Manifesto to support Professional project management in Horizon Europe

As the R&I Days kicked-off in Brussels on 24 September, fifteen consultants in Innovation Management from six European countries gathered together to foster a discussion about common interests with a possibility of future collaborations and actions.

The representatives of Innovation Management Consulting Firms addressed the issues concerning the management of European research and innovation projects. The discussion among European consultants also covered the preparations for Horizon Europe, the upcoming Framework Programme.

Currently and as it was revealed during the Research and Innovation Days held last week by the European Commission in Brussels, organizations have relied, in 35% of cases on consulting services to prepare their proposals for Horizon2020, the largest funding and research program in the EU.

The consultancy sector highlighted the fact that efficient project management has a significant impact on a project’s performance and therefore its results. The complexity of European R&I projects requires collaboration among diverse types of stakeholders, from multiple disciplines, coming from a vast range of backgrounds and cultures. A large spectrum of managerial expertise and tools are needed (contractual, financial and knowledge management, activity follow-up, monitoring, communication and impact assessments…). Effective strategic management as well as the administrative and financial management plays a crucial role in the success of European projects. Consequently, project management and implementation challenges should not be underestimated.

However, the European Commission restricts how management activities can be tackled. Project beneficiaries are not allowed to subcontract project management services or delegate them to another partner under the current Commission conditions. Thus, significant  beneficiary support options are limited.

The group of European Consultants has an ambition to bring together future project stakeholders of Horizon Europe to maximise the success of the projects by taking into account professional project management. The legitimate consideration of the project management part for Horizon Europe Framework Programme needs to be emphasised to the European Commission.

The Manifesto has been created to support project management in Horizon Europe. The proposed measures include:

1. Recognising the impact of management expertise by allowing the participation of other partners, not just the coordinator; and allowing the subcontracting of management tasks;
2. Promoting good project management practices such  as the early delivery of a project management plan; the dedication of the management activities to a skilled workforce; the use of collaborative project management tools; and the preparation of the impact assessment and the project results exploitation.

Further information about the manifesto including the sign up can be found here.