The webinar aims to give the key information about the role of project coordinator in Horizon 2020. How to successfully manage a Horizon 2020 project and a multicultural & multidisciplinary consortium? What are the goals and challenges during project kick-off? How to provide a smooth implementation and project closure? How to set-up collaborative tools in EU funded projects?
Most of the time a project coordinator is the initiator of the proposal and project design. Experienced and enthusiastic he/she is usually the driving force of the project with developed skills in negotiations, administrative and financial management. From the very start of the project lifecycle a project coordinator should be identified and recognized, as well as time and resources available. In a Horizon 2020 project it’s important that a project coordinator as the leader of the project keeps motivating the consortium by empowering it. The idea of the leader in a Horizon 2020 project is not to do everything alone but to share responsibilities with work package leaders or task leaders in order to ensure the success of the project.
Jeanne outlines four steps of any Horizon 2020 project – Application, Contractualization, Implementation, and Closure. The role of the project coordinator is essential on every step. He/she has a set of various missions that are divided between 5 levels of coordination. The Technical, Legal, Administrative, Financial, and Global level. During the webinar Jeanne gives a detailed overview on every level and its missions. She also gives information on rights and obligations that frame all these missions.
The second part of the webinar is dedicated to the fundamentals of project management which should be known to every project coordinator. Jeanne gives advice and shares good practices on partnership management. She emphasizes that it’s always important while working in a “project mode” to develop appropriate preventive and corrective measures. For example, when a partner comes to you with the problem that he/she doesn’t feel involved, as a project coordinator you can come up with the solutions – avoid information overload, make regular updates, set a reminder of initial objectives, and deliver a constant recall of the purpose.
Last but not least, during this webinar Jeanne also shares some expert insights on using collaborative working tools. She points out the difference between cooperative and collaborative work and recommends not to neglect using collaborative work platforms and project management tools like EMDESK.
