Trust, Tools, and Strategy: What it takes to make the most in R&I
European universities are finding new ways to work together and stay innovative. aUPaEU, through the activities led by the Grenoble INP-UGA research team, is helping understand how to create the right conditions for that collaboration to grow.
Through interviews and focus groups with academic leaders, administrators, and alliance coordinators, we have started to investigate the enablers and obstacles to collaboration, aiming to advice shared strategies for research and innovation (R&I).
The insights are clear: collaboration doesn’t just happen. It needs the right relationships, sustainable infrastructure and tools, and direction to grow and last.
The analysis explored three main areas critical to successful inter-institutional collaboration:
- People & Trust: Real partnerships are built on trust and mutual respect. Personal connections and face-to-face contact still matter a lot, even in a digital world.
- Tools & Technology: Digital platforms are important, but they must be easy to use, user-friendly, interoperable, to support real collaboration.
- Strategy & Structure: Without clear goals, leadership, and sustainable funding, even the best ideas struggle. Strong strategy, clear vision and simple processes are key.
What We've Learned So Far
Key recurring themes have emerged:
- Trust is the starting point, but collaboration also needs clear guidelines and tools.
- Technology works best when people have the right training, support, and encouragement to use it effectively.
- Aligning university and alliance goals helps move things forward more smoothly.
- Clear and open communication brings more people into the conversation and boosts engagement.
- Long-term support, including sustainable funding and dedicated staff, makes a big difference.
A Practical Toolkit: The Acceleration Services Portfolio
At the heart of the aUPaEU Agora platform is the Acceleration Services Portfolio , a toolkit of services and resources designed to make collaboration easier for universities and alliances. These services aren’t abstract ideas; they are practical, user-driven features co-created with Research & Innovation experts to improve and simplify their daily experience.
Whether it's easier access to funding opportunities, better visibility of research infrastructures, or stronger support for events and innovation opportunities, the portfolio offers concrete solutions that can be tailored to each institution or alliance's specific needs. In fact, what makes this portfolio stand out is its flexibility. Each alliance can pick and choose the services that best fit their goals, knowing that the catalogue keeps evolving with users’ feedback and requests.
Looking Ahead: Supporting Open Science Practices and Researchers’ Careers
As the project moves forward, our team continues to use a design-thinking approach, placing the voices of universities and users at the heart of our work. Armed with the right tools, leadership, and shared commitment proposes Agora as THE collaborative platform to support real needs and overcome challenges. With this in mind, we are committed to investigate two other key areas, open science practices and researchers’ careers, to effectively address the evolving needs of users.