Learning to succeed in European joint projects: The role of the modern project manager – the flow-keeper

The constellation of an EU-funded project-consortium is often of very disparate culture, languages, level of knowledge and technology, social competences, experiences, ideals and ambitions that may clash with one another. Hence, coordinating and managing successful European joint projects is not an easy task. This paper addresses the learning experience of managing international research projects and, through the author's own experience and literature review, attempts to exemplify the role of the flow-keeper--a modern project manager whose particular skills are to ensure the success of EU joint projects of considerable complexity. Propositions for developing the management of international joint projects are also provided.