The ERIS team at VUB TechTransfer is involved in EUTOPIA Health, a 5-year Horizon Europe project that aims at spearheading health-related academic excellence and innovation in Widening Countries, which typically lag behind in terms of research and innovation activities. The ERIS team is especially involved in Work Package 3 of the project, whose goal is to guide researchers in Widening Countries towards the submission of collaborative EU proposals for applied research. As part of this project, in March the team has travelled to Cluj (Romania) and Ljubljana (Slovenia) to deliver 3-day Proposal Development Workshops.
These Proposal Development Workshops aim at fostering in-depth knowledge of how a collaborative Horizon Europe proposal is structured, along with some tips and tricks for maximizing the chances of funding success. The content of the workshops is divided into 10 modules, namely: (1) overview of Horizon Europe funding opportunities; (2) overview of Horizon Europe funding opportunities in the health domain; (3) building a consortium; (4) managing a consortium; (5) writing the Excellence section; (6) writing the Impact section; (7) writing the Implementation section; (8) completing the administrative forms; (9) preparing the budget; and (10) interpreting an Evaluation Summary Report.
The feedback so far, after the workshops in Cluj and Ljubljana, has been extremely positive. The researchers have reported feeling inspired and motivated thanks to the workshops, and the ERIS team has benefited from the commitment and engagement of the researchers. Check out the picture from the latest workshop in Ljubljana, held in the magnificent rectorate building.
After these workshops are completed, the ERIS team will start a 3-year period of intensive support, working closely with the researchers in Widening Countries to prepare and submit successful EU proposals for applied medical research.