In this solo episode, I dive deep into one of the most challenging yet crucial parts of proposal development: finding a coordinator. After years of working across EU R&D funding as an NCP, proposal consultant, and industry representative, I’ve realized that identifying and securing the right coordinator can make or break a project. Whether you're early in your planning phase or already knee-deep in writing, if you don’t have someone ready to lead, your proposal risks falling apart. I share typical scenarios and the types of organisations (like universities, RTOs, or SMEs) that often hesitate to take on this role—and what you can do about it.

I walk you through the intelligence work needed to identify experienced coordinators: how I use CORDIS, LinkedIn, Google, old contacts, and even ChatGPT to build leads. You’ll hear about mapping projects, digging through call topics, and finding patterns among recurring consortium players. I also talk candidly about what to do when you do find someone—how to reach out, what to say, and how to prepare. And finally, I stress the importance of collecting and structuring your own data (in GDPR-compliant ways) so you don’t start from scratch next time. It’s a practical, battle-tested roadmap that I use daily—and now it’s yours.

Time codes:

00:01:41 Introduction

00:05:03 Fly in

00:07:06 Setting the scene

00:09:30 What can you do?

00:16:15 How to identify projects

00:25:47 Identify the contacts

00:30:28 Getting in contact

00:37:23 Your own data

00:42:26 The toughest challenge