The consortium came together in Athens for the project’s Kick-off Meeting, hosted by coordinator Found.ation. The two days were used to introduce the partnership, go through the project structure in detail and get the collaboration off to a concrete start. Lea Bellušová and Lucia Burasová attended on behalf of PEDAL Consulting and took the floor to present Work Package 4. It features a set of activities that will define how ERMA reaches its audiences throughout the three years ahead.

Get to know ERMA

ERMA “European Research Management Advancement” is a Coordination and Support Action funded under Horizon Europe. With total EU funding of €1,872,916.25 and an implementation period running from June 2026 to May 2029, the project unites 13 partners from 12 countries across Europe and is coordinated by Found.ation Maker’s Place (Greece).

The problem it addresses is well-documented but still largely unresolved: despite the critical role research managers play in the European Research and Innovation system, the profession remains fragmented. There is little standardisation, career progression is unclear, professional development opportunities are unevenly distributed, and in many countries, particularly Widening countries, institutional support is minimal or entirely absent.

Building something that lasts

The project’s central output is the ERMKNet Hub, a freely accessible online one-stop-shop for the research management community across European Research Area (ERA). The hub will bring together networking, career development, job searching and professional learning in one place, structured around thematic Communities of Practice tailored to different dimensions of research management.

Alongside the hub, ERMA will deliver national awareness campaigns in ten EU Widening countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia), a career recommender system aligned with existing European competency frameworks, policy briefs translated into ten national languages, and a final dissemination conference in Brussels.

PEDAL Consulting’s role: awareness, outreach and community

PEDAL Consulting leads Work Package 4: Research Management Awareness Raising and Networking Booster. It takes the project’s outputs to the people who need them most.

Our responsibilities span three interconnected tasks:

1. Designing and rolling out national awareness campaigns across the ten Widening countries, drawing on success stories, inspiring role models and interviews with research managers and institutional leaders.
   
   The goal is to raise the profile of research management as a vital, distinct profession and to make that case to the policymakers and institutional decision-makers who can act on it.
   
   
2. Promoting the ERMKNet Hub and its services, running workshops in partner countries, distributing promotional materials to RM networks, research organisations and funding bodies, and working with media and online channels to drive membership and engagement.
   
   
3. Developing and animating the virtual thematic Communities of Practice on the hub, defining themes in consultation with the consortium and external stakeholders, organising virtual meet-ups open to the wider community, and fostering genuine peer learning and knowledge exchange across ERA.

The Kick-off Meeting in Athens set a strong tone for the partnership. The conversations that followed the presentations confirmed that the appetite for what ERMA is building is real. There is no shortage of research managers ready to engage with it.

Read the full ERMA project summary:
ERMA – European Research Management Advancement – PEDAL Consulting

View our complete project portfolio:
PEDAL Consulting – Projects