Horizon Europe UK National Contact Point (EIT)

National Contact Points (NCPs) work to increase and promote successful UK engagement and participation in Horizon Europe programme, including answering queries, supporting partner and funding identification, and support throughout the application and assessment process. There are 20 NCPs in the UK, who sit across UKRI, the Research Councils, and Innovate UK. 14 of the 20 UK NCPs sit within Innovate UK, positioned throughout the relevant domain or global teams.
The network of NCPs is the main structure through which Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme influence priorities and provide essential guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe. The objective being to increase UK engagement and success in the programme.
This role sits within the Europe team in Global team at Innovate UK, reporting to the Head of Europe & European Programmes, seeking to influence and support UK businesses and others in securing partnerships and funding through European programmes, Horizon Europe in particular.. Innovate UK’s Global team supports innovative organisations across the UK to achieve faster R&D-driven
growth and scale by enabling their international engagement. We help break down the barriers hindering businesses' ability to internationalise and we put them at the forefront of international innovation opportunities. We help businesses through our toolkit of products and services. These include for example, support to businesses to: identify relevant international opportunities; get ready for global growth by building awareness, capability and capacity; work with businesses from other countries on R&D and innovation; and access support from the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. There will be strong links to other teams within InnovateUK/UKRI through this broad role. As well as supporting the wider objectives of the Global Team, NCPs will also support the UK R&I sector, including universities and RTOs, to engage in Horizon Europe programmes, answering queries and promoting and supporting successful engagement across the UK R&D ecosystem., + Help UK entities understand and navigate the matrix of opportunities across the domestic and international landscape
+ Influence and shape future priorities for the 10 global challenges under the EIT aspects of Horizon Europe, as the nominated UK representative attending meetings online, in Brussels and elsewhere as necessary
+ Influence the development of future Work Programmes through engaging with relevant European Commission officials, partners in UK Government and other delegates to the Programme Committee
+ Develop a strong understanding of UK capabilities and their requirements of international partners with a view to identifying the most relevant partners
+ Continue to support UK participation in European programmes, within the spirit of Commission guidance on NCPs, being the subject matter expert for the UK on European programmes in the climate area.
+ Work within UKRI including Innovate UK to develop a strategy for the area, and focus their efforts on the highest potential opportunities that delivers optimum results for the UK R&I community through proactive outreach to stakeholders looking to benefit from the opportunity of European programmes
+ Build strong relationships with relevant bodies and networks such as businesses, research organisations, trade associations, government departments and agencies/local authorities, private investors, and regulatory bodies.
+ Support relevant programmes beyond those run by the EU, drawing on corporate resources such as Customer Support Services (CSS), Innovate UK Business Growth, Catapults and Innovate UK Business Connect.
+ Support impact analysis of UK participation and outputs of engagement with climate focused programmes
This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

This position requires a person with commercial awareness who can manage competing priorities and a complex domestic and international stakeholder environment. The role holder will need to make sense of multiple data sources, to establish underlying patterns and articulate a clear and compelling vision and strategy of what needs to be done, as well as being able to engage an external audience on regular occasions through being an accomplished communicator. A good team player, willing to share knowledge and ideas with others and to learn from them. Able to self-start when needed., + Degree or post-graduate qualification or equivalent experience, + Knowledge of European Framework programmes e.g. as participant, adviser, or National Contact Point, previous experience in dealing with Pillar 3 activities focussing on European Innovation Ecosystems would be desirable (S & I)
+ Appreciation of the wider industrial landscape in the UK, including the key businesses and initiatives relevant to climate outcomes (I)
+ Familiarity with the wider research environment, both in the UK and globally (I)
+ Stakeholder management experience, including working with large groups of stakeholders and with senior level individuals, managing conflicting demands and priorities (S & I)
+ Knowledge and experience of innovation in a commercial environment and a good broad understanding of the support companies need to develop and deploy new technology (S & I)
+ Communication and presenting experience, including online (S & I)
+ Working within a cross-functional team requiring time and resource, and programme management (S & I)
+ Previous experience in dealing with Pillar 3 activities within Horizon Europe focusing on European Innovation Ecosystems would be desirable (S &I)
Skills:
+ The ability to respond calmly under pressure and to make impartial and well-considered judgments in complex situations, when required (I)
+ The capability and gravitas to engage effectively with senior representatives from business, UK and other Governments, and the EU (S & I)
+ Excellent presentation skills with the ability to hold an audience large or small in your specialist role (I)
+ Strong written and oral communication skills in developing papers/reports for Innovate UK and others, including the ability to produce clear, concise and accurate reports (S & I)
+ Highly developed team working skills, able to form effective working relationships both internally and externally (I)
+ Self-starter, able to work unsupervised and on own initiative with the ability to prioritise and multitask (I)
+ Excellent interpersonal skills, including tact, discretion and experience of liaising with senior stakeholders and staff (I)
+ High competency of ICT skills/ IT systems and applications including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access (S & I)
Competencies:
All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:
Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management
Travel Requirements:
Field-based: There will a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel.

Alongside your salary of £56,745, Innovate UK contributes £16,439 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ Learning and development tailored to your role
+ An environment with flexible working options
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
+ A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Selection process details
1st interview incl presentation.
Interviews will either take place remotely via Zoom/Teams or in person face to face.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.