Certain

The objective of the training of research project managers is to develop and implement a package of training for new and aspiring leaders of collaborative European projects. Greater integration of the NMS and CEEC into the European R&D, the ERA (European Research Area) and better implementation of road research require more active participation from these countries in the international research activities.

Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia have contributed to the European research activities in the area of road transport (COST actions and RTD projects from the 4th, 5th and 6th FW programme), but only as partners, in a few cases as work package leaders or scientific coordinators and never as project coordinators. If NMS and CEEC coordinators submitted the proposals, they were usually not prepared adequately and were not financed, which discouraged the participants from these countries to try again. To overcome this problem, CERTAIN has been organising courses where experienced research project leaders and other professionals taught the candidates, to great extent from NMS and CEEC, how to prepare and lead European research projects.

Three courses were organised – first two in two phases and the third, additional one, in one phase – that were developing an understanding of processes and techniques for successfully delivering large multinational projects. Supported by training material and web-based tools, the plan was to provide approximately 30 future project managers with the skills, confidence and continued support to develop future projects. At least 50 % of the participants were planned from the NMS and CEEC in order to encourage the joint development of proposals with peers from Western European countries and accelerate integration into European RTD activities.

First European Project Management Training, 19th to 21st of March, 2007 (Phase I) and on 6thto 7th of September, 2007 (Phase II)
Second European Project Management Training, 5th to 7th February, 2008 (Phase I) and on 3rd to 4th June, 2008 (Phase II)
Third (additional) European Project Management Training 14th to 16th of September, 2009

In the scope of CERTAIN training activities, three people from Poland, Slovenia and Czech Republic were assigned a four-month secondment to learn about European projects activities in Brussels and work with fellow project managers and research developers.