Initial idea and consortium creation
Step 2 of 6
Identify partners for co-creation of the project
Goal: Find the right core partners and stakeholders, involve them as early as possible and align everyone's expectations.
START is all about working together to perform impactful research with the opportunity to create systemic changes to our food systems. As a unified research centre bringing together researchers across universities and disciplines, START is the ideal umbrella for your project development.
Here you will find partners for co-creation who can help you elevate your project development. Finding the right partners, and involving them as early in the process as possible, is essential for the success of your project.
Workshop 2 combines three tools: Collaborator mapping to find your core partners, Stakeholder analysis with the stakeholder matrix to understand everyone else who matters to the project, and the Give & Take matrix to align expectations once partners have been contacted.
Workshop 2
Collaborator mapping, Stakeholder analysis and Give & Take Matrix
- Participants:
- You and your research group; later the contacted core partners
- 1Answer the five key questions
- 2Map your collaborators
- 3Analyse your stakeholders
- 4Place stakeholders in the matrix
- 5Contact your collaborators
- 6Fill in the Give & Take matrix
- 7Prepare the first meeting
Tools used in this step
Workshop tool
Collaborator mapping
Use this when you need to find the core partners with the competencies your project is missing.
Workshop tool
Stakeholder analysis & matrix
Use this when you want to understand everyone who can affect or is affected by your project, and how much attention each needs.
Workshop tool
Give & Take matrix
Use this when a new consortium needs to put everyone's expectations on the table and see what each partner brings.
Video
Using the Give & Take matrixPlaceholder video
0:45· Aligning expectations in a new consortium, one row at a time.
Frequently asked questions
How to be a partner in START when START is not a legal entity?
When you enter a project partnership, you enter as a partner from your home university and not as a START partner. That does not mean your START membership has no value.
As a member of START, the partnership benefits from access to the START platform's combined pool of researchers and its associated infrastructure. START enables an efficient formation of networks as well as high-level dissemination and exchanges between researchers and disciplines working with the green transition.
START also serves as an amplifier for dissemination in the research community. Through its website, SharePoint hub and two-day annual meeting, START gives wide reach to its studies, projects and papers while creating efficient pathways for interdisciplinary debate and the development of novel methodologies. Your membership is both a vital contributor to and a beneficiary of a vibrant, high-level interdisciplinary research ecosystem.
START can be a vital guarantor of the sustainability of your project. The Ministry of Higher Education and Science, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark, Directorate-Generals and representatives of the European Commission, as well as foundations such as the Novo Nordisk Foundation, have all expressed support for START in acknowledgement of the importance of an interdisciplinary research centre for agrifood systems.
See also How to write START into your proposal without a PIC number.
How to find the right partners in START?
To use the full strength of START, each project should aim to get exactly the right competencies and knowledge into its team. These competencies might not exist within your own organisation, so you may need to reach out to the other universities to find the right partners.
You can always use the START Administrative team to do this. Their names and contact details are on the START website (opens in a new tab).