In episode #248 of The Grant – the EU funding podcast, I visit BLOXHUB in Copenhagen for an in-person conversation with CEO Torben Klitgaard about how EU funding gradually became part of the organisation’s strategy. BLOXHUB entered the EU funding world as a newcomer when the New European Bauhaus emerged and went on to coordinate the DESIRE lighthouse project. A second successful project followed, and the experience convinced BLOXHUB that EU projects could provide its community with something difficult to create through its normal activities: access to European networks, collaboration, knowledge and concrete innovation projects.

But this is also a story about learning what not to do. BLOXHUB moved from coordinating major consortia to becoming a more focused project partner and work package lead. EU activities became strategically important enough for BLOXHUB to bring European Green Cities into the organisation and establish a dedicated EU project unit. Today, after years of experience and a much tougher funding environment, Torben explains why the approach has shifted from broad opportunity-seeking towards positioning, specialist competence and careful selection of partners and projects. #248 Bloxhub_otter_ai_transcript

Time codes:

00:00 Campaign Announcement

00:28 Arrival in Copenhagen

04:02 Guest introduction and fly in

06:47 Bloxhub - An introduction

12:30 The Projects

32:31 EU Projects as Strategy

54:41 Learnings, reflections and advice

57:01 The toughest challenge