#248 BLOXHUB - Connecting an Ecosystem Through EU Projects

From Newcomer to Strategic EU Partner – The BLOXHUB Journey An in-person conversation with CEO Torben Klitgaard Check out the €500 campaign for EU projects Check out the episode website with more information For episode #248, I visit BLOXHUB in Copenhagen to meet CEO Torben Klitgaard and follow an unusually complete EU funding journey: from entering the field as a newcomer to making EU projects a strategic part of the organisation. It started with the New European Bauhaus. BLOXHUB mobilised its network, assembled a European consortium and coordinated the DESIRE lighthouse project. Another successful project followed, and EU funding increasingly became a way of connecting BLOXHUB’s community with international companies, cities, researchers and other stakeholders. But experience changed the strategy. BLOXHUB no longer wants to coordinate major EU projects or write proposals itself. Instead, it is increasingly positioning itself around areas where it has strong competencies and can contribute as a partner or work package lead. Torben explains why running several EU projects simultaneously must be treated as professional business, not an activity organisations simply add on the side. Time codes: 00:00 Campaign Announcement 00:28 Arrival in Copenhagen 04:02 Guest introduction and fly in 06:47 Bloxhub - An introduction 12:30 The Projects 32:31 EU Projects as Strategy 54:41 Learnings, reflections and advice 57:01 The toughest challenge