Louis Brun, International Project Officer at the Université de Nanterre, and Roger Esteller, International Project Technician at the Universitat Jaume I, share their EDUC experience from virtual meetings to an in-person visit and how this international exchange enriches European project management
Louis Brun: “Bringing projects to life and building global academic communities is the heart and soul of my job”
Roger Esteller: “What I value most in my role is simplifying the challenging aspects of bureaucracy, allowing our researchers to focus on what they do best”
After more than six months of online meetings in the framework of the EDUC Staff Mentoring Programme, Louis Brun (university.parisnanterre.fr), International Project Officer at the Université de Nanterre, decided to travel to Castellón de la Plana to visit his mentor Roger Esteller, International Project Technician at the European and International Projects Office of the Universitat Jaume I.
Enriching for both sides
Thanks to the EDUC Mentoring Programme, they have been able to share knowledge, experiences and best practices in the management of European funding and as Esteller points out: “It has been a truly enriching experience for both sides. Although I was in the role of mentor, I have learned a great deal from Louis and gained valuable insights into how things are done at the Université de Nanterre”.
For his part, Brun emphasises that “French universities have much to gain from their Spanish counterparts. There are technical and organisational aspects from your work that we can benefit from”.
Not easy, but very satisfying
Both agree that working with professors and researchers and encouraging them to participate in European projects is not always easy, but it is very satisfying to be able to help them and show them opportunities to get funding and make their research work a reality.
“What I value most in my role is simplifying the often challenging aspects of bureaucracy, legal frameworks and regulations, so our researchers can focus on what they do best”, Esteller explains, and that is why, according to Brun, “We have to discuss and learn from each other since we have a lot of activity in common, most notably with EDUC, so we can ease the administrative burden for these researchers. Making projects happen, creating international communities of professors and researchers via these projects is something that is very rewarding, it is the heart and soul of my job”.
Immersed in language and culture
This visit to the Universitat Jaume I has also helped Brun to improve his Spanish and get to know the region better. “It is a pleasure to speak Spanish, and if I can switch from English to Spanish I am delighted. This is one of the reasons why I would also like to be able to participate in more activities with UJI”, he says. In this sense, Esteller highlights that “One of the main strengths of these programmes is the opportunity they offer, not only to discover different ways of working, but also to immerse oneself in other languages and cultural perspectives”.