The Synergy action for Teaming Centres of Excellence (CoE) responds to the need to ensure the sustainability of CoE funded under the Teaming calls^[1]. The establishment of CoE in Widening countries, supported by a significant investment in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, has created new opportunities for scientific, societal, and economic impact. However, to fully capitalise on this investment and enhance the sustainability and international competitiveness of these CoE, it is essential to facilitate stronger collaboration and strategic joint initiatives among them.

Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• Stronger long-term collaboration among Teaming CoE through structured joint initiatives and clustering efforts to enhance mutual learning, resource sharing, and collective research and innovation capacity;
• Strategic transformation of R&I systems by enhancing institutional cooperation and supporting structural reforms at national and regional levels;
• Promotion of multidisciplinary and transnational cooperation that will enable CoE to address critical European and global challenges, and EU policy priorities;
• Promote ERA priorities such as responsible AI usage, knowledge valorisation, commercialization, and entrepreneurial activities, such as SMEs and start-ups, within the CoE to maximise economic and societal impact;
• Stronger visibility of CoE and their recognition at national, regional, and European levels through structured engagement with industry, policymakers, and society;
• Improved synergies between CoE and national and EU programmes to leverage additional funding opportunities and policy support.

Scope:

The call topic aims at fostering collaboration among Teaming Centres of Excellence, both existing ones and those resulting from ongoing or future calls, in view of supporting their efforts towards sustainability and increased impact at the regional, national and European level.

Proposals are expected to include at least the following activities:

Strategic Clustering for thematic collaboration: Conducting an in-depth analysis of CoE capacities, research domains, innovation potential, and their role in national and regional quadruple helixes. The aim is to define strategic clusters addressing common research and innovation challenges, supporting EU priorities, and contributing to policy reforms.

Pilot implementation of thematic clusters: Establish clusters and support the coordinated implementation of activities, building e.g. on geographically distributed research capacities and infrastructures, interdisciplinary research collaborations, policy support for national and/or institutional R&I reform, or entrepreneurship-focused activities.

Capacity building for knowledge valorisation: Offering specialised training, peer learning, expert coaching, and workshops to improve CoE expertise in knowledge valorisation.

Networking and matchmaking: Organising dedicated matchmaking events, policy forums, and startup pitching events to connect CoE with industry, investors, and policymakers, supporting their market outreach and strategic partnerships.

Teaming online platform: Developing a digital networking platform to improve cooperation among CoE, provide access to shared resources, showcase success stories, and facilitate continuous interaction between research institutions, industry, and policymakers.

Teaming conference: Establish the conference as an internationally recognized event, stimulating cross-fertilization of scientific ideas, promoting industry-academia collaborations, attracting international talents and rewarding early-career researchers through Teaming awards.

Entrepreneurship and tech transfer support: Encouraging the creation of spin-offs and start-ups, licensing opportunities, and investment-readiness initiatives to ensure research outputs lead to marketable innovations.

To achieve the expected outcomes, the consortium is expected to provide a comprehensive range of expertise commensurate with the proposed activities. A core of the consortium should be able to demonstrate successful implementation of sustainability strategies of a Teaming CoE. Complementary members of the consortium can provide specific expertise on e.g. communication, training, knowledge valorisation and IPR issues. The consortium should to demonstrate a geographical coverage of its activities that is able to reach all past, existing and future Teaming CoEs that wish to participate in the activities and benefit from the services offered by the consortium. The consortium is encouraged to maximise the use of existing services and facilities, such as the Widening Dissemination and Exploitation Support Facility, to avoid duplication and creation of competing services.

In order to assess the efficient and effective implementation of the proposed activities a set of key performance indicators tailored to the objectives of the action should be outlined in the proposal.

The duration of this action should be 5 years.

[1] In June 2022, the European Court of Auditors in its report recommended the Commission to ensure the sustainability of the Teaming Centres of Excellence.