Behind the scenes – Samuel Achberger

I am a Manager at Civitta, leading a team that supports companies in securing EU funding. My work spans the full proposal lifecycle – from identifying the right calls and building consortia, to writing competitive proposals and coordinating projects through to delivery.

I work across a broad set of programmes, including the LIFE Programme, the European Defence Fund, the Digital Europe Programme, the Innovation Fund, as well as national schemes and other EU public support instruments.

At its core, my expertise lies in translating an organisation’s ambitions and ideas into a proposal that is both fundable and competitive.

I wouldn’t say I’m most proud of a single grant or a single programme we’ve won. What truly stays with me are the moments where funding changed how an organisation functions – what it can do, what it can afford, and how it fulfils its mission.

Seeing that material change is what makes this work genuinely motivating. Similarly, having a client go from having no experience in leading a consortium to confidently running complex projects, and seeing them develop more and more competence with every funding cycle,  that’s what keeps me inspired.

Outside of Civitta, I place real value on the systemic work I did earlier in my career in innovation policy. At the Research and Innovation Authority in Slovakia, I helped shape the formal requirements for grants and contributed to developing innovation policy at national level, work that influenced the conditions for innovation rather than pursuing one outcome at a time.

The best, most innovative idea doesn’t necessarily win the funding, and it doesn’t necessarily get the recognition it deserves. What wins is the idea that is most clearly articulated. The one that everyone gets.

Across all the different clients and teams I’ve worked with, the pattern has been remarkably consistent: success comes from understanding what is expected by the programme and the evaluator, what they actually value, and then aligning your proposal with those expectations.

You work with those expectations  rather than assuming the innovative idea will simply speak for itself. 

The three words I’d use are: demanding, collaborative, and growth.

Demanding – because the standards in our funding team are exceptionally high, and the deadlines are non-negotiable. There are intense periods of pressure, especially when clients are late with inputs and you have to make up for it. But demanding in a way that pushes you forward.

Collaborative – because that’s what makes the demanding part bearable. Whether it’s colleagues or clients, everyone is pulling in the same direction. Well structured collaboration is, in my view, the single most important success factor in our funding work.

Growth – I’ve always moved fast and learned fast, but at Civitta it’s on a completely different level. I feel like I’m learning something new every single day. I was a completely different person when I joined a year and a half ago, and that makes me genuinely excited about where I’ll be next year – or in two, three years.

Plan every step of the way – and do it obsessively if you have to. This applies especially in proposal development, but honestly in any project or client work you’ll ever do.

Not because you’ll always stick to the plan – you won’t. The plan will always change. But planning gives you a mental structure, a discipline, and a safety net. If you haven’t thought through what you’ll do at each stage, if you don’t have fallback scenarios and plans B ready, then when a big obstacle hits, you might not be able to get back up fast enough.
Projects without a plan fail to deliver quality results far more often.