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. 2d ago

    #229 Building Your Funding Team

    Building Your Funding Team – Skills, Structure & SurvivalWith Stephanie Harfensteller and David Christensen Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Stephanie Harfensteller and David Christensen to talk about one of the most difficult and under-discussed challenges in EU funding: how to build a funding team that actually works. Stephanie has been building up an EU funding function at FIR since 2019, while David has been doing something similar inside BOFA on Bornholm. From very different organisational settings, they describe a remarkably similar reality: a strong funding unit is not just a service desk for forms and deadlines. It needs to support proposal development, project execution and long-term networking and positioning — and in smaller organisations, the same people often need to move across all of those roles. From there we dig into the real difficulties: how to identify the right skills, how to recruit people when profiles are hard to find, how to train juniors without losing all the knowledge when they move on, and how to create some form of knowledge management when most of the most important know-how still sits in people’s heads. We also talk about management commitment, public perception, long-term vision, the pain of falling proposal success rates, and the need to balance patience with pressure. It’s a very honest conversation for anyone trying to professionalise funding work inside an organisation without the luxury of a large specialist department. Time codes: 01:48 Guest introduction and fly in 07:01 What Is a Good Funding Support Unit? 18:08 The Skills Question 28:28 Building the Team in Reality 40:05 Keeping Knowledge in the Organisation 50:45 Working Under Organisational Constraints 01:06:07 Reflections and advice 01:10:24 The toughest challenge

    1h 18m
  2. #228 Explain Science (1): EV Batteries and Life Cycle Assessment

    Jun 8

    #228 Explain Science (1): EV Batteries and Life Cycle Assessment

    Explain Science (1) – NoVOC, Batteries & Life Cycle AssessmentWith Kristin Fransson from RISE Check out the episode website with links to webinar, scientific paper, the NoVOC project etc. In the first episode of Explain Science, I’m joined by Kristin Fransson from RISE to talk about the NoVOC project and the science of life cycle assessment in battery innovation. Kristin explains that NoVOC is working on one very practical challenge: reducing the hazardous solvents used in battery manufacturing and exploring alternative dry and wet production methods that could make battery production more sustainable. From there, we use the project as an entry point into a much bigger discussion about how Europe develops cleaner battery technologies and why environmental thinking has to be built into research projects from the start. We then unpack what life cycle assessment actually means. Kristin explains how LCA looks across a product’s full life cycle, why it matters for battery research, and why it is so difficult to get right when projects are still working at lab or pilot scale. We talk about methodological choices, data collection, scale-up, recycling assumptions and the challenge of making sure that an innovation that looks promising in one corner does not create problems somewhere else. It’s a very accessible first episode for anyone curious about batteries, sustainability and what science communication can look like when EU-funded research is explained properly. Time codes 02:40 A word from the collaboration partner 03:55 Guest introduction and fly in 08:17 What is Life Cycle Assessment? 11:46 Why does this matter for Europe? 18:28 Why is battery LCA difficult? 27:19 Closing and event promotion

    32 min
  3. The Grant Collaboration - RM Framework Series (7): The Spanish Pilot

    Jun 3

    The Grant Collaboration - RM Framework Series (7): The Spanish Pilot

    Research management training, competence mapping and the quality label Check out the episode website In the 7th episode of the RM Framework Series, I’m joined by Cristina Borrás Sardà and Cristina Bosch Pla from Generalitat de Catalunya / AGAUR to talk about the Spain pilot in the RM Framework project. We start with the training scheme they already run in Catalonia: a structured programme developed with universities and built around two microcredentials, one focused on pre-award and one on post-award. It covers everything from the EU funding system, consortium building and impact to grant agreement management, financial reporting and lump sum implementation — and is designed as a practical, modular and highly interactive offer for early-career research managers. From there we move into the pilot itself. Cristina and Cristina explain how the RM Framework handbook and RMcomp helped them map their existing training more clearly against competencies, identify where learning outcomes were already strong, and spot areas where the programme could become more explicit and coherent. We also talk about the value of in-person delivery, peer interaction, mentoring and the growing need for a European reference point that can support quality, mobility and career development across the research management profession. Time codes: 02:14 Guest introduction and fly in 05:08 RM Training Good Practices 12:57 Experiences from the Pilot Testing Phase 19:13 Why the RM Framework Matters at EU Level 24:07 Expectations & Final Reflections

    31 min

  4. Jun 1

    #227 Talent Attraction to Rural Regions and EU Funding

    Talent Attraction and EU Funding – A Regional Development Lens w/Maria Haglund and Nikolaj Lubanski Check out the episode website In this episode I’m joined by Maria Haglund and Nikolaj Lubanski to talk about how talent attraction can be supported through EU funding. Maria brings the perspective of a smaller region on the west coast of Finland, where the challenge is not only retaining university students but also attracting the skilled and blue-collar workforce needed by the regional economy. Nikolaj brings more than a decade of experience from Greater Copenhagen, where EU funding has helped build national and cross-border collaboration around international talent attraction, digital campaigns and long-term regional positioning. Together, they open up a very practical conversation about why funding matters in this area — and why it is about much more than just “getting money.” We then move into the how. What kinds of EU instruments actually make sense for talent attraction? How do you build a partnership that is based on trust rather than opportunism? What should a smaller region consider before stepping into its first bigger EU project? And how do you measure impact in a field where results can be diffuse and long-term? We talk about social funds, regional funds, Interreg, project structure, partnership agreements, cross-border cooperation with Umeå, and the importance of having both a strong idea and a realistic path to implementation. It’s a very useful episode for anyone working in regional development, international talent, place branding or skills policy. Time codes: 01:55 Guest introduction and fly in 05:55 The Motivation – Why Look at EU Funding? 21:20 Before You Apply – What Organisations Need to Consider First 44:10 Building Partnerships and Entering the EU Ecosystem 58:00 The Application Process – What Actually Happens? 01:17:14 Reflections and Advice 01:22:07 The toughest challenge

    1h 30m
  5. The Grant Collaboration: PNO Innovation Series (2) - Coordinating Innovation in Bioeconomy: How Expertise Creates Stronger EU projects

    May 27

    The Grant Collaboration: PNO Innovation Series (2) - Coordinating Innovation in Bioeconomy: How Expertise Creates Stronger EU projects

    Coordinating Innovation in Bioeconomy – Beyond Project Management with Anna Franciosini from PNO Innovation Italy Check out the episode website In this second episode of the PNO Innovation Series, produced in paid collaboration with PNO Innovation, I’m joined by Anna Franciosini to talk about coordination in bioeconomy and agri-food innovation projects. Anna explains why project coordination is not just administration, reporting and timelines. In a field like bioeconomy, coordination also means understanding the sector, the policy context, the innovation bottlenecks and the different actors across the value chain — and then translating all of that into a project vision that makes sense for both the consortium and the European Commission. We use the C4B project as a concrete case. The project focuses on circular bio-based business models and on creating fairer value distribution for primary producers and other actors in the bioeconomy. From there, we talk about stakeholder alignment, replication, cascade funding, open calls and why coordination is such a strategic function when projects aim to create real change in complex innovation ecosystems. Anna also shows how PNO’s cross-border teams work together in practice, combining sector expertise, communication, digital tools and innovation support across the life of the project. Time codes: 01:47 Guest introduction fly in 03:27 Why PNO Is More Than a Coordinator 14:42 Case Example – The C4B Project 21:29 From Project to Market Impact 27:24 Reflections and Advice

    31 min

  6. May 25

    #226 Four Years of The Grant - What It Taught Me

    Four Years of The Grant – Reflections on EU FundingA solo anniversary episode on pressure, change, community and what I’ve learned Check out the episode website In this four-year anniversary episode, I take a step back from the usual guest format and reflect on what The Grant has shown me about the EU funding world. Over more than 200 episodes, I’ve spoken with grant consultants, research managers, researchers, NGOs, innovation actors and policy people from all over Europe and some of the same themes keep returning. Solitude. Hidden work. Stress. Rejection. Deadline pressure. Burnout. The emotional cost of a sector that often presents itself as technical and rational, but is in reality full of deeply human effort and vulnerability. In this episode, I talk openly about those patterns and about why I have insisted on making space for them in the podcast. I also reflect on what has changed in the ecosystem during these four years: the rise of AI and its impact on proposal pressure, the growing professionalisation of the sector, the shift in funding priorities around security and dual-use, and the continued inequality in access to strong funding networks and support structures. At the same time, I share what I think strong organisations do differently: they work strategically, they understand their role, they build long-term partnerships, and they take care of the people carrying the funding work. This is an anniversary episode, but also a positioning episode: a reminder of what The Grant is for, and why I intend to keep building this space for the full reality of EU funding. Time codes: 02:12 Introduction 04:03 Why This Episode Now 08:31 What Surprised Me Most 15:21 The Ecosystem Has Changed 27:42 What Strong Organisations do differently 31:51 Things People Still Don’t Talk Honestly About 42:05 What Changed My Own Thinking 47:40 Closing remarks

    55 min
  7. #225 Research Management - The Hidden Work

    May 18

    #225 Research Management - The Hidden Work

    The Hidden Work of Research Managers w/Isabel from RISE Processum Check out the episode website 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

    51 min
  8. The Grant Collaboration - FUNDamentally SCIENCE: Novel MSCA PF Training Model w/Rita Gil Mata

    May 13

    The Grant Collaboration - FUNDamentally SCIENCE: Novel MSCA PF Training Model w/Rita Gil Mata

    A Novel MSCA PF Training Model – The MSCA Catalyst Approach w/Rita Gil Mata from FUNDamentally SCIENCE Check out the episode website 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

    33 min
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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
    248
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Niels Tudor-Vinther
  • Show Website
    The Grant