Strategic Partnerships & Innovation Officer (EU Funding & Research Programmes)
Location: Tirana, Albania (Hybrid) Company: Illyrico Health Data Labs, part of Poseidon CRO group of companies Employment Type: Full-time
About Poseidon CRO
Poseidon CRO is a specialized Contract Research Organization (CRO) delivering Clinical Research, Real-World Evidence (RWE), Health Data Analytics, Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs), Regulatory Affairs and Digital Health solutions across South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
As part of our international growth strategy, we are launching our Strategic Partnerships & Innovation Office to strengthen our participation in European collaborative research and innovation programmes.
We are looking for an ambitious professional with experience in European funding who is passionate about building strategic partnerships, developing successful consortia, and transforming innovative ideas into funded projects. This is a high-impact position with direct visibility to senior leadership and significant influence on the company’s international expansion.
Your Mission
Your mission is to identify, develop and secure European funding opportunities that generate strategic partnerships, international visibility and sustainable revenue for Poseidon CRO.
You will establish long-term collaborations with universities, hospitals, research institutes, SMEs, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and digital health companies, positioning Poseidon as a preferred partner in European research and innovation projects.
What You’ll Do
European Funding & Opportunity Scouting
Monitor funding opportunities under Horizon Europe, EIT Health, Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), Interreg, Digital Europe, Erasmus+, COST Actions and other European programmes.
Evaluate opportunities aligned with Poseidon’s strategic priorities.
Maintain a structured pipeline of funding opportunities.
Prepare internal recommendations and go/no-go analyses.
Strategic Partnerships & Consortium Development
Identify and engage potential partners across Europe.
Build relationships with universities, hospitals, research institutes, innovation clusters, SMEs and industry.
Represent Poseidon at brokerage events, information days, conferences and networking events.
Develop and maintain an international partnership network.
Coordinate consortium formation and partnership agreements.
Proposal Development
Develop project concepts and draft technical sections.
Prepare work packages, milestones and deliverables.
Support budget preparation.
Contribute to impact, dissemination and exploitation plans.
Coordinate internal and external contributors.
Ensure high-quality and timely proposal submissions.
Strategic Business Development
Identify opportunities where Poseidon can contribute expertise in Clinical Research, Real-World Evidence (RWE), Health Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs), Digital Health, Medical Devices, Regulatory Science, Observational Research and Patient Engagement.
Develop relationships that lead not only to funded projects but also to long-term commercial collaborations.
Internal Innovation Support
Maintain and continuously improve the funding opportunity database, partner database, proposal templates, corporate capability documents, work package library, CV repository, and lessons learned and best practices.
What We’re Looking For
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Medicine, Biotechnology, Public Health, Biomedical Sciences, Health Economics, European Studies or a related field.
Minimum 4 years of professional experience working with European research and innovation programmes.
Proven experience contributing to Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, EIT Health, IHI, Interreg or similar collaborative proposals.
Experience in consortium building and stakeholder engagement.
Strong understanding of European funding mechanisms.
Excellent written and spoken English (C1 level or above).
Strong organizational, communication and project coordination skills.
Preferred Background
Experience in Contract Research Organizations (CROs), pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, medical devices, digital health, universities, research institutes, innovation centres or healthcare consultancy.
Experience in clinical research, digital health or Real-World Evidence projects is considered a strong advantage.
Who You Are
A strategic thinker with a proactive mindset.
Passionate about healthcare innovation and European collaboration.
Comfortable building relationships with senior stakeholders across academia, healthcare and industry.
Commercially minded with excellent networking skills.
Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities simultaneously.
Curious, analytical and solution-oriented.
Able to work independently while collaborating effectively within multidisciplinary international teams.
Success in This Role
Your performance will be measured by:
Strategic partnerships established.
Consortium invitations secured.
European funding opportunities identified.
Competitive proposals submitted.
Funded projects awarded.
Revenue generated through European programmes.
Growth of Poseidon’s European partner network.
Development of long-term collaborations with key stakeholders.
