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. 9h ago

    #241 Innovation Fund - Proposal Writing (part 2)

    Innovation Fund Proposal Writing (2) – Writing & SubmissionWith Irene Larroy from EY and Marco Molica Colella from Hydrogen Europe In the second half of our Innovation Fund proposal-writing double episode, we move from preparation to actually building the application. Irene Larroy and Marco Molica Colella take us through the documents, annexes and evaluation criteria that make an Innovation Fund proposal such a substantial exercise. One of the first lessons: don't necessarily start with Part B. Build the feasibility study, business plan, financial model and other underlying elements first, then use them to create a consistent Part B. We go through project concept and innovation, GHG emission avoidance, technical, financial and operational maturity, risk, replicability, knowledge sharing, cost efficiency and work packages before finishing with the submission process itself. Throughout, Irene and Marco stress consistency, evaluator-friendly writing and rigorous document control. And the toughest challenge? Time. This is an application process that requires serious planning and significant internal capacity. Time codes 02:04 Pen to paper - The Annexes 28:12 Pen to paper - Part B 01:01:17 Submission 01:10:59 Reflections and advice 01:22:50 The toughest challenge

  2. Aug 31

    #240 Innovation Fund - Proposal Writing (part 1)

    Innovation Fund Proposal Writing (1) – Preparation & Innovation With Irene Larroy from EY and Marco Molica Colella from Hydrogen Europe Check out the episode website In this first of two episodes on Innovation Fund proposal writing, I’m joined by Irene Larroy from EY and Marco Molica Colella from Hydrogen Europe. We focus on the traditional Innovation Fund grants and Net-Zero Technologies calls rather than the auction mechanism. And the first lesson comes before the writing starts: because this programme is highly competitive and resource-intensive, applicants need to determine whether their project genuinely fits the Innovation Fund before investing heavily in the proposal. Irene explains how she starts by testing projects against the five evaluation criteria: degree of innovation, GHG emission avoidance, maturity, replicability and cost efficiency. We then zoom in on the degree of innovation. Marco explains why innovation cannot be assessed in isolation: it depends on the sector, competing technologies and what the Innovation Fund has already supported. Irene shows why applicants should study the Innovation Fund dashboard and compare themselves carefully with previous funded projects—including previous projects from their own corporate group. We also discuss the importance of the innovation annex in the call documentation and why a successful proposal process may require applicants to redesign parts of the project itself in order to build a stronger case. Time codes: 01:55 Guest introduction and fly in 06:00 Preparation 31:35 Shaping of proposal concept with consortium

  3. Aug 26

    Collaboration: RM Framework Series (9) - Building the Future of Research Management in Europe

    A New ERA for Research Management RM Framework Series #9 with Anna Seip from DG RTD Check out the episode website Why has research management become a European policy priority? In episode #9 of the RM Framework Series, I’m joined by Anna Seip, Policy Officer at DG RTD, to trace the policy journey behind the initiatives we have been exploring throughout this series. We go back to the renewed European Research Area and ERA Action 17 and look at how research management moved from a relatively undefined concept towards an increasingly recognised profession. Anna explains an important part of that history: the initiative did not simply originate inside the Commission. Member States helped put the issue on the agenda, after which the Commission, countries and stakeholder organisations worked together to define the challenges and determine what should happen next. Those challenges became upskilling, recognition, networking and capacity building. We discuss how projects such as RM Roadmap and RM Framework turn those policy objectives into practical initiatives, and why RM Comp has become an important common language for describing what research managers actually do. But creating frameworks is only part of the job. The next challenge is adoption: getting institutional leadership and Member States to recognise the profession, use the tools and invest in research-management capacity. It is a useful look behind the curtain at how a European policy priority gradually moves from discussion to concrete change inside research organisations. Time codes: 02:23 Guest introduction and fly in 06:11 Why Research Management Became a European Priority 12:11 Building the Foundations: RM Comp and the European Framework 19:02 From Policy to Practice: Implementing RM Comp Across Europe 33:13 The Next Step: Shared Ownership Across Europe 48:12 Reflections and Call to Action

    Collaboration: RM Framework Series (9) - Building the Future of Research Management in Europe

  4. Aug 24

    #239 Exploitation - The Implementation Series (16)

    Exploitation in EU Projects – From Results to Real UseWith Ana-Marija Špicnagel, Director at IPS Konzalting Check out the episode website In this episode of my Implementation Series, I’m joined by Ana-Marija Špicnagel from IPS Konzalting for a practical guide to exploitation in EU-funded projects. We begin with the basics: communication tells people what the project is doing, dissemination shares its results, while exploitation is about somebody actually using those results. And that does not necessarily mean selling a product. Exploitation can be commercial, regulatory, educational, organisational or linked to further research, depending on the project and the expected outcome. From there we move into implementation. How do you identify key exploitable results when many of them may not even be visible at proposal stage? When should you start talking to partners about commercialisation and IP? How do you deal with researchers, SMEs and other consortium partners having very different motivations? And how do you involve stakeholders early enough for their feedback to actually shape the result? Ana-Marija shares a concrete working rhythm for exploitation throughout a project and explains why the real objective is not another Excel sheet or polished deliverable. It is creating something that somebody wants to use — and ideally something that can continue living after the funding stops. Time codes: 02:03 Guest introduction and fly in 06:13 Defining Exploitation 18:00 Designing for Exploitation from Day One 31:57 The Consortium Challenge 37:13 From Project Results to Real Adoption 58:38 Life After the Project 01:09:07 Reflections and advice 01:10:29 The toughest challenge

    #239 Exploitation - The Implementation Series (16)

  5. Aug 17

    #238 EU Funding in the Western Balkans: Building Research Capacity

    EU Funding in the Western Balkans – The View from AlbaniaWith Luziana Hoxha from the Agricultural University of Tirana Check out the episode website In this episode, I’m joined by Luziana Hoxha from the Agricultural University of Tirana to look at EU funding from the perspective of Albania and the Western Balkans. Albania is associated with Horizon Europe, so on paper its universities and researchers have broad access to the programme. But access and competitiveness are two different things. Luziana explains the challenges of joining established consortia when other European universities may have decades of experience, mature project offices, stronger research infrastructure and long-standing international networks. We also talk about how European programmes can gradually change that position. Erasmus+, earlier Tempus projects, mobility, Widening instruments and participation in international networks have helped universities build administrative capacity, modernise curricula and laboratories, and develop researchers who are increasingly able to write and lead proposals themselves. Luziana shares her own journey—including succeeding with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship after previously doubting whether an Albanian researcher could compete at that level. It is a conversation about funding, but equally about visibility, confidence, relationships and becoming a trusted part of the European research ecosystem. Time codes: 01:55 Guest introduction and fly in 05:39 The View from Albania – What Opportunities Exist? 16:08 The Challenges of Competing in European Funding 32:18 Building Capacity Through European Collaboration 47:03 From Participant to Contributor 58:42 Reflections and advice 01:04:34 The toughest challenge

  6. Aug 10

    #237 RTOs - Bridging Research and Industry

    How RTOs Turn Research into Impact – The Spanish ModelWith Patricia Castillo, Director of Impact at Eurecat Check out the episode website In this episode, I’m joined by Patricia Castillo, Director of Impact at Eurecat, to explore what research and technology organisations actually do and why they occupy such an important place in Europe’s innovation ecosystem. RTOs sit between universities, companies, start-ups and public authorities. Their purpose is to help move technologies beyond promising laboratory results and towards something that can be manufactured, scaled, financed and used by companies in the real world. Patricia explains why that process is not a simple linear transfer from science to market, but a continuous interaction between researchers, industry and society. We also examine the distinctive Spanish model, where RTOs are private non-profit organisations with limited baseline support and must combine competitive public funding with industry contracts and services. That creates a difficult but productive tension: responding to companies’ needs today while investing in the knowledge, people and infrastructure that may be required ten years from now. We discuss impact management, responsible technology development, long-term research capacity, tacit knowledge, falling success rates and why generic AI-written sections on impact, gender and dissemination are becoming increasingly easy for evaluators to recognise. Time codes: 01:39 Guest introduction and fly in 05:15 Understanding the RTO Model 16:06 The Spanish Context 26:41 Living with the Challenge 49:09 The Book - Capturing Knowledge Before It Disappears 01:01:17 Reflections and advice 01:03:17 The toughest challenge

    #237 RTOs - Bridging Research and Industry

  7. Aug 3

    #236 Rethinking How to Create Lasting Impact

    Rethinking Impact – From Funded Projects to Real AdoptionWith Christopher Adlung from TU Delft Check out the episode website In this episode, I’m joined by Christopher Adlung, a PhD researcher at TU Delft and a medtech entrepreneur, to rethink what impact actually means in EU-funded research and innovation. Christopher studies the adoption and scaling of telemedicine in low-resource settings, and that adoption perspective shapes our entire conversation. A technology can perform brilliantly in a laboratory or pilot project, but real impact only emerges when the wider ecosystem can and wants to use it. That includes not only researchers and end users, but also procurement teams, administrators, investors, technicians, managers and everyone else whose decisions shape implementation. We also question whether Europe’s increasingly large and complex collaborative projects are always the right mechanism for innovative SMEs. Could smaller, simpler grants involving fewer partners create faster and more focused progress? Could new structures connect universities, companies and public authorities without forcing them into temporary consortia with very different incentives? Christopher also shares examples from telemedicine in Bangladesh, where innovation has grown from practical constraints and combines digital consultations, mobile health teams, diagnostic devices, pharmacies and local access points. It becomes a wide-ranging conversation about funding design, ecosystems, sustainability and why impact should be measured through adoption and long-term consequences rather than activity alone. Time codes: 01:39 Guest introduction and fly in 04:37 The Traditional Funding Model – Where Does It Fall Short? 22:20 Beyond Silos – Do We Need New Ways of Organising Innovation? 36:47 Inspiration Beyond Europe 47:46 Rethinking Impact in Future EU Projects 59:00 Reflections and advice 01:06:11 The toughest challenge

  8. Jul 27

    #235 Supporting Young Entrepreneurs and Young Professionals with Disabilities

    WIN4SMES – Supporting Young Entrepreneurs and Young Professionals with DisabilitiesTwo pilot stories from Hungary and Lithuania Check out the episode website In this episode I return to the WIN4SMES universe with a closer look at two pilot stories that deserved their own spotlight. In the first half, I speak with Tamas Rettich from the Hungarian Association of Craftsmen’s Corporations about a one-week entrepreneurship camp for highly talented young innovators. The camp helps participants move from strong technical or scientific ideas toward real entrepreneurial thinking through business planning, finance, marketing, innovation management, leadership and teamwork. What I especially like here is the emphasis on collaboration: the young participants do not just refine ideas on their own, but learn that innovation also depends on trust, communication and shared problem-solving. In the second half, I speak with Egle Lizaityte from the Lithuanian Association of Hotels and Restaurants about a pilot focused on getting young people with disabilities into the hospitality sector. Through collaboration between schools, employers and sector organisations, the project helps companies understand how to create inclusive workplaces and helps young people gain internships and jobs. The conversation is a strong reminder that workplace innovation is not only about technology or productivity. It is also about changing attitudes, widening the talent pool and building systems that allow people to contribute in ways employers may never have considered before. Time codes: 00:18 Introduction to the episode 02:11 Supporting Young Entrepreneurs in Hungary 11:15 Young Disabled Professionals in the Hospitality Sector

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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
    262
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Niels Tudor-Vinther
  • Show Website
    The Grant

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