In episode #224 of The Grant, I’m joined by Alessio Caracci from Unknown Group to talk about something many people in this field quietly struggle with: how to work across multiple funding schemes at once when your resources are limited. Alessio is based in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, but works for the Dutch innovation and entrepreneurship support organisation Unknown Group, where his role spans several business lines: the university, the campus and parts of the startup portfolio. That means he is not just looking at one familiar scheme, but constantly scanning and matching opportunities across different programmes and types of organisations. The conversation starts from that practical reality: this is not about becoming an expert in one call family, but about building a way of working that can handle complexity without losing focus.

What makes the episode especially useful is that Alessio explains the logic behind his approach. Rather than chasing every possible opportunity, Unknown Group tries to identify a small number of bold strategic projects that support where the organisation wants to go in the next two or three years, and then works outward from there. Some projects are led directly; others are developed through consultants, alliances, universities, associations and other trusted partners. We also talk about the role of local ecosystems, how Unknown Group positions itself as a bridge into the Dutch innovation environment, why recurring deadline clusters are so brutal in practice, and how important it is to keep one eye on the big picture while staying disciplined in the day-to-day work of proposals.

Time codes:

01:55 Guest introduction and fly in

12:21 Working Across Many Programmes

21:09 Managing Complexity – Systems, Shortcuts and Survival

38:51 Partnerships and Collaboration as Strategy

49:44 Reflections and advice

54:21 The toughest challenge