European Affairs at Hezelburcht
Hezelburcht is a one of a kind organisation. Not only do we provide comprehensive support services for the entire grant and funding process, we also ensure that all services are grounded in technical excellence and within the relevant policy context. In order to do so, we have two European Affairs Managers (EAMs) who are our eyes and ears on the ground in the policy arena in the Netherlands and Europe.
Networking for national and European projects
Our EAMs core tasks are to consolidate and build networks and partnerships with institutions, agencies, ministries and all stakeholders that shape funding priorities and policies. Maintaining regular contact with a wide range of relations allows Hezelburcht to keep abreast of policy developments, source key information relevant to clients/projects and develop new business.
Networking is the backbone of the work done by the EAMs. It allows them early access to local, national or international intelligence on the key areas of interest for Hezelburcht’s clients so they can (help) devise appropriate follow-up actions and strategic responses.
In this regard, you will find our EAMs Jeroen and Hager at important national and European events networking, building contacts and always on the look out to connect (with) likeminded individuals. They can be at information days for (new) European calls for funding, cross-cutting or single-scope stakeholder consultations, high-level policy events and everything in between. You can follow them via social media through their LinkedIn and Twitter profiles (see links below).
Lobbying
It is one thing to be at the forefront of policy implementation – it is even better to be in the driver’s seat of policy change. Our EAMs are experienced professionals and experts in their field making them uniquely qualified to partake in the development and decision-making processes at national and European level. This includes contributing to the perception, presentation and definition of key social impact policy developments.
EAMs lobby on behalf of Hezelburcht to further internationalise and position the firm as a key advisory partner by sharing expertise and best practises at consultations, stakeholder meetings and within advisory boards. The EAMs also lobby on behalf of:
Clients
- reviewing position and perception of client within relevant policy circles
- building/raising profile of the client portfolio and its impact
- linking clients with key stakeholders
Projects
- leveraging support for new/ongoing/prospective social impact projects;
- developing tailored and strategic communication; and
In each case they approach it systematically as well as organically. Flexibility is key when it comes to this line of work. In general, they will devise multi-level revolving strategies on who to approach and engage with, on what issues, and advise with which key message and at what stage in the policy/implementation process to get involved.
Communication & knowledge sharing
An important part of the work of our EAMs entails political intelligence and monitoring. This includes tracking proceedings, debates and consultations as well as analysing outcomes and activities of regional, national and European institutions, political parties, think tanks, pressure groups, industry peers and other relevant bodies. The wealth of politico-technical information is then aggregated and translated into briefings, articles and sound bites in lay man’s terms to ensure we continue to share our knowledge and experiences with clients and interested relations alike.
External – workshops & presentation
We believe in knowledge sharing and as such our EAMs deliver tailored workshops and presentations at events, meeting or to clients. These include, but are not limited to:
- networking – the why, how, when and where
- profiling your project/consortium/self in the local, national or European policy arena
- strategic communication and engagement – getting on the agenda
Internal
Grants, financial incentives and funding frameworks are the result of lengthy consultation processes that bridge the gap between theory – i.e. a good idea – and practice – i.e. viable social impact. Being a part of these consultations and discussions puts us at an important advantage. Our EAMs advice and support the consultants of Hezelburcht by providing them advance information on upcoming work programmes, call texts, tenders, calls for proposals and the vital information gaps that exist within them. Together with our consultants, they discuss, analyse and conclude the best way forward for our clients – from contextualising the funding gap to fine-tuning the final wording of submissions to maximise success.
Hezelburcht; your innovation and knowledge partner
Follow our EAMs via social media and feel free to reach out to them for more information or support.
Connect with Jeroen Plantinga or Hager Bassyouni on LinkedIn, or follow our EAMs on Twitter (@Jeroen & @Hager).
