#248 BLOXHUB - Connecting an Ecosystem Through EU Projects

Why Is a Chamber of Commerce Doing EU Projects?With Veronica Gallo and Isabella Pipa from DanitacomCheck the €500 campaignCheck out the episode websiteWhy would a Chamber of Commerce get involved in Erasmus+ and EU-funded projects? In episode #250, I’m joined by Veronica Gallo and Isabella Pipa from Danitacom – the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Denmark to explore how EU projects have become part of the organisation’s wider role in building bridges between Italy and Denmark. We talk about their work with student and teacher mobility, internships, company visits and Erasmus+ cooperation projects around entrepreneurship, sustainability and the creative industries.We also look at Art Forward, a European project on sustainability in the creative industries, and at what happens beyond the project itself. New contacts become internship hosts, schools return for mobility activities, project partners develop follow-up ideas, and networks created through EU projects start feeding into other parts of Danitacom’s work. It is a practical example of how EU-funded projects can become much more than isolated grants – they can strengthen networks, expand activities and create lasting organisational value.Time codes:02:19 Guest introduction and fly in04:56 Danitacom and Its European Role16:06 Danitacom’s Approach to EU Funding29:42 Erasmus+ in Practice56:24 Reflections and advice01:00:21 The toughest challenge

AI and EU Funding – Is the System Reaching Breaking Point?With Annika JaansooCheck out the €500 EU project campaign Check out the episode websiteAI has made proposal writing faster and more accessible.But what happens when thousands of applicants discover the same thing?In episode #249, I’m joined by Annika Jaansoo, an EU funding professional with more than three decades of experience in cross-border cooperation, to look beyond the individual applicant and ask what AI is doing to the funding system itself.We discuss rising proposal numbers, increasingly compressed success rates, evaluator overload and the growing feeling among applicants that producing an excellent proposal is no longer enough. Annika argues that AI has not simply created a new problem – it has revealed weaknesses in a system built around the assumption that the ability to write a convincing proposal is a useful proxy for the quality of the underlying idea.We also look at possible alternatives. Some Interreg programmes are experimenting with hearings and pitches, while Annika has created monthly roundtables where practitioners discuss these challenges and turn their conclusions into policy briefs for EU institutions.The question is no longer whether AI belongs in EU funding.It is how the funding system needs to adapt now that AI is here.Time codes:02:19 Guest introduction and fly in11:43 AI and the Proposal Explosion39:50 Are We Evaluating the Right Things?01:00:47 Reflections and advice01:01:30 The toughest challenge

From Newcomer to Strategic EU Partner – The BLOXHUB JourneyAn in-person conversation with CEO Torben KlitgaardCheck out the €500 campaign for EU projectsCheck out the episode website with more informationFor episode #248, I visit BLOXHUB in Copenhagen to meet CEO Torben Klitgaard and follow an unusually complete EU funding journey: from entering the field as a newcomer to making EU projects a strategic part of the organisation.It started with the New European Bauhaus. BLOXHUB mobilised its network, assembled a European consortium and coordinated the DESIRE lighthouse project. Another successful project followed, and EU funding increasingly became a way of connecting BLOXHUB’s community with international companies, cities, researchers and other stakeholders. But experience changed the strategy. BLOXHUB no longer wants to coordinate major EU projects or write proposals itself. Instead, it is increasingly positioning itself around areas where it has strong competencies and can contribute as a partner or work package lead. Torben explains why running several EU projects simultaneously must be treated as professional business, not an activity organisations simply add on the side.Time codes:00:00 Campaign Announcement00:28 Arrival in Copenhagen04:02 Guest introduction and fly in06:47 Bloxhub - An introduction12:30 The Projects32:31 EU Projects as Strategy54:41 Learnings, reflections and advice57:01 The toughest challenge

Supporting Startups and SMEs into EU FundingWith Lise Pape and Rasmus MørkCheck out how you can collaborate with The GrantCheck out the episode websiteIn my earlier field recording with Lise Pape from Walk With Path, we touched on the support she had received from Greater Copenhagen EU Office. This time, I bring Lise together with Rasmus Mørk, who has been supporting her, to look more closely at what that support actually involves.Rasmus explains how he works with startups and SMEs to understand their product-development plans, identify relevant EU funding programmes, assess whether an opportunity is worth pursuing and develop the first outline of a potential project. Lise shares how that has worked from the company side—from discovering calls she might otherwise have missed to discussing consortium composition and whether a particular opportunity really fits the company. #248 Supporting Start Ups and S…And there is an important reality check throughout: EU funding is high-hanging fruit. Not every innovative company should apply. Sometimes the best support is helping a company realise early that its time and resources would be better spent elsewhere.Time codes:02:03 Guest introduction and fly in06:55 Supporting Walk with Path21:14 How CopenVirk Supports Companies36:05 Reflections

Experienced Exploitation – From Results to Real-World ValueWith Carmen Bianca SocaciuCheck out the episode websiteCheck out how you can work with The GrantExploitation is ultimately about what happens to the results of an EU-funded project beyond the project itself. In episode #246, I’m joined by Carmen Bianca Socaciu, who has worked with exploitation for more than a decade, to explore what that process actually looks like in practice.We move from identifying results and developing value propositions to understanding customer needs, business models, market conditions and the people inside partner organisations who can actually make decisions. Carmen also explains why exploitation is as much about trust, curiosity and human relationships as it is about business tools.And we look at the difficult cases too: sustainable technologies that cannot break even, market conditions that change during a four-year project, results that are ready for market but have nobody willing to pick them up, and the uncomfortable gap between publicly funded R&D timelines and commercial reality.Time codes:02:20 Guest introduction and fly in06:35 Understanding Exploitation12:01 From Project Results to Real-World Use24:37 Sustainability, Regulation and Long-Term Impact40:11 Becoming a Strong Exploitation Partner47:56 Reflections and advice50:42 The toughest challenge

The RM Framework Quality Label – Making Training ComparableRM Framework Series #11 with Blanka Csite from EARMACheck out the episode webiste with linksResearch 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 in04:17 Introducing the Quality Label09:59 Developing the Quality Label Approach19:06 Supporting Training Across the ERA25:13 From Development to Testing 29:05 Reflections

Inside Creative Europe – Helping Culture & Media Access EU FundingWith Nicoline Joy Haas and Lone Friboe Garde from Creative Europe Desk DenmarkCheck out the episode website for more informationWant you own podcast? Reach outFor 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 Arrival05:26 Creative Europe Desk Denmark13:52 Introducing Creative Europe26:07 Supporting Danish Applicants48:43 Developing a Strong Application01:0010: 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 Appel 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 Gæsteintroduktion05:52 Åbning: Hvorfor er det her spørgsmål vigtigt?13:58 Hvad er særligt ved missionsdreven forskning?24:02 Fra teknologi til samfund: TRL, SRL og implementeringskraft30:59 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 PlanImplementation Series #17 with Antonietta Pizza from ENCO ConsultingSee how you can collaborate with The GrantCheck out the episode websiteNothing 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 in05:56 Recognising That the Plan Is No Longer Working 19:02 Leading the Consortium Through Uncertainty28:47 Adjusting the Project Without Losing the Project45:04 When Failure Creates Better Results53:57 Reflections and Advice56:53 The toughest challenge

Inside the Proposal Deadline – Life at a Grant ConsultancyAn in-person recording with Søren Houmøller, Maria Battistel and Tereza Marie-Jo Berk from 1st MileCheck 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 & Introduction04:40 What's on the Table? 13:31 Building Proposals as a Team33:32 When the Deadline Takes Over52:20 Managing the People Behind the Proposals01:03:24 After the Deadline01:12:03 Goodbye