Oscar Smulders

Over the past 2.5 years, I have supported companies, consulting firms and international consortia in securing innovation and European funding through proposal development, project positioning, consortium building and strategic advisory services.

My recent experience includes successfully securing Horizon Europe funding under the HORIZON-CL4-2025-05 call as proposal lead/support consultant. and the preparation of two Horizon Europe collaborative proposals for international consortia.

In parallel, I have completed several interim consulting assignments for industrial organisations and innovation consultancies, supporting funding strategy, grant opportunity assessment, proposal review, project structuring, stakeholder engagement and interactions with funding authorities.

I also served as a Freelance Funding Manager for a fast-growing international scale-up, identifying public funding opportunities, developing funding strategies and supporting applications across regional, national and European programmes.

Throughout these assignments, I have worked across innovation, manufacturing, sustainability and consumer product sectors, helping organisations strengthen project concepts, improve proposal quality and maximise their chances of securing public funding.

My areas of expertise include Horizon Europe, innovation funding strategy, consortium development, proposal management, proposal review (red-team), quality assurance, stakeholder engagement and interim consulting support

As Grants Team Lead, I was responsible for building and developing a growing team of innovation funding consultants, ensuring high-quality service delivery and supporting the professional development of team members.

I advised companies of various sizes on securing public funding for innovation, R&D and investment projects at regional, national and European levels. This included identifying funding opportunities, defining funding strategies, assessing project eligibility and supporting the preparation of high-quality grant applications.

My experience covered a wide range of Belgian funding programmes, including regional innovation schemes, as well as European instruments such as Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund. I worked closely with industrial clients to position complex projects, align them with funding priorities and maximise their chances of success.

In addition to proposal development, I supported clients in building partnerships, structuring collaborative projects, preparing evaluator meetings and managing interactions with funding authorities.

Key areas of expertise included innovation funding strategy, team leadership, grant writing, project evaluation, stakeholder management, consortium development and public funding advisory services.

As a Senior Innovation Funding Consultant, I supported companies, research organisations and international consortia in securing European funding for innovation, sustainability and industrial transformation projects.

My responsibilities included the preparation and management of proposals for major European programmes such as Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, LIFE and the Innovation Fund. I contributed to the development of successful Horizon Europe proposals and supported clients throughout the full funding lifecycle, from opportunity identification and proposal development to grant negotiation and project implementation.

I also managed European collaborative projects, coordinating consortium activities, overseeing contractual obligations and ensuring effective communication with funding authorities and project partners.

In addition, I acted as Exploitation Manager for multiple Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects, supporting partners in developing exploitation strategies, business models, market uptake plans and impact pathways to maximise the value of project results.

Beyond client assignments, I served as an expert for the Horizon Results Booster initiative, providing strategic guidance to several European projects on dissemination, exploitation and business planning. I also performed independent proposal reviews and critical assessments for public funding bodies and innovation agencies.

Key areas of expertise included Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, LIFE, Innovation Fund, grant writing, project management, grant negotiation, exploitation and dissemination strategies, consortium coordination, proposal evaluation and innovation funding strategy.