European Project Management

Elements of proposals, the application proces, evaluation criteria, writing effective proposal elements

Project Life Cycle. Project phases and support mechanisms. EU speech und correct use of vocabulary.

Within the framework of the workshop, students will be accompanied in the process to develop a topic for their master's thesis. They will be familiarized with tools from the areas of Creative Problem Solving & Idea Generating. In order to allow the brain to actual generate creative ideas, the student will learn to divide the idea process into four stages (idea generation, idea expansion, idea selection and the last stage, idea feasibility and the compliance with EU funding schemes and appropriate Project Calls).

This course provides an introduction into the EU institutions. Students become familiar with the organization and powers of the most relevant EU institutions (EU Commission, Council, European Parliament, European Court of Justice). The decision making process in those institutions will be addressed and control mechanisms between those institutions are examined. The course aims at giving students a basic understanding of the functioning of the European Union. The organization of the EU Commission will be one of the focus points of this course, in particular with respect to research funding. Students will be able to gain an insight into the role of the EU institutions in research funding and handling of EU projects. The methods applied in this course include lecture, case studies, self study and elearning assignments.

The EU provides funding for a broad range of projects and programmes covering areas such as: (a) regional & urban development; (b) employment & social inclusion; (c) agriculture & rural development; (d) maritime & fisheries policies; (e) research & innovation; (f) humanitarian aid. Funding is managed according to strict rules to ensure there is tight control over how funds are used and that the money is spent in a transparent, accountable manner. As a group, the EU Commissioners have the ultimate political responsibility for ensuring that EU funds are spent properly. But because most of the funding is managed within the beneficiary countries, responsibility for conducting checks and annual audits lies with national governments. Over 3/4 of the EU budget is managed in partnership with national and regional authorities through a system of "shared management", largely through 5 big funds - the Structural & Investment Funds.

Strategic orientation and policies of the EU with challenges

1. Overview to EU fundings budgets and the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 2. Examples of project budgets and challenges in the planning phase 3. Resource planning as prerequisite for budgeting 4. General principles of financial planning, cost accounting, cost types and eligibility 5. Differences between funding regimes and regulations 6. Calculating different cost categories 7. Budgeting under different rules and corresponding impact on project financing 8. Internal vs external budget, internal control systems and financial viability of projects

1. Introduction to theoretical concepts of the concept of culture. Stereotyping, comparing cultures, dimensions and concepts; 2. Planning of internal and external communication activities within the framework of an EU project. Analytical presentation of a developed communication concept (internal and external communication plan) for the developed project idea.