The objective of this pilot programme, which will last for one year and will feature 6 sessions, is to train researchers – especially early-career researchers – on transversal skills they will need throughout their career, from research teams’ management to ethics skills and project writing. A characteristic of this training is the multidisciplinary research areas of the participants, whose interactions could bring substantial benefits to future joint projects. 28 researchers and experts of the consortium from a wide range of disciplines, such as molecular biology, digital trends in education, marine and Arctic exploration, etc., are taking part in it.
The first session was held in September at the University of Zadar, Croatia: during a 3-day event, 18 researchers from EU-CONEXUS came together to participate in the Relevance workshop, which tackled the very first phase of the project generation cycle.
During the lectures and practice hours, the participants learnt how to access relevant sources of information to understand the wider UN and EU context, how to further develop the #project idea by mapping the stakeholders and selecting the appropriate funding instrument, and how to correctly read a ToR in the framework of a specific call for proposals.
Moreover, Ivan Curzolo from Informest, Agency for Development and International Economic Cooperation in Italy, explained that “Although the relevance should be appraised (especially while assessing the suitability of the project idea in relation to the expectations of the donor and the national and regional context), meaningful considerations shall be also related to the institutional needs, in order to properly understand the added value the project activities (no matter what type of project) will bring to the institution that will promote and implement the operation”.
The training was a satisfactory experience for the participants, as one of them stated: “As a young researcher, I found this first training session very useful, as I learned a lot of new things. The choice of trainers seemed very suitable to me, because they presented specific examples from their vast experience,
and not just theoretical elements. I am also very pleased with their willingness to come and support us in the future. Working in mixed teams of the participants coming from different countries and with different levels of experience helped us to look at things from several perspectives and develop the most creative and innovative solutions”, said Alexandra Cîrdei, participant from the UTCB, Romania.
She was supported by dr. Agnė Šneiderienė from KU, Lithuania: “During the training, we examined the aspects of the project cycle management: assessed internal needs, linked problems with goals during teamwork, modelled the project logic, developed proposals, and applied SWOT and logical framework approach methods. We also learned how to read calls for applications, which was a very useful experience”.
The second session of this training programme is coordinated by La Rochelle Université, France, and will be held online next month.
