Ester Rodríguez is passionate about research management. She says so herself and, when she talks about her work, it shows in her face and in her voice. A biotechnologist by training, she holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, but she has been working in scientific project management for more than fifteen years. She currently works as European and International Projects Funding Advisor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She is part of the ‘preaward’ team that helps research staff with project applications.
In this field, which she considers key to advancing research, it is essential to know two languages as different as the scientific and the administrative. Recently, the business language has been added to this mix because it is also necessary to justify the economic benefit. For this reason, Ester has recently finished an Executive MBA.
In this second interview of the Career Month organised by PRBB Intervals and the PRBB centres, we talk to Ester about the promotion of European projects and the future of this profession.
What does your job involve?
We could say it’s a branch or specialisation within project management. It consists of identifying European research calls and helping research staff to submit competitive proposals. We match research ideas with funding opportunities.
How does this match work?
We are in direct contact with both research staff and funding agencies. When we detect an interesting call or receive an initial proposal from a researcher, we analyse feasibility, requirements and opportunities. The work often starts before the calls are officially opened, allowing us to prepare proposals in a timely and strategic manner.
Do you write the applications?
No, the applications are written by the researchers themselves. We support them in cross-cutting aspects such as communication, gender issues, data management, intellectual property and administration.
In what other ways do you support research staff?
We also offer a kind of coaching for researchers because it is very difficult that projects are awarded on the first try… This is one of the disadvantages of science and can create frustration; many projects are presented and few are awarded, even though they may be excellent! This is why this accompaniment is important, to help researchers see that writing projects helps them to sort out their ideas and better prepare for future opportunities.
Writing European projects is a long-distance race worth running.
What is your day-to-day life like?
It is very dynamic, I really like this job. You may have the perception that we spend all day filling in forms on the computer, but that is only part of it. Our day-to-day work also includes meetings with researchers, attending conferences and training days. In particular, I try to keep up to date with European news and funding trends. Political changes at the global level and in particular in the European Parliament affect funding and calls for proposals very quickly. In this respect, the new European Framework Programme is currently being developed, and it will define the next ten years of research.
What kind of professional profiles are there in the team?
The Universitat Pompeu Fabra has a project office on each campus. At the office in Campus Mar, there are two members – inlcuding myself – in the ‘preaward’ part, which searches and helps to make applications; and three more in the ‘postaward’ part, who manage the projects once they have been approved.
Those of us who are in ‘preaward’, although it is not essential, have usually a background more in accordance with the subject, to better understand the projects, interpret the calls for proposals, etc. In the case of our office, where we manage medical and life sciences projects, we have a scientific profile. In the ‘postaward’ part, there is a greater variety of profiles, such as administration or political science.
How did you, personally, end up working as a project manager?
Although I like science very much, once I finished my PhD, I was not sure whether to continue in the lab. While I was doing my thesis, I helped my colleagues to apply for different grants. So, I decided to explore this field and discovered what project management was, which was just starting to emerge in Catalonia. In fact, I had never thought I would end up doing a job like this!
“The PhD experience has given me a better understanding of the researchers situation and it makes it easier for me to help them”
What would you say to people who want to work on this field?
It is a job for people who like to help. You have to be a good listener, have empathy, know how to communicate, solve problems, know what to prioritise and be very creative. It is a vocational job and you really enjoy it when you see how you are contributing to science and society.
For people who are now doing their thesis or a post-doc, I always tell them to take the opportunity to train beyond their field, to touch as many keys as possible: take a course on innovation or communication, help their supervisor to write a project… It’s a moment to evaluate what interests you. And you can always come to the project office and ask!
What do you like most about your work?
What I like most is helping research staff to make their projects a reality. When a project materialises and you are told that funding has been secured, it is a very satisfying moment because you feel that your work has a real impact on research and society.
What are the main challenges in project management today?
For me, there are two big challenges. The first is to get more people into the field. Research management has been shown to be successful for research, but we often fall short because there are so few of us. And secondly, the challenge we all face is the incorporation of artificial intelligence, in our case, to improve the efficiency and quality of management.
What future do you see for the profession?
I see a lot of growth potential. There is an increasing demand for managers. It is no longer just for laboratories, but also for start-ups, spin-offs and other companies seeking public funding. When I started in this sector, there were very few of us. Now it has grown; work is being done to homogenise the profession at European level and it is becoming more professional. Although it is a profession that was born within the administration of the centres, there are now specific master’s degrees such as the one at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and transversal training at the Catalan, national and European levels.
