On 2-6 June, 2025, Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (UTCB) had the honour of hosting the first edition of the training programme EU-CONEXUS “European Funding: From Idea to Implementation” under the framework of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP). This international training brought together participants from several member universities of the EU-CONEXUS European University Alliance, representing the following administrative, academic, and research departments:
๐ท๐ด Romania โ UTCB: Department of Surveying and Cadastre, Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures, EU-CONEXUS ENABLES project
๐ซ๐ท France โ La Rochelle Universitรฉ: EU-CONEXUS Project Development Support Office
๐ฎ๐ช Ireland โ South East Technological University: Research Office, Department of Arts
๐ญ๐ท Croatia โ University of Zadar: Centre for Projects, Science and Technology Transfer, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology
Over the course of five days, participants engaged in interactive sessions and practical presentations, seeking to deepen their understanding of European funding assessment and management mechanisms in the fields of research and innovation.
Key topics addressed during the training included:
- The general landscape of European funding for research and education.
- Specific vocabulary and essential terminology for drafting project proposals.
- Analysis and interpretation of European funding calls.
- Introduction to MSCA, ERC, missions, and widening participation programmes.
- How to build an international consortium and identify an eligible project idea.
- The structure of a successful proposal: objectives, impact, implementation.
- Essential cross-cutting elements (gender equality, sustainability, inclusion) and evaluation criteria.
This first edition marked an important step in strengthening institutional capacity for project development and implementation within the EU-CONEXUS Alliance. By combining expertise from diverse fields and fostering inter-institutional collaboration, participants succeeded in transforming theoretical concepts into concrete approaches applicable to future funding opportunities.
Held in Bucharest, this training reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation and continuous professional development in research and innovation. UTCB remains firmly committed to enhancing the skills of its academic and administrative staff, contributing actively to EU-CONEXUSโs mission of building an innovative, connected, and forward-looking European University.
