Success Story – Strengthening Cross-Institutional Collaboration Through Co-Creation
Context
The TRIANGLE project brings together universities, innovation centers, and private-sector partners across different European regions to build entrepreneurial capacity and deliver a shared innovation training programme for students and early-stage startups. From the outset, one of the project’s central ambitions has been to create a collaborative, cross-institutional environment where partners jointly design methodologies, training content, and support mechanisms.
The Challenge
Although motivated, partners initially faced difficulties in coordinating their efforts across institutions. Each partner operated within different academic calendars, communication habits, and internal procedures. Several emails indicated the need for agenda clarification, repeated reminders to attend workshops, and alignment on materials for training Modules and the Kick-off meeting.
This fragmentation posed a risk to the project’s ability to co-create a unified curriculum and deliver a consistent experience to students. Ensuring that all partners actively contributed to content development required a structured, collaborative approach.
Actions Taken
To address these challenges, the consortium introduced a series of co-creation workshops, collaborative content-development meetings, and shared working documents.
Partners worked together to:
• Co-design the structure and learning objectives of training Modules.
• Jointly develop training slides, program descriptions, and newsletters.
• Align on the usage of digital tools, including the Deliberate platform and standardized dissemination templates.
• Establish routine update meetings to synchronise expectations and responsibilities.
Despite occasional attendance gaps, these sessions gradually fostered a shared understanding of the curriculum and built mutual trust.
Results Achieved
The collaborative sessions led to the successful co-creation of a unified, cross-institutional training programme delivered to students during Phase 1.
Key results include:
• A jointly designed six-module programme, with partners contributing methodology, case studies, and visual materials.
• Harmonised dissemination outputs, including shared LinkedIn templates and coordinated communications.
• Improved coordination for session scheduling, training resources, and the roll-out of module registration.
• Strengthened relationships across partners, who transitioned from fragmented communication to a more structured and proactive collaborative mode.
Impact and value to stakeholders
This collaborative achievement strengthened the consortium’s ability to deliver a cohesive learning experience across institutions and improved the project’s internal efficiency. By co-creating the curriculum, partners ensured that the programme reflects diverse expertise, meets the varied needs of students, and adheres to EIT HEI quality standards.
The success also set the foundation for deeper engagement in Phase 2, where partners will expand mentoring, reinforce dissemination practices, and scale the innovation training with stronger coordination mechanisms in place.
Ultimately, this story highlights how the TRIANGLE project transformed cross-institutional collaboration from a challenge into a strategic strength, enhancing curriculum quality, ensuring shared ownership, and fostering sustainable relationships across the consortium.
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