In this fifth episode of the Research Management Shorts Series, I continue my conversation with Stephanie Harfensteller, EU Research Coordinator at FIR an der RWTH Aachen, to explore how you embed sustainability and impact thinking in research strategy. Stephanie shares how her institute aligns all EU funding efforts with a long-term goal: enabling value-creating circular economy systems. She unpacks how impact isn’t just a requirement from the EU, but a guiding compass for institutional strategy, shaping everything from project selection to researcher engagement.

We talk about how FIR an der RWTH Aachen incorporates social and environmental dimensions into seemingly technical projects - like finding gender impacts in multimodal transport - and how research managers can act as translators between policy and science. Stephanie also shares concrete strategies for research intelligence: how to identify calls with higher success rates, how to balance strategic fit with academic freedom, and how long-term impact grows from well-aligned project portfolios. It’s a must-listen for research managers aiming to move from compliance to purpose-driven impact.