MediaMotorEurope: supporting European innovators building the solutions of tomorrow
MediaMotorEurope is a EU funded project that aims to guide and scale deeptech media start-ups in order to solve the most prominent media industry challenges and support them in building scalable media solutions. Together with six international partners, VRT introduces these start-ups to an international media network. Since MediaMotorEurope is part of our Sandbox Hub and co-run by two of our members, VRT Sandbox & MediaCity Bergen, we figured it was time to properly introduce this fascinating project to you.
Who is working behind the scenes? MME’s hubs are located in Brussels (BE), Bergen (NO), Thessaloniki (GR), and Sofia (BG). Clélia Twagirayesu is the project coordinator, located at VRT. She is focused on bringing international partners together over a common goal and working towards a real impact in the European media ecosystem. We asked her a few questions about what her job exactly entails. Meet Clélia!
The role of a project coordinator starts once the European Commission accepts the grant agreement and there is funding to actually put the proposal into practice. Clélia has to make sure that the different partners respect the agreed timeline and report the project’s progress to the European Commission. She also coordinates meetings and ensures that the relevant topics are on the meeting agenda. In the end, Clélia is responsible for reaching the agreed goals and KPIs.
It requires a lot of different skills to successfully finish a European project. First, you need to act with confidence. Clélia explains that although she was still very young, her confidence ensured that everyone saw her as a leader. Second, you need to be organised. As you are working with a lot of partners, expectations and resources, you have to work in a structural manner. Lastly, self-knowledge and good communication skills are key.
“The first month of the project is the most important one”, says Clélia. The start determines the tone of the overall collaboration and can make or break a project. That is why it is so important to create a real community and build trust among your partners early on in the project. The members of MediaMotorEurope got the chance to kick off their journey in real life in Brussels. During this weekend, they really socialised and got to know each other outside of the project. “Building trust, one of the foundations of a good collaboration, is something you should really invest in”, explains Clélia. On top of that, a lot of decisions need to be made during this crucial starting phase. With the established trust, this decision-making process went really smoothly. Another component of a successful start is having someone who holds everyone accountable and guides the partners in the right direction. ‘In that sense,’ Clélia adds, ‘a project coordinator is like the glue that brings it all together’.
“One of the biggest challenges of an international project are cultural differences”, explains Clélia. The key solution is transparent communication. Preparing to handle these differences is difficult, but you have to pay close attention to this matter. If you overlook them, partners can get frustrated and the project will suffer because of it. It is all about finding the right balance between the different work ethics and finding a flow that works for everyone. It is also valuable to have one close contact person per partner, and work with a core team.
Knowing more than your partners is the way to earn your position as a project coordinator. Therefore, it is important to read the grant agreement in detail. Although it (probably) is a long document, you have to take the time to read it carefully, because it is crucial to the success of a project. You have to know what you agreed on to answer the abundance of questions from your partners (which they will definitely have). “Know the project by heart or at least almost”, highlights Clélia.
What’s Next?
Besides the tailored mentoring programme, MME aims to make a difference in the community by hosting a variety of networking events and workshops. This is how they create a strong ecosystem of notable players in the media and other creative industries.
On the 10th of February 2022 the final Mediatech on stage will take place. This is where the promising deeptech start-ups- the MediaMotorEurope programme “graduates'' - will pitch their projects. It will be a 2 hour event where tech solutions for today’s most prominent media challenges such as misinformation and fake news, accessibility and inclusion, human-machine interaction, protection of personal data and transition towards a data-driven media 4.0 market, will be discussed. Don’t miss the chance to join it!
Register now: https://mediamotoreurope.eu/mediatech-on-stage-3/
Do you want to learn more about MediaMotorEurope? You can follow their journey at https://mediamotoreurope.eu/
Article written by Anne Vanoppen
