In the 7th episode of the RM Framework Series, I’m joined by Cristina Borrás Sardà and Cristina Bosch Pla from Generalitat de Catalunya / AGAUR to explore the Spanish pilot in the RM Framework project. Their starting point is already strong: for years they have supported the research management community in Catalonia through training and networking, and more recently they have formalised this into a structured training offer in partnership with universities. Their current programme is built around two microcredentials - one focused on the pre-award phase and one on the post-award phase - and covers the full lifecycle of EU project support, from consortium building and impact to grant agreement management, financial reporting and lump sum implementation.

What makes the pilot especially interesting is that it shows how an existing training scheme can use the RM Framework handbook not to start from scratch, but to improve what already works. Cristina and Cristina explain how competence mapping helped them see more clearly which skills their programme was already developing, where learning outcomes could be made more explicit, and how the training could become more coherent and transferable across Europe. They also reflect on the value of modular, in-person training, the addition of group mentoring sessions, and the broader need for a shared European reference point that can support career development, quality assurance and interoperability for research managers across countries.

Time codes:

02:14 Guest introduction and fly in

05:08 RM Training Good Practices

12:57 Experiences from the Pilot Testing Phase

19:13 Why the RM Framework Matters at EU Level

24:07 Expectations & Final Reflections