As part of the core activities at the 2024 ACEEU Europe-Africa Forum, the BETTER Life project organised a workshop titled Synergies in Action Across EU-funded Projects. The goal of the workshop was to explore shared challenges among project partner countries, identify opportunities for collaboration, and unlock new opportunities for impactful projects.
Led by Emilia Binchiciu (HelixConnect) and Federica Casaccio (ACEEU), the workshop brought together members of the BETTER Life project consortium and external participants. The inclusion of external participants reflected BETTER Life’s broader commitment to building lasting connections, fostering collaboration across projects, and ensuring the project’s impact extends well beyond its funding lifecycle.
Participants explored cross-cutting challenges in their regions, including limited local stakeholder engagement, difficulties in assessing the real impact of implemented projects, and the need to better support and motivate life science researchers and academics in their daily work.
Using synergy mapping and the ACEEU Project Canva, the workshop identified overlapping priorities such as the need to foster partnerships among departments within universities to benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, and the creation of local and regional policies and initiatives to strengthen collaborations between higher education institutions and their communities.
The workshop provided insights into areas where collaboration could be enhanced and revealed opportunities for future joint initiatives. By the end of the workshop, some promising project ideas emerged, showcasing the impact of collaborative knowledge exchange in generating actionable ideas.
