University of Gdańsk’s MML Workshop and Twinning Exchange

The University of Gdańsk recently hosted two significant events as part of the CATALISI project: a Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) workshop and a Twinning Exchange. Both initiatives focused on strengthening the societal engagement and “third mission” of higher education institutions, fostering collaboration, and sharing best practices in knowledge transfer and stakeholder involvement. 

MML Workshop: Social Engagement in Higher Education
The MML Workshop, titled “Social engagement in Higher Education: Building stakeholders cooperations and reaching out to external partners,” with the representatives from academia (including a Vice-Dean, administrative staff, and researchers), a policy body/governmental institution, civil society organisation , and 3 managers from industry.  The workshop aimed to enhance societal engagement in higher education by fostering strong cooperation between universities and external partners such as businesses, schools, NGOs, and public institutions. A central theme was exploring the university’s “third mission”—its role in contributing to society beyond traditional teaching and research. Key topics included: 
  • Best Practices: The event showcased the university’s successful educational outreach initiatives, particularly the Logistics and Forwarding Olympiad, a national competition involving over a hundred external stakeholders.  
  • Co-creation Workshops: Participants identified key barriers to stakeholder engagement, such as administrative constraints, differing expectations, and lack of incentives. They co-developed solutions and tools to overcome these obstacles, including improved partnership models and targeted communication strategies.
  • Business Engagement: The session explored how universities can build and sustain partnerships with the private sector. This highlighted the importance of mutual understanding and shared value creation, with discussions on how businesses can support academic activities, foster innovation, and contribute to regional development. 
Twinning Exchange: Public Engagement and Open Science

The exchange primarily focused on public engagement with and outreach to society to solve social challenges, with a specific emphasis on Open Science practices. Highlights included: 

  • Faculty of Economics Tour: The event began with a session at the Faculty of Economics, showcasing the university’s actions for society, including tours of labs, student areas, and discussions on the Experts Council and other initiatives. 
  • Open Science at the University Library: Participants visited the University Library to learn about Open Science initiatives and society-oriented projects. Participants shared different perspectives and good practices for disseminating research findings openly to the general public. 
  • Dissemination: Visits to the Mini-Museum of Amber and the University Radio Mors studio demonstrated innovative ways to leverage academic spaces and media platforms for broader public engagement, promoting the concept of a “university for society.” 

Both the MML workshop and the Twinning Exchange at the University of Gdańsk demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing the societal engagement and “third mission” of higher education institutions. The events improve knowledge transfer and enhance institutional transformation. The University of Gdańsk plans to integrate these insights into its institutional strategy, and aims to replicate the successful MML workshop format for other strategic initiatives in the future. 

CATALISI success story | UJI is Transforming Research Ethos: Open Science and the Reform of Ethical Governance

Castelló de la Plana, Spain – Universitat Jaume I (UJI) is transforming research practices, fostering a culture of research integrity, ethics, and open science. 

This commitment was highlighted in a recent webinar featuring Ramón A. Feenstra and Laura Bernal Sánchez from UJI, who shared their university’s success story under the framework of the CATALISI project.

UJI’s initiatives are designed to strengthen research ethics and open science, aligning with the National Open Science Strategy (ENCA) and aiming to boost transparency, quality, and reproducibility in research. The webinar provided a look into the challenges faced and the solutions implemented by the university.

Laura Bernal Sanchez explains UJI´s problems, needs and inspiration
  • Improvements in ethical reviews

Laura Bernal Sánchez, secretary for various research ethics committees at UJI, detailed the increase in applications for ethical review. From 81 human research applications and 7 animal experimentation applications in 2020, the numbers soared to a combined total of 1038 applications in 2024. While acknowledging this surge as a positive indicator of researchers’ growing awareness of ethics and integrity, Bernal Sánchez highlighted the strain it placed on existing resources.

To address the overwhelming workload and maintain efficiency, UJI has implemented significant changes to its ethics review process. Inspired by practices observed at the University of Amsterdam, UJI transitioned to a peer-review model for project assessment, preceded by technical evaluations in ethical and data protection aspects. This shift has dramatically reduced review times for both the committee and researchers, a crucial improvement given the increasing complexity of research projects.

  • Development of a chatbot

Another innovative solution is development of a chatbot. This tool aims to provide immediate answers to frequently asked questions, freeing up valuable committee time. Bernal Sánchez emphasised that while not AI-driven to avoid potential misinformation, the chatbot’s design allows for the identification of new or recurring questions, informing future updates and guidance.

  • Code of Good Research

Addressing the growing complexity of research, particularly in areas like Artificial Intelligence, UJI is proactively integrating these new topics into its Code of Good Research Practices and doctoral programmes. This ongoing process, informed by national and European regulations (such as the EU’s AI Act and animal welfare guidelines) and collaborations with other institutions, ensures that the university’s ethical framework remains current and relevant.
Ramón A. Feenstra discuss UJI´s efforts in Open Science and the reform of the evaluation system

Ramón A. Feenstra underscored the critical importance of institutional involvement, stressing that successful change requires the full commitment of university leadership.

UJI has developed and approved comprehensive action plans for both Open Science and research assessment, extending beyond the CATALISI project’s duration until 2027. These plans, available in Valencian, Spanish, and English, demonstrate UJI’s long-term dedication to these transformative pathways.

  • Survey on Open Science knowledge

A key initiative under these plans was a comprehensive survey conducted in late 2024. With 330 responses, the survey provided valuable data on researchers’ knowledge, interests, and concerns regarding Open Science and research assessment. Feenstra highlighted the importance of understanding academics’ perspectives, especially given Spain’s historically metrics-driven evaluation system. 

Despite critical views of quantity-focused evaluation systems, researchers continue to rely heavily on traditional metrics. Highly Valued Indicators: 

– Impact Factor | Avg. score: 3.96 

– Number of Citations | Avg. score: 3.87 

-Number of Articles in English | Avg. score: 3.74

The researcher´s awareness of DORA and CoARA is still limited. Despite openness to reforming research assessment and Open Access, their knowledge of key international initiatives is low among UJI researchers. 

-Average Knowledge Scores: DORA (San Francisco Declaration): 2.08 

– CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment): 1.96

The survey’s findings offer crucial guidance for tailoring future initiatives to better support researchers.

Both speakers emphasised that UJI’s journey is a “work in progress.” Future efforts will focus on increasing resources, establishing a new biosafety committee, further strengthening integrity structures, and enhancing local and national ethics networks. Continuous improvement in research integrity awareness through training courses and webinars remains a top priority.

UJI’s experience under the CATALISI project serves as a compelling model for other institutions grappling with similar challenges. By proactively addressing the complexities of modern research and fostering a culture of openness and integrity, UJI is setting a commendable standard and contributing significantly to the broader objectives of the European Commission and the European Research Area (ERA) policy.

MML Workshop and Twinning Exchange at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

On 22nd and 23rd January 2025, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) hosted a two day Twinning & Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) Exchange as part of the CATALISI project. This gathering brought together partner institutions including University College Cork (UCC), University of Gdansk (UG), Kaunas University of Technology, Universitat Jaume I | Luiss Guido Carli University, and Amsterdam UMC alongside internal and external stakeholders who have been actively engaging with AUTH’s CATALISI journey. 

MML Workshop: Integrating Open Citizen Science in Universities

The first day focused on an interactive  MML workshops aim to foster knowledge sharing among representatives from different universities. The AUTH team hosted a workshop with the title: Integrating Open Citizen Science in Universities: Building Stakeholder Engagement and Living Lab Ecosystems. They see Open Science and Citizen Science as crucial principles for driving institutional transformation, emphasising stakeholder engagement, transparency, and societal impact through Living Labs and citizen-driven initiatives. 

Main Takeaways: 

  • Explored the effective integration of Open Science and Citizen Science principles into higher education institutions. 
  • Discussed current challenges and future opportunities for incorporating Open and Citizen Science within university systems. 
  • Highlighted the importance of institutional structures that enable openness, collaboration, and broader engagement with society. 
  • Engaged participants in co-creation activities to develop actionable strategies for integrating Open and Citizen Science into AUTH’s ecosystem. 

The final session featured a showcase by Thess-AHALL, the university’s Living Lab, showcasing how researchers and community members can collaborate on real-world settings to address health challenges through co-creation processes. 

Following the hands-on MML workshop, the Twinning session continued the momentum by diving into comparative learning and peer exchange. 

"Twinning Session: Sharing Best Practices for Research Sustainability"

The second day shifted focus toward peer exchange and strategic dialogue between CATALISI partners through the Twinning framework. This format allowed universities to share national experiences and jointly explore pathways to institutional transformation. 

Highlights from the Twinning Event: 

  • Dialogue sessions addressed sustainable research funding and alternative financing models, placing special emphasis on how Open Science practices can be supported long-term. 
  • AUTH provided an overview of the Greek research funding landscape, while UCC and UG shared insights into their national research funding policies. 
  • Case studies highlighted AUTH’s successful project implementations, particularly concerning Living Lab experiences in the medical field. 
  • Interactive sessions fostered a collaborative atmosphere where participants shared challenges in securing and managing funding and proposed practical solutions. 
  • Potential collaborations emerged, including exploring further contact between UCC and UG to pursue avenues discussed during the exchange. 

 
Transforming Higher Education Institutions with CATALISI

These events are organised in the context of the CATALISI Capacity Building and Outreach Acceleration service and are designed to support HEIs with the skills and strategies needed to develop transformative approaches aligned with Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) principles. 

Both the MML Workshop and the Twinning Exchange were successful events. They will contribute positively to AUTH’s journey.  

Kaunas University of Technology Hosts CATALISI Twinning and MML Events

On December 9th and 10th, 2024, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) in Lithuania hosted to a dual event under the CATALISI framework: a Twinning Exchange and a Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) Workshop. This gathering brought together representatives from various CATALISI Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including UJI, AUTH, UCC, UG, and LUISS, alongside internal and external stakeholders. 

MML Workshop: Focusing on Participatory Research Practices

The CATALISI MML workshops are designed to foster knowledge sharing among university representatives. KTU’s MML event, titled “Participatory Research Practices at KTU: Infrastructure and Strategic Guidelines,” aimed to discuss the infrastructure, strategic guidance, and real-world applications of citizen science projects across diverse fields. The event saw participation from academics in various roles, from university and faculty-level managers to administrative staff and researchers. 

Main Takeaways: 

  • Introducing Citizen Science Guidelines at KTU: A key focus was the presentation of KTU’s official guidelines for implementing citizen science projects, establishing standards for quality, ethics, and collaboration. 
  • Activities of the Citizen Science Hub: The workshop introduced the hub’s role at KTU as a central coordinator for citizen science projects, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. 
  • Practices from Social Citizen Science Projects: Experiences from specific social citizen science projects such as TIME4CS, YouCount, and LibOCS were shared as case studies. 
  • Citizen Science in Architecture and Other Disciplines: Discussions extended to the application of citizen science in architecture and other fields, highlighting innovative approaches to public engagement in data gathering and co-creation. 

The primary challenge addressed during the MML event was “How to enhance public engagement and inclusion of stakeholders to solve societal challenges?” KTU’s long-term vision is to be a university that drives social change and collaborates with society, with a goal of increasing awareness among academic and research staff regarding the benefits of public engagement in research. A short-term goal is to establish a citizen science hub. The workshop’s success was evident in the positive feedback received, indicating its potential to foster future collaboration and drive collective growth. 
Exploring Twinning: Open Science, Engagement, and Ethics at KTU

The Twinning event facilitates the exchange of experiences, best practices, and innovative ideas among CATALISI universities across several key areas: 

  • To present experience in assuring sustainability in research 
  • To present open educational resources and open data (e-library, data center etc.) 
  • To organise the discussion on research ethics practice at KTU 
  • To present to the infrastructure for open science applications. 

The Twinning visit to KTU specifically aimed to share the university’s experience and present its main streams in open science, public engagement in science, and sustainability in research. 

Highlights from the Twinning Event: 

  • Sustainability in Research: Presentations by KTU’s Director of Department of Research Affairs and Head of Research and Innovation Projects Centre introduced research funding schemes and long-term approaches to maintaining research initiatives. 
  • Open Science and Open Data: Discussions at the Centre for Data Analysis and Archiving (DAtA) highlighted the importance of open science for researchers, with a specific focus on the LiDA data archive for social sciences and KTU’s practices for acknowledging data depositing in researcher career assessment. 
  • Open Science and Research Ethics: A meeting with the KTU Research Ethics Committee allowed for discussions on open science practices in Lithuania and at KTU, alongside sharing best practices from ECIU partners. 

Participants from visiting institutions highly valued the opportunity for in-depth discussions and the sharing of experiences. The visit to the DAtA Centre and the sessions on Open Science and Research Ethics were particularly impactful, offering insights into KTU’s innovative structures and programmes.  
Transforming Higher Education Institutions with CATALISI

These events are organised within the context of the CATALISI Capacity building and outreach Acceleration service. They are specifically designed to equip HEIs with the necessary skills and strategies to develop transformative approaches aligned with Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) principles. 

Both the Twinning Exchange and the MML Workshop at KTU were successful in fostering knowledge exchange, facilitating collaboration, and encouraging joint problem-solving. These initiatives are crucial for advancing the change journeys of the participating universities and contribute significantly to the overall mission of CATALISI in 2025 and beyond. 

CATALISI webinar: Public engagement and outreach

This session highlighted the challenges and best practices in fostering public engagement and effective stakeholder collaboration, particularly through the lens of ‘Living Labs’ methodologies.

 

Ciara O’Halloran | University College Cork: Engaging for Societal Impact

Ciara O’Halloran, a Programme Officer from University College Cork (UCC), shared insights from UCC’s work with the “UNIC: European University Alliance”, and its “Centre for City Futures.” This centre focuses on participation, engagement, and collaboration to address societal challenges and find impactful solutions through engaged research and learning.

  • The Quintuple Helix Model: Moving beyond the traditional triple (academia, government, industry) and quadruple (including public/civil society) helix, UCC embraces a quintuple helix, recognising the environment as a key actor in societal and ecological transitions.
  • Shifting from Dissemination to Co-production: Kira emphasised the importance of moving from simply disseminating information to genuinely co-producing solutions with all actors, fostering mutual value and shared decision-making.
  • The Power of Futures Thinking: UCC utilises “futures thinking” methods, inviting participants to imagine preferred futures (e.g., headlines for their city in 2050). This empowering approach, rooted in the idea that the future isn’t predetermined, encourages collaborative action towards desirable outcomes.
  • Practical Engagement – The Cork City Council Example: UCC partnered with Cork City Council on their Local Economic Community Plan (LACP). They developed a toolkit to build more dialogue and co-creation into the consultation process and ran dedicated co-creation sessions, which have been recognised as best practice nationally.
  • Overcoming Engagement Challenges: The most time-consuming yet crucial part of engagement is the initial “stakeholder mapping”. This requires significant time, leveraging existing networks (like those of the city council), and meeting people where they are, addressing barriers such as childcare or accessibility. It’s vital that engagement is relevant to participants, showing them a clear stake in the process.

Enoll’s Approach to Stakeholder Engagement

Miriam Chakron from Enoll (European Network of Living Labs) outlined their systematic approach to stakeholder engagement, crucial for co-creation and fostering innovation. She highlighted the importance of a flexible approach to engagement and a continuous learning process.

Key steps in Enoll’s methodology include:

  • Identifying and Engaging Stakeholders: This involves creating a comprehensive list of all affected stakeholders, documenting their influence and interest, and digging deeper into their motivations and needs.
  • Defining Goals and Responsibilities: Clearly outlining what you want to achieve together and who is responsible for engagement.
  • Tailored Communication: Understanding motivations and adapting communication strategies to avoid jargon and make information accessible to diverse groups.
  • Building Trust: Addressing potential obstacles such as stakeholder fatigue, ensuring transparency, and demonstrating how input will influence future decisions.
  • Co-creating Solutions: Based on identified needs, actively involving stakeholders in developing solutions, often through workshops and local activities.
  • Continuous Monitoring and Feedback: Regularly checking in with stakeholders and providing updates on progress to maintain engagement and ensure their contributions are valued.

The discussions highlighted that institutional transformation is a long-term process and that overcoming challenges requires learning, adaptability, and a shift in mentality within HEIs. The “small acts” of engagement, when multiplied, can lead to significant transformative change within communities and institutions.

Webinar: CoARA: a unique opportunity for a better [Open] research assessment

A recent webinar, organized within the context of the CATALISI project, focused on actionable strategies for the transformational pathway of higher education institutions, specifically addressing open science practices and the reform of research assessment. 

Laura Mentini from APRE introduced the CATALISI project, highlighting its goal of assisting universities in their institutional transformation within research and innovation governance. The project operates through four facilitators providing acceleration services and seven higher education institutions implementing and testing these changes. Key transformation topics include research careers and talent support (addressing lifelong learning, gender equality, and research assessment), research modus operandi (mainstreaming open science and public engagement), and financial sustainability. The webinar falls under one of the seven acceleration services: reinforcing human capital, capacity building, and outreach.

Dr. Elena Giglia, Head of the Open Science Unit at the University of Turin, presented on the crucial initiative of reforming research assessment in alignment with open science principles. She began by highlighting the problematic aspects of the current evaluation system, dominated by journal impact factors and the commercial exploitation of open access through high article processing charges (APCs). A short video illustrated the absurdity of the high costs associated with publishing open access in prestigious journals, questioning the true openness and accessibility of such a system.

Dr. Elena Giglia introduced COARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment), an initiative launched in 2022 with over 700 signatories, including major research funders, universities, and other organizations. COARA’s main commitment is to move away from the inappropriate use of journal impact factors and rankings in research assessment. The presentation emphasized that the current research assessment criteria often lead to negative consequences, including a hyper-focus on publications in high-impact factor journals, potentially at the expense of research quality, integrity, and trust. 

Key principles and commitments of COARA include:

  • Recognizing the diversity of research activities and outputs: Moving beyond solely evaluating publications to include software, code, datasets, methodologies, and other research contributions.
  • Valuing quality over quantity: Emphasizing the rigor, reproducibility, and impact of research, not just the number of publications.
  • Promoting open science practices: Recognizing and rewarding researchers for engaging in open access, open data, open peer review, and other open science activities.
  • Fostering collaboration and engagement: Valuing teamwork, interdisciplinary research, and engagement with society.
  • Ensuring transparency and fairness: Promoting transparent assessment criteria and processes, and addressing potential biases.

Dr. Giglia showcased examples of how different countries and institutions are already implementing changes in research assessment, such as the Netherlands banning the impact factor and Horizon Europe discouraging its mention in project proposals. She stressed that COARA is not just another declaration but an agreement with concrete commitments and a timeline for action plans.

You can watch the full video and have access to the materials in the Learning Hub

Mobilization and Mutual Learning at Luiss: Exploring the Third Mission in the Framework of Open Science

Reframing the Role of Universities Through Participation and Openness

According to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, “collaboration, participation, and inclusion” are part of the foundational principles of Open Science, the open approach to conducting, disseminating, and evaluating scientific research. A University that makes Open Research one of its core values must, in fact, experiment with participatory practices within its institutional processes. The Mobilization and Mutual Learning (MML) Event, organized in synergy with APRE and hosted by Luiss on October 17, 2024, witnessed this openness to experimentation and innovation of processes. With the idea of collaboration, members of the academic community, facilitators, and external stakeholders gathered with a common goal: raising awareness about the Third Mission and investigating related activities by exchanging of knowledge, skills, and best practices.

CATALISI operates, with the support of process facilitators, within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the goal of their institutional transformation: specifically, the acceleration to be pursued over these three years in the fields of Research and Innovation will span multiple universities, strengthening collaboration and alliance between EU institutions. Aware of the importance of this synergistic journey, Luiss, as a partner of CATALISI, has chosen three thematic areas to focus on: supporting talent mobility, promoting Open Science and the digitalization of research, public impact, and attention to social challenges. Within the third thematic focus, Luiss dedicated the MML Event in October to the Third Mission—with a particular emphasis on research valorization and societal engagement—and chose to concentrate on identifying shared criteria to measure the effectiveness and impact of Third Mission activities in a European academic context.

Highlights of the Luiss MML Event

The event’s structure was designed to serve both as a moment of institutional reflection and international exchange. Its twofold objective was, on the one hand, to open a space for dialogue with European peers academies in order to position Luiss as a proactive agent of change; on the other hand, to strengthen internal coordination and mutual understanding among departments. The focus remained firmly on activities at the intersection of research and public engagement.

After an initial plenary session and institutional greetings, participants engaged in a series of collaborative workshops. The first was the “Alphabet Icebreaker,” in which three groups were tasked with associating a term linked to the Third Mission to each letter of the alphabet—creating, in effect, a shared lexicon to guide the day’s discussions. This activity set the tone for deeper engagement, establishing a common language around complex concept.

Next, an “Incremental Knowledge” session invited participants to analyze three central domains—Communication of Research, Commissioned Engaged Research, and Public Engagement Projects and Events—by reflecting on the impact they generate, how that impact can be measured, and the challenges inherent in doing so. Each group built upon the insights of the previous one in a cumulative process, creating a dynamic and coherent knowledge base. These participatory dynamics culminated in a final plenary feedback moment, where key findings were shared and contextualized.

Throughout the day, the active involvement of Luiss structures—such as the Research & Third Mission Office, the Library, the ESG Office, and the Lectures & Seminars Office—helped show how deeply the Third Mission is embedded in the university’s identity. This institutional commitment is not only strategic but also operational: from supporting Open Science to incentivizing outreach, and from coordinating research dissemination via social media to curating the Research & Third Mission Newsbook, Luiss has consolidated an integrated and outward-looking approach to research impact.

From Workshop to Strategic Action

Beyond knowledge sharing, the MML event also served as a springboard for institutional development. Insights gathered during the day will inform the creation of a new impact assessment framework at Luiss, incorporating key performance indicators to better track and evaluate Third Mission outcomes. Moreover, the event’s success has sparked interest in replicating the MML methodology in future contexts, extending its use beyond the CATALISI project to address other strategic priorities within the university.

Ultimately, the Luiss MML Event demonstrated how open, collaborative formats can play a critical role in rethinking the role of universities in society. By fostering shared language, shared challenges, and shared solutions, Luiss reinforced its vision of a university that listens, learns, and leads in shaping the future of responsible research and innovation.

“This event was a meaningful opportunity to showcase how deeply the Third Mission is embedded in the identity of Luiss; today, the social impact of research stands as a testament to the strength and maturity of this institutional sensitivity.”

2nd CATALISI CoP MML Workshop: Preparing for the Future: Key Skills for Research Careers – Outcomes and Results

On March 5th 2025, the CATALISI project successfully hosted the 2nd Community of Practice Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) workshop, titled “Preparing for the Future: Key Skills for Research Careers”. Organized and facilitated by APRE with the support of EY, the workshop achieved significant results in terms of engagement and knowledge-sharing. In fact, the online event brought together members of the CATALISI Community of Practice together with more than 80 participants from over 50 organizations around Europe, representing mainly academia but also the whole quadruple helix (industry, public sector, civil society).  

Starting from the assumption that the labour market landscape is continuing to evolve and that researchers need to enhance their transversal skillset to meet the labour market needs and to improve their competitiveness, the event has been the occasion to share knowledge on the transversal skills most critical and most required by the employers and to reflect on potential actions to help Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in rethinking their investments in education and training to better prepare researchers for future challenges and opportunities. 

Insights from the Predictive Study on Transversal Skills

Following an introduction to the CATALISI project made by the coordinator APRE (Laura Mentini & Stefania Laneve), the workshop featured a presentation by Suhida Dermani, Senior Consultant at EY. Key findings were shared from the recent Predictive Study on Transversal Skills Development, conducted within the CATALISI project. Starting from the competences mapped by the ResearchComp, this study, designed to accelerate universities’ efforts in reshaping researcher training to align with future labour market needs, highlighted both the strengths and gaps in current transversal skills. Through a forecasting analysis, the study identified the key competencies researchers will need over the next five years: 

  • Digital & AI literacy – Mastery of AI-driven research tools, big data, and automation. 
  • Entrepreneurial & innovation skills – Competence in securing funding, research commercialization, and technology transfer. 
  • Interdisciplinary & cross-sectoral collaboration – Ability to work across disciplines and industries. 
  • Policy and public engagement – Active participation in science policy discussions, Open Science, and public dissemination. 

 

Showcasing Good Practices and key insights from other EU Projects

The second part of the workshop featured inspiring initiatives from other Horizon Europe projects, specifically CARDEA and PATTERN. These projects provide valuable examples of how EU-funded initiatives are working to enhance researcher career development beyond academia and bridge existing gaps in transversal skills training. 

  • PATTERN Project: Alessio Livio Spera, Project Coordinator, and Kristian Nielsen, Associate Professor at Aarhus University, introduced ongoing efforts to develop training opportunities in transferable skills. The speakers  also shared key findings from a mapping exercise on open learning opportunities in Open Responsible Research and Innovation (Open RRI), identifying strengths and weaknesses in training delivery, content, and target audiences. 
Co-Creating Policy recommendations for Future Skills Development

The final part of the workshop featured a policy co-creation exercise, where participants engaged in group discussions to identify future researchers’ skills requiring further investment from HEIs. The discussions particularly emphasized the need to still enhance researchers’ capacity to: 

  • Manage projects effectively; 
  • Conduct interdisciplinary research; 
  • Perform research with societal impact; 
  • Improve digital and AI literacy; 
  • Work collaboratively in teams; 
  • Develop critical thinking skills. 

Participants also identified key challenges for HEIs in skills development related to: 

  1. Organizational and cultural barriers (e.g. lack of understanding of transferable skills; challenges in interdisciplinary collaboration and language barriers; retaining research talent and managing research roles), 
  2. Financial constraints (g. Insufficient funding for skill development and open-access research; Universities struggle to secure independent financial resources; Precarity of research careers and lack of sustainable funding sources), 
  3. Infrastructural and policy limitations (g. lack of digital competency among PhD supervisors; limited resources, trainers, and structural support for research; policy and regulatory constraints dictated by higher management and government decisions). 

The co-creation session concluded with a set of concrete actions to overcome these challenges, ensuring that HEIs can continue to invest in the development of critical transversal skills for researchers: 

  1. Improved Training & Resources (e.g. centralized collection of available EU-funded training; Individualized training plans for researchers; Increased financial support from national and EU authorities)
  2. Structural & Institutional Support (e.g. Strategic research funding within universities; more stakeholder engagement and clear role definitions; enhancing recognition and accreditation of skills acquired outside HEIs).
  3. Sustainable Financial Strategies (e.g. Shift towards institutional funding for long-term sustainability; core-funded research careers and support for researcher retention).
  4. Cultural & Policy Adaptation (e.g. Encouraging collaboration across disciplines; prioritizing quality over quantity in research publications; strengthening networking between universities to share resources). 

With its strong engagement and valuable outcomes, the second CoP MML workshop  marked another successful step for the CATALISI project in supporting the transformation of research careers and higher education systems across Europe.  

 

Research Careers and Talent Retention: Insights from the Webinar

Last week, a panel of three distinguished speakers shared insights into the challenges and strategies related to research careers, talent attraction, and retention in Europe. The discussion focused on institutional approaches to supporting researchers at different career stages, with particular attention given to regional initiatives. Below is a summary of the key points presented by each speaker. 

First Speaker: Dario Pellizzon, Head of Research & Libraries, Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Dario explored the critical issue of international researcher mobility and the efforts undertaken by Ca’ Foscari University in Venice to attract and retain top research talent. Despite being globally recognised as a tourist destination rather than a research hub, the university has implemented long-term policies to strengthen its position in the international academic landscape.  

Europe faces a significant challenge in researcher mobility, with many highly skilled individuals leaving for the United States, as well as countries like Canada, Australia, and Japan. Ca’ Foscari University has embedded talent attraction and retention into its core institutional strategies. To establish itself as a research destination, Ca’ Foscari University has: 

  • HR Excellence in Research certification: a prestigious recognition from the European Commission that ensures high-quality research conditions and fair treatment of researchers.  
  • ERC Grants: Since securing its first European Research Council (ERC) Grant in 2010, Ca’ Foscari has seen a steady increase in successful applicants, with 30 ERC grantees currently affiliated with the institution.  
  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships: welcoming over 200 researchers under this programme.  
  • Increased Research Funding: The success in securing ERC, MSCA, and Horizon Europe grants has led to a sharp rise in external funding. The university’s research income has more than doubled, reaching an average of over €15 million annually in recent years. 
  • Active member of the EUTOPIA European Universities Alliance, a collaboration designed to enhance research excellence and mobility across European institutions 

They emphasised the importance of structured career development paths and highlighted various funding mechanisms available for postdoctoral researchers and tenure-track candidates. The discussion underscored the need for increased funding opportunities and cross-border collaborations to enhance researcher mobility and career stability. 

Second Speaker: Dr. Ignasi Salvado-Estivill, Director of OPERA, Alianza 4 Universidades

The second speaker discussed strategies for integrating researchers into industry and bridging the gap between academia and the private sector. They stressed the importance of transferable skills and industry partnerships, which allow researchers to diversify their career prospects beyond traditional academic roles. Additionally, they explored initiatives aimed at fostering innovation through collaborative projects between universities and companies, ensuring that research has practical applications in real-world settings. 

Key data were shared about the success of these universities in Horizon Europe, particularly within Pillar 1. The statistics highlighted a strong performance in securing ERC grants and Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, demonstrating their research excellence and international competitiveness. 

A major focus of the presentation was Manuel Heitor’s report for the European Commission, which analyses past and present EU research programmes and introduces the “Choose Europe” concept. This initiative aims to attract and retain talent within Europe, particularly by capitalising on shifts in the global research landscape, such as changes in the United States. 

The discussion also covered mobility trends, with data confirming ongoing brain drain from Southern and Eastern Europe towards Northern and Western Europe. Specific European regions, including Catalonia, were identified as strong attractors of talent, suggesting that their institutions might serve as models for best practices in research recruitment and retention. 

Third Speaker: Francisco Javier Rubio Pomar, Director, ARAID

The third speaker introduced ARAID, a non-profit foundation established in 2005 by the government of Aragón. AR functions as an umbrella institution with a primary mission of attracting researchers to the region. While the foundation also engages in science communication, its core activity is launching annual calls for research positions. 

Currently, ARAID has an open international call for candidates with a consolidated track record, accepting applications until mid-March. Research fields covered include medical technologies, industrial decarbonisation, biotechnology, quantum technologies, and computer sciences. 

CATALISI Partner UCC Providing Global Leadership on Impact Assessment

University College Cork (UCC) is one of eleven partner organizations in the Horizon Europe funded project CATALISI – Catalysation of institutional transformations of Higher Education Institutions. The project seeks to accelerate change in Research Capacity in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through acceleration services and targeted transformation pathways and interventions.

UCC is leading the CATALISI evaluation and impact assessment, supporting the participating HEI’s with a Theory of Change approach to evaluate their interventions and indeed their overall impact. UCC is a global leader on impact oriented research and innovation, and was placed 8th globally in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings in 2021.

UCC recently published (December 2024) an Economic and Societal Impact Report UCCEconomicandSocietalImpact2024.pdf, which is an assessment of the impact of UCC’s activities in its region, nationally and internationally. This peer reviewed report and the methodologies its uses, intersects and aligns well with the impact focus at the core of the CATALISI initiative.

The analysis reflects best practice applied in other impact studies of universities and higher education institutions in Ireland, and more broadly including the UK. The results confirm the significant and growing social and economic impacts of UCC locally, nationally and globally.

Professor Mike Danson, Professor Emeritus of Enterprise Policy, Heriot-Watt University and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (External Reviewer)

The UCC Report offers a high-level framework or exemplar for others across the CATALISI Network, European University Alliances and HEI’s submitting to the Times Higher Education World University Impact Rankings, on how to capture the economic and societal impact of their higher education institutions. 

On behalf of the UCC Catalisi Team including Dr. Martin Galvin, Dr. David O’Connell, Ciara O’Halloran, Matteo Pallocca.

For more information, please contact: david.hogan@ucc.ie
David Hogan
UCC Data & Institutional Research Officer, UCC Strategic Planning & Institutional Research