Project Services offer help with project funding applications and expertise in questions related to project design and implementation (i.e monitoring and evaluation). We provide support in long-term project development. Specific details of the services include: •
Project development:
- The PSU is addresses the following questions regarding project development: How to increase the level of external funding? How to motivate researchers to apply external funding? How to share good practices in project activities? How to develop project activities?
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In this sense the services entail:
- Promotion and motivation for staff to participate in research proposal development and implementation and subsequently applying for funding.
- Tailoring events and training so that faculties and departments can grow their expertise.
- Promotion of multidisciplinary research collaboration during project development and implementation stages.
Project Ideas Generation and Training:
- We facilitate project design and idea generation opportunities. This could be linked to suitable funding programs and as such the PSU guides through prerequisites of the programs and donor compliance matters.
- Funding program presentation: PSU presents external funding possibilities and programs to all faculties, departments or research groups.
- The PSU also offers training on matters such as how to prepare good funding proposals, project budgeting, work packages and steering committee work in a project, project reporting, use of electronic submission systems for project proposals, etc. We tailor the training according to the desired needs.
Project application services:
- The PSU guides application process based on donor evaluation criteria and thus contributes to improvement of project proposal in terms of quality and bankability.
- Support for budgeting is key during the application process.
- The PSU facilitates a model for the structure of administration and decision making in a project consortium. In this case the PSU facilitates combination of partners to address the call for funding adequately.
- The PSU provides an administrative function in completion of relevant administrative forms and supporting institutional documents.
- Support, advice and models for contracts and agreements in conjunction with the legal advisor office forms part of the project acquisition process.
Negotiation and implementation services:
- The PSU is facilitates negotiations and discussions with donors and funding organisations and help to interpret requirements from funding organisation and with other matters related to funding programs and grant agreements.
- The PSU ensures that projects are implemented by design and therefore closely monitors project in line with donor requirements. This particular service entails ensuring project managers (or principal investigators) are identified; clear responsibilities and obligations regarding the grant agreement is adhered to as well as common practices and implementation plans are developed.