WP3 – Creation of Co-designed Training Materials
Objective
Work Package 3 focused on the development of co-designed pedagogical content and training materials for administrative staff and EU Grant Advisors working in the field of European research and education projects.
Building on the experience and outcomes of the Staff Training Weeks developed under WP2, this work package aimed to strengthen the project management skills of administrative staff through innovative, collaborative and hybrid learning approaches. It also promoted knowledge exchange between the research and education fields, encouraging participants to share good practices and develop their capacity to act as trainers within their institutions.
The training content was developed on the basis of the needs analysis conducted in 2023, ensuring that the materials addressed the specific needs and challenges faced by administrative staff involved in European projects.
Main Activities
1. Preparation Phase – Collection and Analysis of Training Materials
The preparatory phase focused on reviewing the needs analysis conducted in 2023, identifying specific training needs in the fields of research and education, and exploring synergies and complementarities between European funding programmes.
Existing educational resources and materials provided by EU Grant Advisors were collected and organised as a basis for developing the training content.
2. Co-design and Development of Training Programmes
Building on the experience, practical activities and feedback gathered during the Staff Training Weeks (WP2), the consortium worked collaboratively to design and improve the training programmes. This process included:
- Updating and refining training modules based on participants' feedback and evaluations;
- Developing the structure and pedagogical architecture of the training programmes, including learning objectives and content;
- Conducting hybrid training activities for EU Grant Advisors and experts;
- Adapting and localising training content to the needs of partner institutions and their respective national contexts.
Two training programmes were developed:
A course focusing on the exchange of knowledge and experience between peers in the preparation and design of European projects in the fields of research and education, following a Train-the-Trainers approach.
A course exploring the connections between Horizon Europe and Erasmus+, bringing together participants with expertise in European project management and promoting the exchange of institutional practices.
3. Digitalisation of Training Materials
The conventional educational material used in Staff Weeks was transformed into Interactive Educational Material, based on the principles of Distance Education and Adult Education. The digitalisation process resulted in:
The six training topics covered both the Pre-Award and Post-Award phases of European project management:
- 1Intelligence Monitoring
- 2Setting up the Proposal
- 3Evaluation
- 4Contract / Grant Agreement
- 5Project Implementation
- 6End of Project
These educational resources provide practical guidelines and useful information for administrative staff and EU Grant Advisors involved in the development and management of European projects.
4. Quality Assurance and Assessment
Quality assurance was integrated throughout the co-design and development process to ensure the relevance, effectiveness and continuous improvement of the training materials.
The consortium developed a quality assurance approach and an assessment strategy, including an assessment toolkit designed to evaluate both the training content and the learning process. Assessment activities also supported the collection of feedback and the identification of areas for further improvement, with the support of UERA.
Main Results and Deliverables
WP3 resulted in the development of the following resources and outputs:
- One Training Report documenting the preparatory work and providing the basis for the further development of the training materials.
- Two Training Programmes addressing European project management in the fields of research and education, based on a Train-the-Trainers approach.
- Six Interactive Educational Materials in English, covering six key topics across the Pre-Award and Post-Award stages of European project management.
- 36 Interactive Educational Materials in total, including the English versions and their translations into French, Ukrainian, Swedish, Albanian, Spanish and Greek.
- An Assessment Toolkit designed to evaluate the quality, relevance and effectiveness of the training content and process.
Impact and Contribution
WP3 contributed to strengthening the capacities of administrative staff and EU Grant Advisors in the preparation, development and management of European projects.
Through the co-design of training programmes, the development of interactive educational resources and the promotion of peer-to-peer learning, this work package supported knowledge transfer and the development of a sustainable Train-the-Trainers approach.
The multilingual educational materials provide partner institutions with reusable learning resources that can be further disseminated and integrated into their internal training activities, contributing to the long-term sustainability of the project results.