Abstract

Recognition of professional project management expertise under Horizon Europe

European research and innovation collaborative projects are complex: they involve different types of organisations, from several disciplines, coming from different countries with different cultures and background. The management and implementation of these projects is a challenge that requires a range of professional skills and tools (contractual, financial and knowledge management, activity follow-up, monitoring, communication and impact assessment).

Experience shows that the influence of effective and professional project management has a decisive impact on project performance and results. As a result, collaborative project management has been professionalised throughout the years, both internally with the set-up of dedicated EU projects teams, or externally with professional consultants.

The delegation of project management services or its outsourcing to another entity is not currently allowed by the rules for participation (Art. 7 of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement) thus limiting the possibilities of the beneficiaries to benefit from this crucial support.

Recognising the role of project management professional experts will open the possibility to future Coordinators and Beneficiaries to benefit from the high impact that expertise in project management can have on maximising project results, in particular:
• For research organisations and industries who do not dare yet joining competitive EU projects due to the lack of expertise in setting up and managing collaborative projects;
• For project Coordinators, especially SMEs, having neither experience nor time to manage EU projects on a day-to-day basis;
• For EU consortia with no internal monitoring processes implemented, thus putting at risk the achievement of the entire project objectives and impact;
• For public-private-partnerships often requiring specific management expertise to ensure efficient collaborations between the academic and industrial partners;
• For the EC project officers and financial officers who could rely on a competent professional in direct contact with all the members of the consortium in order to facilitate the financial and administrative reporting, smooth amendment request processes, and ensure timely submission of reports and deliverables.

EAIC therefore proposes the following measures:
(1) Recognise the impact of professional project management, whether this expertise is internal or external, public or private:
a) By allowing the participation of other entities, not just the coordinator, in Project Management activities.
b) By allowing the subcontracting of management tasks to professional experts with proven track records.

(2) Improve the quality of project management by promoting good project management practices such as:
a) The delivery of a project management plan at the beginning of the project.
b) The delegation of management activities to a skilled and trained workforce which should be assessed by the evaluators under the implementation criteria.
c) The use of specific tools designed for collaborative project management, such as a secured collaborative platform, during the project implementation and impact assessment