Vernian is pleased to announce its participation in ERMA – European Research Management Advancement, a new Horizon Europe project launched during the Kick-off Meeting held in Athens on 1–2 July 2026.
The meeting was hosted by the Found.ation (https://thefoundation.gr/), our project coordinator, and brought together all partners and the Project Officer for two productive days of discussion, planning and alignment. Partners had the opportunity to exchange views on the project vision, implementation approach, coordination procedures, work packages and next steps.
ERMA focuses on an area that is becoming increasingly important for Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem, the recognition and professional development of research managers.
While research managers play a critical role in turning ideas into successful projects as they support funding acquisition, project implementation, communication, impact and development, across Europe, their role is still not always clearly recognised, and access to training, mentoring, career pathways and peer-learning remains fragmented.
ERMA responds to this need by helping build a more connected, visible and professional research management community across the European Research Area.
One of the project’s main outcomes will be the European Research Management Knowledge Network Hub – ERMKNet Hub, that will serve as a shared online space where research managers, organisations and stakeholders can access knowledge, training resources, career support, job opportunities and communities of practice.
For Vernian, ERMA is strongly aligned with our work at the intersection of research, technology, innovation, governance and capacity building. Our contribution will focus on supporting stakeholder engagement in Cyprus and the wider region, contributing to the mapping of research management needs and actors, promoting the ERMKNet Hub, and implementing awareness activities that demonstrate the strategic value of research management.
We see ERMA as an opportunity to strengthen the people and systems behind European research, by making research management more visible, connected and supported.
We would like to thank Found.ation for hosting and coordinating the Kick-off Meeting, as Vernian we look forward to contributing to ERMA’s mission and to helping strengthen research management capacity across Europe with the rest of our partners:
- Konnekt Able Technologies Limited (KT), Ireland
- INOVA+ – Innovation Services, SA, Portugal
- Uniwersytet Kardynala Stefana Wyszynskiego w Warszawie (UKSW), Poland
- Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (IICT), Bulgaria
- Kemijski Institut (NIC), Slovenia
- Universitatea Nationala de Stiinta si Tehnologie Politehnica Bucuresti (POLITEHNICA), Romania
- VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO), Czechia
- Pedal Consulting SRO (PC), Slovakia
- Hrvatska Zaklada za Znanost (HRZZ), Croatia
- Autoritatea Nationala pentru Calificari – ANC, Romania
- Hrvatska Udruga Znanstvenih Menadzera i Administratora (CRO.ARMA), Croatia
ERMA is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme, Grant Agreement No. 101259888. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
