CO-Creation Workshop of the CROSS Project

On 21–22 October 2025, the Co-Creation Workshop on ResearchComp of the CROSS project took place in Brussels. The project is supported under the Horizon Europe programme (WIDERA – Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area).

During the two-day event, members of the CROSS consortium met with partners, representatives of the European Commission, and sister projects funded under the same CALL.

The aim of the workshop was to strengthen collaboration, innovation, and the joint development of tools designed to support researchers at various stages of their careers – including fostering closer links between research and practice.

Throughout the interactive workshop, participants had the opportunity to:

• learn about the context and objectives of the CROSS project, which aims to develop researchers’ competences, support career growth, and build cross-sector talent ecosystems;
• try out the upcoming ResearchComp Self-Assessment Tool, designed for universities, research institutions, and industry, and provide feedback directly to the European Commission;
• take part in panel discussions on topics such as bridging academia and industry, mentoring, skills development, and sharing best practices among institutions from across Europe.

The face-to-face meeting in Brussels created a strong platform for further coordination of CROSS project activities and deepened partnerships among institutions across Europe.
Particular attention was given to potential collaboration in the following areas:

• development of virtual platforms and hubs for researchers,
• career development for researchers, including mentoring,
• training and transferable skills development,
• the European Charter for Researchers and the HR Excellence in Research Award,
• and cross-sector collaboration between academia and industry.

The CROSS project thus contributes to strengthening the European Research Area (ERA) by supporting researchers, improving institutional capacities, and promoting broader engagement with the European research infrastructure.

We would like to thank all partners, guests, and participants for their active involvement and look forward to continuing our joint efforts towards achieving the project’s goals.

About project

• Project acronym: CROSS
• Project name: Career Management Services for European Talents
• Coordinator of the project: UTC Prague
• Project number: 101216919
• Partners: The University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), EIT Food, Tamlink, Bantani Education (Bantani), The Heyrovský Institute (HIPC), Charles University (CU), FECYT, The Cyprus Institute (CyI)
• Associated partners: Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), University of Tampere (TAU), TU Dresden (TU Dresden)