KT at the ERMA Kick-Off Meeting in Athens

On 1–2 July 2026, the ERMA consortium met in Athens for the project’s Kick-Off Meeting — marking the official launch of a newly funded Horizon Europe initiative set to make a lasting impact on research management (RM) across Europe.

ERMA brought together partners from Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Romania, Czechia, Cyprus, Slovakia and Croatia, with an ambitious mission: to professionalise and strengthen research management across the European Research Area (ERA). At its core, it is building a Virtual Hub — a platform connecting aspiring and experienced RM professionals with employers across both academic and non-academic environments. Through the Hub, users will gain access to training, mentoring, mobility programmes, and career development opportunities, all aimed at raising the profile and recognition of research managers across Europe.

The Kick-Off Meeting brought together consortium partners for two productive days of alignment and planning. Day 1 focused on the big picture: partners shared overview presentations on the project’s objectives, main activities, roles, and expected outputs, alongside discussions on ERMA’s vision and its anticipated impact. Day 2 shifted into action mode, with focused sessions on work package planning, career services, RM awareness raising, communication and dissemination strategy, ERMKNet Hub technical concept and development, and data management, ethics, GDPR, and open science considerations.

Konnektable Technologies plays an active and significant role in the ERMA project, contributing to two key areas. First, Konnektable is leading the European RM Knowledge Network Hub (ERMKNet Hub) Design and Development — including integration, testing, technical maintenance, and user support planning. Second, Konnektable is contributing to data management, ethics, GDPR, and open science considerations, ensuring that the project’s data practices are robust, compliant, and aligned with open science principles from the outset.

Our CEO, Dr Angelos Liapis, and Ilina Atanasovska, Research Project Delivery & Bid Manager, participated in the meeting. Ilina presented our contribution to the European RM Knowledge Network Hub Design and Development and engaged actively in the consortium discussions, helping shape the project’s direction from day one.

The ERMA Kick-Off Meeting was an energised and productive start — bringing together a committed consortium united by a shared vision: to build the recognition, tools, and networks that research managers need to thrive across Europe. We are proud to be part of this Horizon Europe initiative and look forward to delivering impactful results alongside our partners.