from ENCO Consulting

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In this final episode of The ENCO Series produced in paid collaboration with ENCO Consulting, I’m joined by Mirko Busto to talk about life cycle assessment and why it has become such an important part of EU-funded research and innovation.

Mirko explains that sustainability is not something you can judge from one isolated number or one nice-looking innovation claim. A solution may reduce emissions in one place while creating problems somewhere else. That is why life cycle thinking matters: it forces you to look at the whole picture — from materials and manufacturing to use, disposal and possible recycling — and ask whether the innovation really improves the system overall.

We also go into the practical side of the work. Mirko explains the three connected methodologies used in sustainability assessment: life cycle assessment, life cycle costing and social life cycle assessment. We talk about how they enter both proposal writing and project implementation, why data collection and benchmarking are so difficult in innovative projects, and how these methods help technical teams avoid hidden trade-offs.

Using the SEEDS project as a case, Mirko shows how this plays out in practice when comparing agricultural systems in different MENA contexts and trying to assess future sustainability under climate and resource pressure.

Time codes:

01:56 Guest introduction and fly in

04:05 Why sustainability assessment matters

08:12 Sustainability methodologies in EU projects

10:48 Integrating sustainability in innovation projects

17:14 Practical challenges

25:12 Success Story – The SEEDS project

Strategy, partnerships and proposal work with limited resources

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In this episode I’m joined by Alessio Caracci from Unknown Group to talk about what it really means to work across multiple funding schemes at the same time. Alessio’s role touches different parts of the organisation — the university, the campus and startup-related activities — so he has to navigate very different programme logics, target groups and funding opportunities. We talk about how that changes the work compared with specialising in a single scheme, and why the first task is not writing proposals but building a strong map of what is relevant, what is strategic and what the organisation actually wants to become in the next few years.

From there we move into the practical side: how a small team can survive this complexity, why trusted external partners matter so much, and how long-term collaboration makes proposal work faster and more realistic under pressure. Alessio explains how Unknown works through a mix of self-led initiatives, alliances, consultants and ecosystem relationships, and how this lets them stay involved in different programmes without pretending they can do everything alone. We also talk about deadline clustering, the danger of tunnel vision, and why the most important discipline is often not chasing more opportunities but staying close to your organisation’s real mission and strengths.

Time codes:

01:55 Guest introduction and fly in

12:21 Working Across Many Programmes

21:09 Managing Complexity – Systems, Shortcuts and Survival

38:51 Partnerships and Collaboration as Strategy

49:44 Reflections and advice

54:21 The toughest challenge

How EU projects can move from visibility to real use and impact

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In this episode of The Grant, I’m joined by Borut Razbornik for a conversation about dissemination in EU projects — and why the traditional approach often does not work.

We talk about the difference between simply making a project visible and actually getting people to use, adopt or engage with the results. Too often, dissemination becomes a matter of quantity: posting on websites, sharing on social media, counting impressions and promoting outputs one by one. Borut argues that this misses the real point. Dissemination should be about impact, usefulness and action.

The episode then moves into Borut’s marketing perspective. We discuss attention as a scarce resource, why generic project messages fail, and why dissemination needs to speak directly to the needs of a target group. Borut also introduces his “flagship strategy”: identifying the most useful project result and building a focused dissemination pathway around it, instead of scattering attention across too many isolated outputs.

We also cover LinkedIn, stakeholder engagement, project constraints, partner dynamics, creative thinking and why dissemination should be embedded in implementation from the start.

A practical episode for anyone working with EU project communication, dissemination, exploitation or impact.

Time codes:

01:47 Guest introduction and fly in

06:09 The Problem: Dissemination That Doesn’t Work

16:06 Understanding Attention – A Marketing Perspective

26:05 A Different Approach – The Flagship Strategy

41:42 Embedding Dissemination in the Work Itself

48:12 Working Within Constraints

57:06 Reflections and Advice

58:47 The toughest challenge

How ENCO works with visibility, stakeholder engagement and market uptake

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In this second of the ENCO Series, produced in paid collaboration with ENCO Consulting, I’m joined by Rosanna Buonfiglio and Marco de la Feld to talk about one of the most important but often blurred areas in EU projects: communication, dissemination and exploitation. We unpack the differences between the three and why it matters to keep them distinct. Communication is about making the project visible and understandable. Dissemination is about making sure the right people can actually access and use the results. Exploitation is about what happens when you want those results to go further into strategy, market positioning, business models and real uptake.

We then move into how ENCO works with these areas in practice. Rosanna explains how communication and dissemination strategies are built from the proposal stage by identifying audiences, messages and the right channels, while Marco shows how exploitation connects project results to business plans, competitor analysis, IPR strategy and post-project development. Using the SYMBA project as a case, they show how these three dimensions can reinforce each other when they are designed together from the start. It’s a practical episode for anyone writing proposals, managing EU projects or trying to make sure that project results do not just sit on a website after the funding ends.

Time codes:

02:05 Guest introduction

06:26 Why communication matters

10:37 Communication, dissemination and exploitation

14:16 ENCO’s approach to C&D&E strategy

23:54 Delivering communication in practice - the SYMBA case

32:28 Outro

Young Professionals in EU Funding – Careers, Challenges & Growth w/Oliver Cressall from Venturenomix

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In this episode I’m joined by Oliver Cressall from Venturenomix to talk about young professionals in EU funding. Oliver shares what it feels like to enter the field from the proposal support side — helping with consortium building, partner coordination and the administrative backbone of bids — while still learning the language, structures and unwritten rules of the system. We talk about the invisible barriers juniors face: feeling “not experienced enough”, struggling with jargon, and assuming that everyone else in the room understands far more than they do.

We then move into the bigger picture: where young people can actually enter this world, what they are looking for when they do, and what too many employers still get wrong. Oliver speaks very clearly about meaningful work, climate motivation, flexibility, mobility, autonomy and the need for managers who support rather than exploit young staff. We also talk about LinkedIn pressure, the lack of safe spaces to share doubts, and why this sector needs to take junior well-being and development much more seriously if it wants to keep good people.

Time codes:

02:12 Guest introduction and fly in

09:05 The invisible barrier: “I’m not experienced enough”

22:25 Entry points into EU funding: more paths than you think

33:38 What young professionals are really looking for

44:37 Safe spaces and communities: why they matter

59:43 Advice to young professionals – and to the system

01:05:31 The toughest challenge

Better Grant Proposals – Impact, Training & Research Communication

Check out the episode websiteIn this episode I’m joined by Elaine Massung, founder of Academic Smartcuts, to talk about how researchers can write better grant proposals and communicate their ideas more effectively. Elaine has worked as a researcher, postdoc, funding agency professional at EPSRC and now as an independent trainer. That gives her a very practical view of where proposals go wrong: researchers often do not give themselves enough time, do not read the guidance carefully enough, start with a solution before defining the problem, or fail to explain their work in language reviewers can actually use.

We also dig into impact — one of the most repeated but still weakest parts of many proposals. Elaine and I talk about why “publish in high-impact journals, attend conferences and host a workshop” is not enough, and how researchers can think more creatively about visibility and use: trade magazines, teaching materials, podcasts, blogs, stakeholder meetings, existing networks and other channels that actually fit the project. We also discuss proposal audits, training, time pressure, networking challenges and why getting help early is not weakness — it is often what makes the proposal stronger.

Time codes:

01:47 Guest introduction and fly in

06:20 The Core Insight: Everyone Makes the Same Mistakes

14:51 Teaching Researchers to Think Differently

24:57 The Impact Problem

44:27 New Ways of Creating Visibility

53:24 Reflections and advice

56:42 The toughest challenge

How consultants translate innovation into strong EU proposals

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In this first episode of the ENCO Series, produced in paid collaboration with ENCO Consulting, I’m joined by Antonietta Pizza to talk about the consultant perspective on proposal writing. We unpack what European project consultants actually do beyond the clichés: finding the right call, understanding the innovation behind the idea, building a strong consortium, shaping a realistic work plan and translating highly technical content into a proposal language that evaluators can follow. Antonietta explains how this process begins with listening carefully to the client, understanding how they work and then building a proposal process that is both structured and collaborative.

From there we move into the real-life complexity of proposal development: different partner rhythms, holiday periods, timeline pressure, templates, impact logic and the challenge of keeping the whole application coherent. Antonietta shares how ENCO works through repeated calls and co-creation with key partners to make sure the proposal is ambitious but still feasible, and why the consultant’s external eye can be so valuable in identifying weak spots early. We also touch on a concrete funded hydrogen case, showing how a highly technical concept can be turned into a convincing EU proposal when the right structure, consortium and narrative come together.

Time codes:

01:56 Guest introduction and fly in

05:10 The consultant perspective

08:56 Translating ideas into EU projects

12:56 Designing a strong proposal

22:28 Common proposal pitfalls

28:32 Success Story – LIGNOFUN

A book conversation on diversity literacy, leadership and global research

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In this episode I’m joined by Jakob Feldtfos Christensen, Director of DIVERSIuniTY and co-host of the Diversity in Research Podcast, to talk about his new book: Diversity Leadership in Research Management: A Practical Guide. We unpack why he felt the need to write it now: research management is maturing as a profession, diversity is becoming more deeply embedded in research funding and project work, and yet many of the conversations around it remain too abstract, too polarised or too detached from the practical reality of running international collaborations. Jakob wanted to write something different — a short, practical book that research managers can actually use in their everyday work.

From there we go into the substance of the book. Jakob explains why diversity literacy is one of the key concepts: not just representation or values statements, but a real professional skillset for people working in research support, project development and international collaboration. We talk about how the book moves from leadership to the research support office and then to the individual research manager, and why this matters more and more in a world of Horizon Europe gender analysis requirements, expanding global collaboration, AI-supported writing and growing geopolitical tension. It’s a conversation about a book — but also about the future of research management as a people profession.

Time codes:

01:40 Guest introduction and fly in

06:03 Background and Motivation

18:42 The Book

32:45 The Work

48:46 Finalization and Release

54:59 The toughest challenge