Horizon 2020 Project Management and Finance

This 2-day training course will introduce the first crucial steps for getting a Horizon 2020 project started on the right foot, provide practical tips to ensure a sound technical implementation of your project, and go into the issues of financial management and reporting. We recommend this course to those who are involved in everyday implementation and/or financial management of H2020 projects as well as to those who have just started implementing their project as a partner or coordinator, and do not yet have an in-depth knowledge on Horizon 2020 financial issues. Here are the typical challenges you need to tackle while implementing your Horizon 2020 project: Going through the Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) process and meeting deadlines; Preparing an effective Consortium Agreement, handling IPR issues, and getting your project started on the right foot; Managing non-performing partners, creating a team from individual partners, dealing with conflicts, managing internal reports, submitting official reports to the EC; Keeping your books and records in order, administering your costs and time spent on the project accurately; Handling financial issues related to cost eligibility, budget transfers, and payment arrangements; Conducting effective communication and PR internally, with the European Commission, the research community, the industry and the wider public. Why participate in the "H2020 Project Management and Finance" course? 1. Trainers are actual H2020 Project Managers and Coordinators This 2-day training course is built 100% on H2020 project experience and real-life examples. Our trainers and workshop leaders are flesh-and-bone project managers and coordinators, whose day-to-day work is to make sure that their multiple projects are implemented according to EC Grant Agreement, problems are promptly tackled, and project partners adequately assisted in legal, technical and financial management issues. Over the years we have helped almost 1,000 project managers and coordinators in understanding the legal, technical and financial rules of the Research Framework Programme and managing European projects. 2. Lectures and practical workshops on H2020 project implementation and financial management Experience Europa Media's unique "learning-by-doing" approach. Lectures and presentations with practical tips and stories are complemented by hands-on workshops and exercises throughout the two days. Project Management and Technical Reporting Grant Agreement Preparation – road to success and things that could go wrong. Getting started – models on Consortium Agreement, advance payment, bank guarantees, and the kick-off meeting. IPR issues in practice – how to protect your background and how to benefit from the foreground. Technical reporting – how to fill in the online forms and compile the Part B of your report. Technical reviews – Get prepared for the best- and worst-case scenarios. Workshop: Project Management Role-Play Each participant will represent a beneficiary in a project which is facing various challenges. Your trainer will represent the European Commission, whose goal is to make sure that the project is implemented according to the GA. You will tackle – as a consortium or individually – challenges that frequently arise in an H2020 project: budget transfers, inadequate budget, poorly performing partner, conflicts on IPR, GA amendments, technical reviews, etc. All case studies are based on real issues which we went through in our past and ongoing H2020 projects as coordinator or partner. Learn by doing and learn from others! Financial Management and Reporting Financial rules of Horizon 2020 – how to harmonise EU rules with your national taxation and internal accounting principles. Eligible and non-eligible costs, cost statements – upgrading your financial admin system. Different calculation methods for Personnel costs – employees and consultants. Allocation of Travel costs, Equipment, Other costs, and Overheads based on practical examples Subcontracting and third parties – how to avoid rejection of costs. Uploading reports to the Participant Portal – hints and tips to control your partners’ spending. Workshop: Budget monitoring and financial reporting You will go through specific exercises to simulate budget planning, budget monitoring and financial reporting in an H2020 project. You will tackle budget transfers and reallocations, controlling overspending, managing underspending and conducting reporting. You will prepare a financial statement for a virtual H2020 project based on specific project documentation with salary slips, invoices, receipts, timesheets and other proof of costs. Your Benefits Obtain the effective H2020 project management tools and understand why, when and how to use them Get an insight to Horizon 2020 financial issues Find out how to cope with different challenges in project implementation Practice how to allocate costs and prepare your financial statement Learn how to put together technical reports efficiently Experienced project coordinators and financial managers will moderate practical workshops, covering all aspects of research project implementation. Is this training right for me? Over the past 14 years, our training courses have been attended by over 7,000 participants from leading research institutions, universities, SMEs, industry and other public and civil society organisations from all over Europe and beyond. Feedback from previous participants show that this course is equally useful for Project managers and coordinators Project officers Researchers Financial managers Grants offices coming from Public institutions Universities and research institutions SMEs and large companies Thanks to our learning-by-doing approach and the unique workshops, participants with different backgrounds will meet all their expectations. One of the strengths of our courses is the diverse backgrounds of the participants, so we can all learn from each other’s different approaches and stories.