Rethinking Impact – From Funded Projects to Real AdoptionWith Christopher Adlung from TU DelftCheck out the episode websiteIn 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 in04:37 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 Europe47:46 Rethinking Impact in Future EU Projects59:00 Reflections and advice01:06:11 The toughest challenge

WIN4SMES – Supporting Young Entrepreneurs and Young Professionals with DisabilitiesTwo pilot stories from Hungary and LithuaniaCheck out the episode websiteIn 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 episode02:11 Supporting Young Entrepreneurs in Hungary11:15 Young Disabled Professionals in the Hospitality Sector

EU Funding in Culture and CreativityWith Paolo Montemurro from Matera HubCheck out the episode websiteIn this episode I’m joined by Paolo Montemurro from Materahub to open up the European funding landscape for culture and creativity. This is a conversation I’ve wanted to do for a long time, because if you cover EU funding broadly, the cultural and creative sectors are too important to leave untouched. Paolo explains why the European Union invests in culture and creativity not only because of their economic contribution, but also because of their role in democracy, social inclusion, European values, mobility and innovation. We talk about how this recognition has grown over time and why the creative and cultural sectors now sit much more clearly inside the wider European policy and funding architecture. We then move through the actual opportunities. We start with Creative Europe as the main go-to programme, but also look at Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Interreg and other relevant corners of the funding landscape. Paolo shares how Matera Hub has worked across these schemes since 2011, using culture and creativity as both a sector in its own right and as a methodology that can connect to entrepreneurship, skills, cultural heritage, innovation, audience development and social transformation. It’s an introduction episode, but a rich one — especially for anyone in the cultural and creative sectors trying to understand where to start and how broad the European opportunity space really is. Time codes:01:47 Guest introduction and fly in 05:11 Why Does the EU Invest in Culture and Creativity?18:57 The Funding Landscape50:28 Looking Ahead56:50 Materahub's Experience Across Programmes01:15:21 Reflections and advice01:19:15 The Toughest Challenge

RM Framework (7) – The Hungary Pilot at Corvinus UniversityAccredited RM training, formal education and the limits of standardisationCheck out the episode websiteIn the seventh episode of the RM Framework Series, I’m joined by Associate Professor Éva Pinter and Éva Kőváriné Ignáth from Corvinus University of Budapest to explore the Hungarian pilot. Corvinus brings a very specific and valuable perspective to the project because it already runs a formally accredited postgraduate programme: the Research and Innovation Manager and Economist Executive Degree Programme. The programme runs over two full semesters, leads to a state-recognised diploma, and was developed in close cooperation with Hungary’s National Research, Development and Innovation Office. Unlike shorter professional workshops, this is a full higher education qualification for experienced professionals from universities, research institutes, public agencies and companies — as well as people transitioning into research management.That makes Corvinus a particularly interesting pilot case. Éva Pinter explains the pilot tests where the RM Framework handbook and quality label work well, and where they need more flexibility for multi-semester, ECTS-based degree programmes. Éva Kőváriné Ignáth adds the course-level perspective, drawing on shorter BA and MA courses developed through earlier European projects and now used to introduce students to research management and EU research funding. Together, the episode becomes a practical discussion about formal education, competence frameworks, quality labels, microcredentials and what it really means to build a European standard for research management training across very different national systems.Time codes:02:22 Guest introduction and fly in04:18 How You Train Research Managers Today 10:51 Working with the Pilot – Constraints and Reality23:36 Expectations & Final Reflections

Interreg – An IntroductionWith Viktoria Nilsson from Lund MunicipalityCheck out the episode website for linksIn this episode I introduce the Interreg funding scheme together with Viktoria Nilsson from Lund Municipality. Interreg is one of the EU’s oldest territorial cooperation programmes, and its core idea is both simple and important: many societal challenges are shared across borders, so neighboring regions should work on them together. We talk about why Interreg exists, how it sits inside EU cohesion policy, and why it has become such a central instrument for cross-border collaboration in areas like innovation, green transition, sustainable transport and labour mobility. We also make the episode practical. Viktoria explains how a typical Interreg project is structured, what kinds of partners usually take part, how funding rates and project types work, what the secretariat does during the application phase, and what applicants should keep in mind around communication, indicators, end users and long-term impact. It’s the first episode in what I hope will become a broader Interreg series, and it is meant as a clear and usable entry point for anyone who wants to understand the scheme better.Time codes:01:31 Guest introduction and fly in08:36 EU motivation for the funding scheme19:16 Structure of funding scheme36:00 Target group stakeholders39:47 How to apply01:01:04 Evaluation01:05:06 When funding is received01:09:23 Do's and don't's01:16:44 The toughest challenge

How Regions Build the Foundations for EU FundingWith Alina Totti from Provincie Noord-BrabantCheck out the episode websiteIn this episode I’m joined by Alina Totti from Provincie Noord-Brabant to talk about how regions build the foundations that eventually lead to EU funding. Noord-Brabant is one of Europe’s most innovative regions, with strong advanced manufacturing traditions and a global industrial profile. But what interested me in this conversation is not only the region’s success. It is the work underneath that success: building relationships with other regions, understanding what Brussels is doing, shaping a regional story around innovation, and creating the long-term trust that makes later project collaboration possible. We go into smart specialisation, the Vanguard Initiative, the importance of interregional networks, and how stepping-stone instruments can help SMEs move toward bigger European calls. Alina explains very clearly that proposals do not start when the call opens. They start much earlier — when regions know who they are, what they are good at, who they should work with, and how they want to position themselves in Europe. It is a really strong episode for anyone working in regional development, innovation ecosystems or the strategic side of EU funding.Time codes: 01:39 Guest introduction and fly in06:21 What Provincie Noord-Brabant is13:36 The Vanguard Initiative and Smart Specialisation35:05 The Importance of Relationships51:14 Long-Term Lobbying and Why the Region Invests in It01:08:33 Reflections and advice01:10:45 The toughest challenge

With Thomas Brent from Science BusinessCheck out the episode websiteIn this episode I’m joined by Thomas Brent from Science Business for a practical status update on Widening in FP10. We go back to the roots of the debate: why Widening was created in the first place, how it was meant to help countries with weaker research capacity connect more effectively into the framework programme, and why some people have long argued that it does not fit neatly inside an excellence-based funding system. Thomas explains why that debate is now less dominant than before and why, despite some remaining criticism, Widening now looks likely to remain part of the next framework programme. From there we dig into what is actually on the table in the FP10 discussions. We talk about the proposed increase in the Widening budget, the idea of placing Widening in a new fourth pillar, the possible creation of “transition countries”, and the controversial conditionality around public investment in research and development. We also touch on the current state of the negotiations, the role of member states, and why the coming months should give a clearer picture of where the political compromises are heading. It’s a useful episode for anyone trying to follow the Widening file without getting lost in Brussels process language.Time codes:01:46 Guest introduction and fly in 04:06 The Original Debate – Excellence vs Development11:34 The FP10 Proposal – Splitting the Widening Countries23:58 The Conditionality Debate31:33 Where the Political Negotiation Stands Now38:04 Reflections and What Comes Next

A documentary-style episode from Hamburg on vocational excellence, inclusion and SMEsCheck out the episode websiteIn this episode I try something new: a documentary-style montage recorded live during a WIN4SMES event in Hamburg. Instead of one long sit-down conversation, this episode moves through soundscapes, field notes, participant voices and short interviews to give a more immediate sense of what an Erasmus+ Centre of Vocational Excellence project looks like on the ground. WIN4SMES focuses on workplace innovation in SMEs, and the project’s different national pilots are working on themes such as inclusion, entrepreneurship, newcomers and skills development. Across the episode, I speak with the coordinator team about the training programme, hear from participants working with agile methods, design thinking and AI in vocational education, and zoom in on two of the particularly strong COVEs from the project. One from Hungary uses an entrepreneurship camp to support highly talented young people in developing business ideas. Another from Lithuania works with hotels and restaurants to create real job pathways for young people with disabilities. The result is a more atmospheric and people-centered episode about how vocational excellence is actually built in practice — not only in policy papers, but in classrooms, workshops, company relationships and human lives. Time codes:00:00 Airport opening 01:25 Arriving and introducing the training programme w/Anna Maria Czarny06:43 Meeting the training classes11:40 The Partner Dinner w/Maëla Barcon15:34 Introducing day 219:13 The Hungary COVE - Supporting Entrepreneurship w/Tamas Rettich28:20 The Lithuanian COVE - Young People with Disabilities w/Egle Lizaityte48:16 WIN4SMES - Status and where it is moving w/Max Hogeforster01:01:55 Farewell and outro

Building Your Funding Team – Skills, Structure & SurvivalWith Stephanie Harfensteller and David ChristensenCheck out the episode websiteIn 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 Question28:28 Building the Team in Reality40:05 Keeping Knowledge in the Organisation50:45 Working Under Organisational Constraints01:06:07 Reflections and advice01:10:24 The toughest challenge

Explain Science (1) – NoVOC, Batteries & Life Cycle AssessmentWith Kristin Fransson from RISECheck 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 codes02:40 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