When applying to a Horizon Europe project, assigning a coordinator that is most suitable for the position is highly important. If the Horizon Europe proposal is awarded, the project coordinator will be tasked with leading the process and properly executing and monitoring the project. As it is generally understood, it is imperative that such a coordinator will have a good understanding of the science & technology involved in the project, as well as embody excellent administrative and financial management skills.
From our experience working with funded Horizon Europe projects, the above oftentimes leads to the “Horizon Europe Coordination dilemma“, and an overall hesitation to take on such a complex and demanding coordination role. But, as the “Coordination Dilemma” article explains, it is possible to distribute the Administration/Finance and Science/Technology roles. Keep in mind, such a distribution should be clarified in the governance strategy and be explained clearly in the proposal to be submitted.
Based on our extensive experience in EU funded projects in the last two decades, our Professional Coordinator service provides a recognized international experience in managing EU R&D contracts, which can let researchers focus on the science & technology at the core of their research project.
Enspire Science, as a project management company, can act as either the official coordinator or a regular beneficiary, and provide any of the following services:
- Coordination of the project as a whole
- Coordination of project resources
- Interfacing with the European Commission
- Monitoring and control of the Work Plan
- Arrangement of consortium meetings and subsequent reporting
- Implementing the quality procedures of the project
- Monitoring the general scientific and technological community in those research areas addressed by the project
- Communication within the consortium in all matters concerning the scientific work
- Sourcing Advisory Board members
- Formulating and overseeing detailed project execution plans
- Monitoring scientific and technical content of periodical reports
- Administration of project resources including budget-related issues
- Leading financial management activities
- Monitoring, based on interim reports, actual consumption vs. planned budget and person efforts
- Keeping records on the portion of the EU contribution that has been allocated and paid to the partners
- Calculating and advising the Coordinator on fund distribution
- Facilitating communication within the consortium on administrative matters
- Handling outstanding administrative issues like contract amendments
- Scheduling and arranging meetings and minutes-related activities, suggesting meeting agendas
- Packing authorised deliverables and administrative QA including delivery to the EC
- Following up on the implementation of steering bodies decisions
- Preparing templates for project reporting
- Acting as the interface between the consortium and the financial department of the Coordinator
- Provisioning of a Project management platform
The bottom line is simple – distributing the Administrative/Financial roles to a Professional Coordinator will enable you to focus most of your time and energy on proceeding with the core of your project.
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