"When should I loop you in?"

Hello hellooo!

If you’re working on a large consortium proposal, here’s a question worth asking early: when should you bring in a science communication expert?

Most teams think about it after the grant is awarded. But by then, you’ve already locked in your budget.

The sweet spot is the budgeting stage — when you’re adding numbers to the work packages and budget tables.

By this point, you’ve done the hard thinking:
✅ Your scientific concept is solid
✅ Your consortium is formed
✅ You know the shape and scale of the project

You have everything you need to make a well-informed decision about your communication work package.

This is where I can help. I work with you to shape the communication parts of your project management work package so they fit your project’s actual scope — not a generic placeholder that gets cut later.

With the right budget secured from the start, your team can communicate your research and build your visibility from day one.

Speaking of which — if you’re currently preparing your ERC Synergy 2027 proposal, I’m running a guidance session for exactly this. Details below!

Cheers,
Pranoti

PS: If, apart from my email, you also like some SciComm proposal writing support, I think you’ll be happy about:

  1. SciComm Support for Proposal Writing where Iwork with principal investigators who want professional science communication that matches the ambition and budget of their grant proposal. More details are on my website.
  2. ERC Synergy Guidance Session — 14th April, 14:00. I’ll share some of my secrets about fleshing out a winning outreach work package in your proposal. Save your spot!
  3. Everything you need to know about the ERC Synergy 2027 funding call is in this blogpost on my website.
  4. Below is a list of some of the upcoming funding calls👇

📌 8 Open Funding Calls: European Research & Innovation 🇪🇺

Deadlines are creeping up. Here’s your quick-reference list of open and upcoming funding calls — for individual scientists and research projects.

Research funding for individual scientist

➡️ ERC Synergy Grant — European Research Council (ERC) 🇪🇺 Budget: up to €10M (+ €4M with justification) Deadline: November 2026 (expected) Best for: PIs ready to lead a genuinely collaborative, multi-investigator project

➡️ ERC Advanced Grant — European Research Council (ERC) 🇪🇺 Budget: €2.5M Deadline: 27 August 2026 Best for: senior researchers with a strong independent track record looking to pursue high-risk, high-gain science.

➡️ NWO Vidi (full proposal) — NWO (Dutch Research Council) 🇳🇱Budget: €850k Deadline: 9 April 2026 Ideal for: researchers 2–5 years post-PhD, based at or affiliated with a Dutch institution.

➡️ Villum Investigator — Villum Fonden 🇩🇰 Budget: DKK 30M Deadline: 20 August 2026 Ideal for: top-tier senior researchers with a proven record of independent, curiosity-driven research.

➡️ ERC Proof of Concept — European Research Council (ERC) 🇪🇺 Budget: €150k Deadline: 17 September 2026 Ideal for: current or former ERC grant holders looking to explore the commercial or societal potential of their results.

Research & innovation funding for research projects

➡️ EIC Pathfinder Open — EIC - European Innovation Council 🇪🇺 Budget: €4M Deadline: 12 May 2026 Ideal for: multi-partner consortia working on foundational research with a clear path to breakthrough technology.

➡️ EIC Pathfinder Challenges — EIC - European Innovation Council 🇪🇺 Budget: €4M Deadline: 28 October 2026 Ideal for: teams whose research aligns with one of the defined EIC challenge topics — check the call carefully before applying.

➡️ NNF Challenge Programme (Stage 2) — Novo Nordisk Foundation 🇩🇰 Budget: DKK 75M Deadline: 2 June 2026 Ideal for: large, ambitious research programmes that have already passed Stage 1 screening with the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

📍 Bookmark this email. Share it with a colleague who needs it. And if you’re writing a proposal for any of these — I help PIs with professional science communication that matches the ambition and budget of the grant proposal. 💪