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

Erasmus+ Audits – Lump Sums, Fear & Audit Culture
An Erasmus+ Therapy panel on compliance, trust and what must change

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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

BalticSeaH2, project implementation and the future of hydrogen in Europe

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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

Scale-up, impact, replication and the long road after submission

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The Grant has established a collaboration with PNO Innovation Italy. In the first episode of this PNO Innovation Series I’m joined by Francesca Di Bartolomeo from SINTEF and Anna Franciosini from PNO Innovation Italy to talk about what happens after a strong EU proposal gets funded. We use PyroCO2 as the case: a project that started from years of scientific groundwork, multidisciplinary collaboration and industrial networking, and then moved into a full proposal and now into implementation. Francesca explains the scientific and organisational background at SINTEF, while Anna shares how the proposal was shaped from the consultancy side, especially around impact, market positioning and the broader European relevance of the project.

We then move into the practical reality of the project itself. PyroCO2 is about taking CO2 as a waste stream and, through biotechnology and catalysis, transforming it into a more useful molecule that could support future industrial decarbonisation. But the real story here is the move from idea to scale-up: building demonstration infrastructure, coordinating a large consortium, handling exploitation and replication thinking early, and making sure the project results can live beyond the funding period. It’s a grounded conversation about proposal development, industrial innovation and the difficult but necessary path from an approved application to something real.

Time codes:

01:56 Guest introduction fly in

04:14 From Idea to Proposal

13:38 From Proposal to Implementation – The Demonstration

22:11 Results and Future Impact

24:14 Reflections

Power-to-X, green growth, infrastructure and local strategy

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In this episode I’m joined by Hanne Klintøe, Head of PtX Development in Aabenraa Municipality, to talk about how a local authority works with EU funding, investment attraction and green growth in practice. Aabenraa is building around Power-to-X, renewable energy and strong transport and port infrastructure — but the real opportunity, Hanne argues, lies in sector integration: using surplus heat from electrolysis for district heating, linking wastewater to technical water for hydrogen production, and creating circular business growth around food production, materials and other industries that can plug into the energy system.

We then dive into the funding and project side: why municipalities with limited resources have to be highly selective, how Hanne works with clusters, EU offices, consultants and knowledge institutions rather than trying to master every funding scheme alone, and how Aabenraa uses the European Investment Bank’s advisory services under the Just Transition Fund to mature a cross-border hydrogen ecosystem with Northern Germany. We also discuss hydrogen valleys, pyrolysis, technical water, stakeholder networks and the hard truth that in municipalities, strategy and funding only matter if they lead to the right infrastructure decisions for citizens and businesses.

Time codes:

01:49 Guest introduction and fly in

08:30 Introducing Aabenraa

21:00 Motivation for funding

26:48 The new EIB project

41:55 How you work?

56:33 Reflections and advice

01:01:10 The toughest challenge

How UMCG helps researchers move from reactive to strategic grant planning

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In this week's episode I’m joined by Eszter Ashlock-Kéthelyi, Laura Damiano and Miriam Boersema from the UMCG Grant Office to talk about a challenge that sits underneath many failed proposals: not weak science, but weak planning. We explore why researchers often apply for the grants that happen to land in their inbox instead of building a longer-term funding strategy around their real goals, and how UMCG responded by developing a broader training approach alongside one-to-one support. Their Grant Navigator series is designed to help researchers understand the funding landscape, think several years ahead and connect their research ambitions to the right funding paths.

What I really like in this conversation is how practical it gets. The team explains how they help researchers zoom out, define long-, mid- and short-term plans, break their research into core building blocks, group those into meaningful projects and then match these with suitable grants. We also talk about must-have versus nice-to-have grants, why networking is part of strategy rather than an optional extra, and how research support offices can scale this kind of thinking from individual researchers to departments and research lines. It’s a rich episode for anyone working in grant support, research strategy or academic leadership.

Time codes:

01:57 Guest introduction and fly in

04:40 The recurring problem: strong science, weak planning

15:31 Why traditional funding guidance falls short

22:33 From need to solution: introducing strategy-building

39:56 Scaling up: from individuals to departments

49:32 Reflections and advice

55:15 The toughest challenge

Using a national RM programme to test the handbook in practice

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In this episode 6th episode in RM Framework Series I am joined by Nicole Elgueta Silva and Hiwa Målen from NARMA – the Norwegian Association of Research Managers and Administrators to talk about one of the pilots in the RM Framework project. NARMA has been running a national training and capacity-building programme for research managers since 2017, funded by the Norwegian Research Council, with three levels (entry/intermediate, advanced and management) and participants from universities, colleges and research institutes across Norway. The programme focuses on soft skills, best practice and networking; it does not yet award ECTS, but has the scope and structure of a 10-ECTS course and has built a strong reputation nationally and abroad.

We discuss how this existing programme is now used to pilot the RM Framework handbook and quality label: what already aligns, where new elements such as assessment and interoperability might be added, and how the quality label functions as a structured self-assessment and a peer-recognised “stamp” on training programmes. Nicole and Hiwa share how closely they’ve followed European work on research management (ERA Action 17, RM Roadmap, RMcomp) and how humbling it is to sit in a European community that keeps learning together. We close on the culture of sharing among research managers, and their hope that the handbook and quality label will live on as a permanent reference point for RM training long after the project ends.

Time codes:

02:23 Guest introduction and fly in

05:13 The NARMA Training Model

09:08 Approaching the Pilot: Reviewing the Handbook

19:53 The Quality Label

25:37 Expectations & Final Reflections