The Grant

Niels Tudor-Vinther
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Getting EU funding for your research project idea is great, but the process from project idea to submission of the full proposal is rough and tough. 20.000 proposals are submitted every year and every single one of these preparations goes through many challenges. Most of these challenges have the same overall characteristics, that can be minimized or eliminated by being aware of them already when starting the proposal process. This podcast is for proposals preparers looking for tips, tricks, advice or just an audible pad on the shoulder to deal with the unavoidable tough work

  1. #223 Beyond Traditional Dissemination

    2 DAYS AGO

    #223 Beyond Traditional Dissemination

    How EU projects can move from visibility to real use and impact Check out the episode website 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

    1hr 5min
  2. The Grant Collaboration - ENCO Series (2): Maximising Impact Through Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation

    28 APR

    The Grant Collaboration - ENCO Series (2): Maximising Impact Through Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation

    How ENCO works with visibility, stakeholder engagement and market uptake Check out the episode website 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

    36 min

  3. 27 APR

    #222 Young Professionals in EU Funding

    Young Professionals in EU Funding – Careers, Challenges & Growth w/Oliver Cressall from Venturenomix Check out the episode website 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

    1hr 12min

  4. 20 APR

    #221 Better Proposals - Impact, Training & Research Communication

    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

    1hr 7min
  5. The Grant Collaboration: ENCO Series (1) In Tune with Your Ideas - Our role as European Projects Consultants

    14 APR

    The Grant Collaboration: ENCO Series (1) In Tune with Your Ideas - Our role as European Projects Consultants

    How consultants translate innovation into strong EU proposals Check out the episode website 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

    37 min

  6. 13 APR

    #220 A Book on Diversity Leadership in Research Management

    A book conversation on diversity literacy, leadership and global research Check out the episode website 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

    1hr 2min
  7. #219 Erasmus+ Therapy Session: New Audit Regime

    6 APR

    #219 Erasmus+ Therapy Session: New Audit Regime

    Erasmus+ Audits – Lump Sums, Fear & Audit CultureAn Erasmus+ Therapy panel on compliance, trust and what must change Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined again by Henriette Hansen, Daiana Huber and Alessandro Melillo for another Erasmus+ Therapy session — this time focused entirely on audits. We talk about a feeling many practitioners will recognise: that the audit discourse has shifted from something closer to good faith and improvement towards something more punitive, suspicious and bureaucratic. Henriette reflects on how the move to lump sums originally sounded like a welcome shift towards outputs and project quality, only to find that her first lump-sum audit still felt dominated by error-hunting and a low tolerance for honest explanations about difficulties and adaptations in implementation. From there we go deeper into the paradox that many coordinators now live with: yes, projects may be called lump sum, but if you want to survive an audit you still behave as if you are in a real-cost universe. Daiana and Alessandro describe the mountain of documentation that can still be requested in practice, the confusion this creates for newcomers, and the wider damage of fear-driven compliance on innovation, trust and motivation. We end by asking what should change: clearer expectations, more constructive audit cultures, more room for appreciation of what projects actually achieved, and stronger policy dialogue between agencies, auditors and the people running Erasmus+ projects on the ground. Time codes: 02:21 Guest introduction and fly in 05:14 The old logic vs. the new logic 11:49 Presumption of guilt and fear-driven compliance 26:18 Who is this audit discourse really protecting? 37:03 What needs to change 42:25 The toughest challenge

    46 min

  8. 30 MAR

    #218 Hydrogen Valleys - Large Scale Horizon

    BalticSeaH2, project implementation and the future of hydrogen in Europe Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Susanna Kupiainen from CLIC Innovation in Finland to talk about hydrogen valleys through the lens of one of the most ambitious projects in Europe: BalticSeaH2. Susanna explains the valley concept in practical terms: bringing hydrogen production, transport and multiple end-use industries close enough together to create real integrated value chains. From there we explore why Hydrogen Valleys have become such a flagship under the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, and why the Baltic Sea region is such an interesting place to build them - with strong renewable energy potential, cross-border infrastructure links and growing pressure to create green hydrogen value chains inside Europe rather than rely on imported fossil inputs. We then dive into implementation. BalticSeaH2 spans 9 countries and 40 partners, with a main valley between Finland and Estonia plus seven connected valleys included from the start. Susanna shares how that choice has shaped replication, social acceptance work and collaboration across different national contexts. We also talk about real project-life issues: investment delays, amendments, reporting across a huge consortium, hydrogen off-take, green ammonia and the question that hangs over the whole sector — how to move from promising production cases and pilots towards enough demand, market certainty and policy continuity to make a true European hydrogen economy possible. Time codes: 01:57 Guest introduction and fly in 05:28 What is a Hydrogen Valley? 15:12 From Idea to Funded Flagship 25:03 Replication From Day One – The Structural Innovation 38:21 Midpoint Reflection – Is It Delivering? 49:40 Nordic Perspective: Security, Supply and Policy 56:26 Reflections and advice 01:00:31 The toughest challenge

    1hr 7min
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About

Getting EU funding for your research project idea is great, but the process from project idea to submission of the full proposal is rough and tough. 20.000 proposals are submitted every year and every single one of these preparations goes through many challenges. Most of these challenges have the same overall characteristics, that can be minimized or eliminated by being aware of them already when starting the proposal process. This podcast is for proposals preparers looking for tips, tricks, advice or just an audible pad on the shoulder to deal with the unavoidable tough work

Information

  • Creator
    Niels Tudor-Vinther
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    238
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Niels Tudor-Vinther
  • Show Website
    The Grant