Context of the EU.FFICIENT Project
Gap Identified:
Facilitation skills are often ad hoc, individual-based, and insufficiently trained or supported.
There is no structured community of expert facilitators (EFs), nor systematic training mechanisms to support them across domains.
Strategic Relevance:
Aligns with Horizon Europe goals to increase wider societal engagement, improve exploitation of research, and enhance innovation ecosystems.
Builds on best practices from EIT KICs, EIC, and Mission Boards.
Overall Objectives
The EU.FFICIENT project aims to unlock the full value of co-creation and stakeholder engagement in EU R&I projects through the creation of a dynamic and sustainable ecosystem of Expert Facilitators (EFs). The specific objectives are:
Design and deploy an EU.FFICIENT methodology that integrates cultural and sectoral dimensions of facilitation and engagement.
Build a thriving network of Communities of Expert Facilitators (CEFs) across strategic domains (e.g. HealthTech, Mobility, Advanced Manufacturing, AI/Digital).
Develop a digital platform to support facilitator networking, matchmaking, learning, and sharing of best practices.
Deliver targeted training programmes and self-assessment tools for facilitators based on EU competence frameworks (LifeComp, EntreComp).
Pilot, evaluate and demonstrate the added value of facilitated co-creation in real use cases, focusing on inclusiveness and gender equity (GEDI).
Ensure replicability and sustainability of the CEF ecosystem and training model beyond the project.
Expected Impact
Short to Medium-Term:
Establishment of a recognised, EU-wide community of facilitators embedded in key innovation ecosystems.
Improved quality and inclusiveness of co-creation processes across EU-funded projects.
Enhanced uptake of research results by stakeholders, industry, civil society, and policymakers.
Policy-Level Impact:
Strengthened support structures for stakeholder engagement aligned with Horizon Europe, ERA, and Open Science priorities.
Contribution to EU Missions, EIT KICs, and the New European Innovation Agenda via more effective facilitation practices.
Long-Term:
A sustainable, modular training and platform infrastructure for future use by DG RTD, EITs, clusters, and national innovation agencies.
A scalable model to extend facilitation ecosystems to new domains and Member States, especially Widening countries.
