The European Research and Innovation Support (ERIS) team supports researchers in developing their proposals for Horizon Europe as well as non-framework programmes implementing its unique i-ISO concept, covering identifying new programmes and calls, Informing the researchers about these calls, Stimulating them to apply by pre-selecting the right calls and guiding them towards funding for proposal development and giving full support in co-development of the proposal, both at admin/budget as well as scientific content level.
i = iDENTIFY new EU funding programmes and calls
I = INFORM VUB research groups about programmes and calls
S = STIMULATE by reducing barriers to apply for EU funding
O = ONDERSTEUNEN(SUPPORT) in the path towards submission
Philippe Westbroek holds a master in Chemistry and obtained a PhD in Electrochemistry in 1998 at Ghent University. He went through a series of postdoc positions at Ghent and Rhodes University (South Africa) from 1998 to 2008, gaining huge expertise in European funding over the full value chain. From 2008-2015 he became business developer. In 2015, Philippe joined VUB’s TechTransfer to implement its EU funding and business development expertise translated into the i-ISO concept.
Alessandra Rossetti holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Dublin City University and a Master degree in Translation Studies from the University of Bologna. She has been working as a researcher in Ireland, the USA, and Belgium, and she has extensive experience in obtaining competitive funding from national bodies (the Irish Research Council) and from the European Commission (Marie Curie fellowships). In August 2022, after working at the University of Antwerp as a postdoctoral researcher, Alessandra has joined the ERIS team to support the dynamic community of researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences in their quest for European funding.
Mohammad holds a bachelor and master degree in Electrical engineering. His research was focused on energy technologies, in particular battery systems. He continued his research at the University of Tehran for two years before joining the battery industry in Belgium, where he gained experience in European Funding opportunities and additional expertise as a battery modeling expert involved with several H2020 projects. Mohammad joined the ERIS team of VUB TechTransfer to share his knowledge in European funding.
Marie Pfeiffer obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from Ghent University, conducting her research at the VIB in Ghent. Her research focused on the design and implementation of novel applications of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. She successfully secured a personal FWO fellowship by the Research Foundation - Flanders. After her PhD, to broaden her perspective on EU funding, Marie joined the Research Executive Agency of the European Commission as a Blue Book trainee for five months, acquiring in-depth knowledge of the evaluation process and the EU funding landscape. In December 2023, she brought this expertise to the ERIS team at VUB Tech Transfer, supporting VUB’s Life Scientists in securing EU funding.
Cristina García-Timermans holds a PhD in Bioscience Engineering from Ghent University, specializing in single-cell technologies with a focus on their applications in microbiology for fingerprinting. During her postdoctoral research, Cristina further enriched her expertise by delving into the realm of drinking water quality monitoring. In her capacity as a scientific coordinator, she played a pivotal role in successfully preparing grant applications for both national and Horizon EU funding initiatives. Since January 2024, Cristina has been an active member of the ERIS team at VUB TechTransfer, where she passionately supports VUB’s Life Scientists in their endeavours to secure EU funding.
Communication Advisor
Maxime Smits holds a Master’s degree in Communication Sciences with a focus on Media & Society from KU Leuven. Her professional background includes nearly four years in the Belgian television and digital video advertising sector, where she gained expertise in media strategy and audience engagement. Following this, she worked as a Communication Officer for two years within the VUB TechTransfer's general communication team, gaining experience in promoting innovative applied research. In September 2024, Maxime joined the ERIS team as a Communication Advisor. She is dedicated to boosting VUB’s European applied research projects through strategic communication across social media, newsletters, and public events.
