PolSCA Masterclass: managing research projects with the PM² methodology. Event summary.

On 7 and 8 October 2025, a two-day workshop on the practical aspects of managing research projects using PM², the European Commission’s project management methodology, was held at the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPPT PAN). The event was organised by the PolSCA PAS Office in cooperation with IPPT PAN as a part of activities for the Horizon Europe Navigators network of research managers at PAN institutes. The sessions were led by Dr Justyna Małkuch-Świtalska – trainer and expert in project management and research careers, author of Projekty naukowe. Zarządzanie w praktyce (PWN, 2020) – who has delivered over 2,500 hours of training in Poland and abroad and works with Trener Nauki.

1st Central and Eastern European Congress for Research Managers – a new regional forum for the RMA community

4 &5 November 2025, Brussels –The first CEE Congress for Research Managers and Administrators will gather the region’s RMA community for two days of keynotes, panels, parallel workshops, focused sessions and networking. The programme walks through the full project lifecycle, i.e. from developing RMA talent, shaping proposals and budgets to implementation, impact and reporting.

INSPIRING ERA Exchange: Overcoming Barriers in Open Access Publishing – Towards a More Inclusive and Sustainable ERA

A workshop within the INSPIRING ERA project, organized jointly by the National Centre for Research and Development, the PolSCA PAS Office in Brussels and the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, will be an opportunity to discuss the barriers and future of open access to scientific publications in Europe.

The goal of the INSPIRING ERA Exchange on Open Access Publications is to jointly develop practical solutions that foster a more inclusive and sustainable Open Access (OA) publishing system across Europe. The event aims to assess the current state of OA policies, identify barriers and challenges faced by different stakeholders — including researchers, publishers, and funding institutions — and co-create recommendations to improve OA policies, funding mechanisms, and infrastructures within the European Research Area (ERA). It also seeks to amplify the voices of smaller publishers and representatives of the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), ensuring their active participation in the European dialogue on Open Science.

More info about INSPIRING ERA EXCHANGE here.

Participants of the meeting will have the opportunity to:

• learn about the perspectives of the European Commission, research funding organizations, and OA initiatives;
• discuss issues of funding, infrastructure, accessibility, and research assessment;
• exchange experiences in interactive working groups;
• co-create recommendations for national and European policies.

AGENDA

REGISTRATION

The workshop report “IGLO in Action: Workshop and Survey on Simplification — Summary Report”

On the 10th of October 2025, the report “IGLO in Action: Workshop and Survey on Simplification – Summary Report” was published, summarising the workshop in Brussels, which took place on the 4th and 5th of June 2025, and the accompanying survey.

The new report presents key findings and recommendations for simplifying the rules and procedures of the Horizon Europe program, based on the collective expertise of research managers and administrators from across Europe. Sixty-three participants from 14 countries took part in the survey. The workshop was attended by 22 research managers from public universities and research institutions in 12 European countries, as well as representatives of the European Commission, the Research Executive Agency, and the ERC Executive Agency.

The new report presents the main findings and recommendations for simplifying the rules and procedures of the Horizon Europe program, based on the collective expertise of research managers and administrators from across Europe. Sixty-three participants from 14 countries participated in the survey. The workshop was attended by 22 research managers from public universities and research institutions in 12 European countries, as well as representatives of the European Commission, the Research Executive Agency, and the ERC Executive Agency.

During the workshop in Brussels (4th and 5th of June 2025), participants discussed essential aspects of simplifying the rules and procedures of Horizon Europe, covering a wide range of topics: from lump sums and other simplified cost options, through the interpretation of rules and guidelines, the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, project proposal templates, time to award grants, to reporting, reimbursement of actual costs, financial audits, and the involvement of third parties.

Key recommendations include:

1) Staffing and cost simplifications

•    settlement of personnel costs based on actual costs

•    simplification of working time records

2) Eligibility rules and technical costs

•    Reimbursement of repair and maintenance costs

•    Reporting of total depreciation costs only once during the project

3) Contracting and contract amendments

•    Simplification of the contract amendment process

• Streamlining the process for making minor changes

4) Reporting

•    streamlining of reporting

•    extension of the reporting deadline

5) Audits and compliance

•    recognition of national audits

•    appropriate selection of auditors with a recommendation of knowledge of national law

•    raising the threshold for mandatory use of CFS

6) IT tools and document standardization

•    automatic transfer of data from an approved application to the SyGMa platform

•    introduction of templates for non-scientific parts of project applications

7) Support and communication with the grant provider

•    launch of a telephone hotline

The report emphasises the importance of clarity, credibility, and stability of funding rules, as well as the need for early and continuous involvement of practitioners in the development of new measures.

The report can be downloaded at: HERE

IGLO is an informal network of Brussels-based, non-profit R&D liaison offices whose objective is to facilitate and streamline interaction, information exchange, and cooperation between IGLO members, their national research systems, and EU institutions in the area of framework programs.

The PolSCA office is the only Polish representative actively involved in IGLO, representing the interests of Polish institutions, sharing implementation practices, and initiating the exchange of experiences.

One of the results of our activities was the co-financing of the participation of Joanna Kartasiewicz (ICTER – Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences) and Anna Demner (University of Warsaw) in the “Simplification” workshop.

•    Valorisation of knowledge (January 2025) KoWi published a summary and a short report on the event.

•    Lump sums (October 2023) — “IGLO in Action: Second IGLO Workshop on Lump Sum Funding — Summary Report.”

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Polish Scientists and Scholars in Europe – Legacy and the Present

Polish Academy of Sciences – Scientific Station in Paris, together with the foreign stations of the PAS in Brussels, Rome, Berlin, Vienna and Kyiv, invites to a unique event dedicated to Polish scholars whose achievements shaped and still influence the development of European science.

The meeting will combine reflection on inspiring figures of the past with a conversation about the challenges of contemporary researchers. The exhibition accompanying the event – prepared on the occasion of the Polish Presidency in the Council of the EU – will present the profiles of outstanding scholars and their successors, emphasizing the links of Polish science with the priorities of European research and development policies, including the Horizon Europe program.

The premiere of the exhibition took place during the conference “Transnational Science Cooperation: Fostering Collaborative Research in Europe and Poland,” organized by NAWA on 23–24 June 2025 in Brussels. See the coverage of the exhibition’s inauguration in Brussels here.

The event will be attended by distinguished representatives of the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, whose profiles were presented in the exhibition, including:

• Prof. Maciej Górny, Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History, PAS
• Prof. Monika Kusiak, Institute of Geophysics, PAS
• Prof. Janusz Lewiński, Institute of Physical Chemistry, PAS
• Prof. Paweł Olko, Institute of Nuclear Physics, PAS

More details about the event are available on the website of the PAS Scientific Station in Paris here.

REGISTRATION

AGENDA

Horizon Europe Navigators MeetUp: Granty na Eurogranty w PARP – part II

Continuing the June meeting within the Horizon Europe Navigators network, we invite you to the second edition of the webinar dedicated to national support mechanisms for participation in European programmes.

This time we will focus on the practical use of the instrument “Grants for Eurogrants”, offered by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development under action FENG.02.12. Participants will learn, among other things, what the eligibility conditions are, how to effectively prepare an application, and will receive practical tips for the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences preparing to participate in Horizon Europe calls.

The workshops are organized within the Horizon Europe Navigators network – an initiative of the PolSCA Office, launched in 2021 in synergy with the PASIFIC programme. The network brings together research managers from 62 institutes and several auxiliary units of the Polish Academy of Sciences, supporting the exchange of good practices and the development of competencies related to the Horizon Europe programme. Regular meetings and trainings within HE Navigators foster stronger participation of PAS institutes in European projects.

The programme will also include an interactive Q&A session and an exchange of experiences among PAS institutes.

AGENDA

Round Table: projects’ regulatory and administrative perspective!

On 9 October, the Warsaw School of Economics hosted a Round Table Discussion on Research Projects: Regulatory and Administrative Perspectives. It was the first meeting of its kind among experts on research projects carried out in Polish institutions.

The round table design meeting (OSP) brought together experts who, on a daily basis, connect different worlds: science with administration, researchers’ ambitions with institutional requirements, European standards with national practice. On one side of the table were representatives of research funding agencies and ministries, on the other – research managers and administrators (RMAs) from universities and research institutions, and between them – designers of IT infrastructure intended to streamline everyday grant management.

The meeting saw active participation from representatives of institutions financing and programming scientific research: NCN, NCBR, NAWA, FRSE, ABM, FNP and MNiSW, representatives of universities and research institutions (KRASP, PAN) and the RMA community – FAA, PolARMA, PolSCA. Representatives of OPI (e-Grants) were guests from the technology sector.

The OSP was established as a platform to connect stakeholders in the grant process at every stage: from conception and application to implementation and settlement. It is a declaration of a shift away from ad hoc ‘firefighting’ in favour of ongoing dialogue and a roadmap for simplification. In the background, a simple but important thesis resonated: the development of universities today means the development of projects, and without professional administrative support and wise, consistent rules, we will not be able to build lasting quality.

Areas identified as requiring cooperation:

RMA as the missing pillar. The role of RMA was a recurring theme in the participants’ statements: a recognised profession in Europe, but still undefined in Poland, despite its key importance.

E-Grants platform – a common language for the system. This is an OPI project that aims to bring together the entire project lifecycle in a single environment.

Wise standardisation, i.e. the need for wise harmonisation of what is common and repetitive in the offerings of Polish research funding institutions.

Information and competence, i.e. comprehensive training and clear competition announcements.

At times, the discussion was very practical, almost workshop-like. However, it was agreed that this was not a one-off event, but a format for ongoing sectoral consultations.

PolSCA Masterclass. Research project management using the PM2 methodology.

PolSCA Office is opening October with the Project Management Masterclass workshops, dedicated to managing research projects according to the PM² standard. The two-day workshops aim to familiarize participants with tools and techniques that facilitate effective planning, implementation, and monitoring of projects funded by European resources.

Particular emphasis will be placed on the project life cycle, team roles and structures, risk and change management, as well as communicating results in line with the requirements of the European Commission. The sessions will be conducted in the form of practical workshops, also including case study analysis.

The workshops will be led by Dr. Justyna Małkuch-Świtalska – researcher developer, project manager and leader, certified coach and mediator. She specializes in designing and evaluating international training programs for researchers and research managers, as well as in the analysis of researchers’ competencies.

More about Trainer: see here

The event will be an opportunity not only to gain practical skills related to managing research projects in the PM² standard, but also to exchange experiences between research managers and scientists.

The workshops are organized within the framework of the Horizon Europe Navigators network – an initiative of the PolSCA Office, launched in 2021 in synergy with the PASIFIC program. The network brings together research managers from 62 institutes and several auxiliary units of the Polish Academy of Sciences, supporting the exchange of good practices and the development of competencies related to the Horizon Europe program. Regular meetings and trainings within HE Navigators foster the increased participation of PAS institutes in European projects.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.

Agenda of the workshop

Here you can find the summary of event

“Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” in Paris – Polish Science in the European Context

After a successful inauguration in Brussels, the exhibition “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Polish Scientists and Scholars in Europe: Legacy and the Present” continues its European journey. Its next stop is the Polish Academy of Sciences Scientific Centre in Paris, where on 17 October 2025 a special event will take place, dedicated to the legacy and contemporary achievements of Polish science in Europe.

The meeting is organised by the PAS Scientific Centre in Paris, in cooperation with the foreign stations of the Polish Academy of Sciences, including the PolSCA Office in Brussels, the Centre for Historical Research in Berlin, and the PAS Scientific Centres in Rome, Vienna and Kyiv.

The programme will feature popular science presentations, a panel discussion, and networking opportunities aimed at fostering dialogue and reflection on the role of Polish science in the European research landscape. Among the speakers will be outstanding researchers from PAS institutes, also featured in the exhibition, including Prof. Monika Kusiak, Prof. Janusz Lewiński, Prof. Paweł Olko, Prof. Andrzej Gamian, and Prof. Maciej Górny. The exhibition highlights the intergenerational dialogue between eminent figures of Polish science — such as Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Jan Czochralski, and Ludwik Hirszfeld — and their modern successors, who continue their work and ideas in new fields of research.

The exhibition was jointly developed by six foreign PAS stations. It was initiated by Dr Tomasz Poprawka, Director of the PolSCA Office in Brussels, and Prof. Igor Kąkolewski, Director of the PAS Centre for Historical Research in Berlin. The project was first presented in June 2025 in Brussels, during the conference Transnational Science Cooperation: Fostering Collaborative Research in Europe and Poland.

The exhibition will be open to visitors from 1 to 28 October 2025 at the PAS Scientific Centre in Paris, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

We warmly invite you to join the event inaugurating the Paris edition of the exhibition. It will be a unique opportunity to meet leading Polish scientists, listen to their insights, and discuss the place of Polish science within Europe’s academic landscape. Registration form accessible here.

ERC Workshop at the CMB Conference in Rome – 19 September 2025.

How to demystify ERC in 150 minutes? At the 1st Polish-Italian Conference on Chemistry, Materials & Biomedicine (CMB) in Rome, Expert from the PolSCA Office ran an interactive workshop, “Demystifying the ERC: Strategy & Success” It was concise, hands-on and lively – just the way we like to work with researchers.