On 19-21 September 2017, UNIZA welcomed 65 participants (mostly from UNIZA) to the Grants Week, organised by ERAdiate. With the motto ‘’Maximise your chances of success in research applications’’, the event aimed not only at providing comprehensive information on how to find the most relevant European and Slovak funding programmes, but also at enhancing researchers’ skills through advice and hands-on sessions on how to write professional and competitive grant proposals.

We had the privilege and honour to welcome three experienced consultants: Dr Seán McCarthy (Hyperion Ltd), Ömer Ceylan and Valentina Zuri (Europa Media). The practical information and tips they provided were highly appreciated by the audience.
With a view to enable cross-fertilisation of ideas between Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and researchers, the reception with seven Slovak SMEs offered an opportunity for young researchers to connect with innovative companies and possibly combine their academic research with an internship.
The main conclusion from the event is a real need for local researchers to get a better understanding of how to go from theory to practice into proposal writing and research, through hands-on sessions.

In 2018, ERAdiate will organise another training school and additional events aiming at skills development.