April 2026

On 15 – 16 April 2026, we delivered an intensive two-day training (16 hours) for doctoral researchers as part of the doctoral school at the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava.
The course focused on developing high-quality project proposals for European funding schemes, with a specific emphasis on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships. Participants were guided through the full project design cycle – from selecting suitable calls and defining objectives, to developing methodology, work plans, budgets, and dissemination strategies.
A key part of the training was dedicated to understanding evaluation criteria from the perspective of a project reviewer, helping participants gain a clearer understanding of how proposals are assessed in practice and what determines success or failure.
The course is grounded in more than 16 years of experience in evaluating projects for the European Commission and other European institutions, including roles as evaluator, rapporteur, and vice-chair across both individual and consortium-based projects. This provided participants with a unique insider perspective on the evaluation process, from proposal submission through to post-project assessment.
The programme also included hands-on work on participants’ own project proposals, peer review activities, and individual feedback sessions.

Participant feedback was highly positive. Many appreciated the practical and experience-based approach, noting that the knowledge gained will be useful not only for preparing grant applications, but also for structuring and managing their doctoral research more effectively.