Rita has 22 years of experience working as a Funding Advisor & Research Manager and has supported more than 850 applications and has secured more than €51M. Her expertise spans multiple European funding schemes, with particular depth Horizon Europe (namely in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, including Doctoral Networks applications), Digital Europe, LIFE and CBE-JU. She has worked with public and private research organizations such as Universities, Research Centres, Non-Profit Associations, Start-ups and SMEs both at national and international levels. She helped set up two Research Support Departments and was a Project Leader (as Principal Investigator). Rita is frequently invited to work as an External Evaluator for international/European funding agencies, giving her valuable insight into what evaluators seek in successful proposals. She was a member of the Board of EARMA – European AssociaAon for Research Managers and Administrators - in 2021/2022 and is currently leading the Founding Commitee of the Portuguese Association for Research Management. With a high level of experience in both applying for and managing research-funded projects, Rita has been investing all her experience in Capacity Building sessions, empowering researchers in acquiring project management/proposal writing/specific grants preparation skills and currently having more than 450 hours of training given in these areas. She is a certified and experienced trainer in topics such as Funding Strategy, Research Management, Proposal Writing, Open Science, Responsible Research and Innovation, Research Ethics and Integrity.