Webinar – My audit experience: best practice for financial management and reporting

Audits are an inevitable part at externally funded projects. They can happen at any time, planned or not, so being prepared is essential. What do you as a research project manager need to know about this process and what is your role in it? 

This session offers practical insights drawn from real-life experiences of Project Managers and auditors. Participants can listen to stories, discover common pitfalls, and gain actionable advice on how to manage audits with confidence. During the session two experienced grant auditors will share lessons learned from issuing Certificates on Financial Statements (CFS) and answer questions that Project Managers often have doubts about.

We will talk about

• The aims of CFS and how best to organize them in your institution
• Key qualities to look for in a good CFS auditor
• How to build a strong narrative around cost eligibility
• The specific case of a MSCA COFUND audit
• Typical challenges and findings during CFS and how to address them
• Differences between CFS and EC random audits—and how to adapt your approach
• Practical tips on working with auditors, required documentation, and lessons learned from real cases

During this unique opportunity, participants can learn directly from auditors and experienced Project Managers, and can be better equipped to prepare, respond, and collaborate effectively in any audit situation.

Recording:

Speakers:

Janna Slabbekoorn

Janna Slabbekoorn, holding a Bachelor of Nursing Sciences and a wealth of experience in European (public) health systems, has consistently demonstrated her expertise in managing large-scale, multifaceted projects within the healthcare sector. Since 2010, she has developed her professional career in International Project Management, participating in significant EU-funded projects (FP7, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, IMI/ IHI-JU) for different organizations, demonstrating her capability in navigating large and complex multi-stakeholder partnerships. Her focus is especially in the post-award implementation of projects, with which she supports several SME across Europe, but as well with actual coordination of large consortiums.

Kinga Konya

Kinga Konya is a Project Manager with over 10 years of experience in managing EU-funded international cooperation projects (FP7, Horizon 2020, Erasmus+, Interreg MED and EuropeAid programmes) working in the higher education sector. She has a Bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish languages and a master’s degree in International Relations. Currently, she is managing the RMIT European Doctoral Innovators (REDI) Program implemented by RMIT University (Australia) and different European partner universities under the MSCA COFUND actions of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 framework programme. Most recently she has been involved in a voluntary audit for the COFUND project.

Lorena Cebolla Sanahuja

Lorena Cebolla Sanahuja is a Senior Research Project Manager at the University of Trento, Italy. She holds a PhD in Political Philosophy from the University of Valencia and has more than 7 years of experience in research project management and administration. At UNITN, Lorena works at the Research Management Division and acts both as RPM and RMA. As a Research Project Manager, she coordinates complex, international innovation projects, primarily in the field of biotechnologies.

Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray,  FCCA is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and experienced grant auditor. He has over 15 years’ experience with the financial administration and auditing of university grants, specialising in EU, UK and US Federal assurance and a co-champion of the ARMA UK Audit & Compliance Special Interest Group.

Jonathan holds an undergraduate degree from Lancaster University. He is Senior Grant Audit Manager at LEES Accountants.

Jamal Bounour

Jamal Bounour, RA MSc is a certified public auditor (CPA) and member of The Royal Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants.  He has more than 20 years of experience as an auditor, including approximately 13 years at one of the largest audit firms, and started his own firm in March 2019. 

He’s a specialist in subsidy audits and has gained extensive experience and knowledge in this field through (large-scale) audits of subsidy (projects) at many organizations, from startups to universities and prominent multinationals. This concerns European, Dutch, and (inter)regional subsidies.