The Swafs project at the funding base of the R&I dimension of ENLIGHT, which started in 2021, has officially closed as of 31 August 2024. As RISE looks ahead to its final reporting stages, the coordination team highlights the many achievements which have come out of the project.
The creation of interactive, living resources for strengthening R&I synergies, including the R&I Observatory (search tool for scientific expertise and partnerships across the ENLIGHT alliance), the Impact Repositor (online repository of international good practices on research impact assessment and measurement), or the Open Science common principles endorsed by the 10 rectors of the ENLIGHT university partners, are among the most celebrated accomplishments.
The RISE project focused during its 3-year lifespan on knowledge sharing through providing access to helpful content and materials to support our researchers and joint research projects. The implementation of several online tools, as well as online lectures, seminars and workshops helped thereto. Networking and matchmaking events held a priority status across the tasks performed, with a view for research community members to be able to meet and discuss potential collaborations with partners from other institutions in the alliance.
Resources and materials will remain available
All of the online tools and resources implemented during the project will continue being available for our R&I community via the ENLIGHT website. Moreover, the ENLIGHT 2.0 Thematic Networks will gather some of the teams already built during the RISE phase. Also, the ENLIGHT matchmaking platform that was built for the matchmaking event in April 2024 will remain open for networking till the end of January 2025.
Various awards were created to highlight outstanding research initiatives within our R&I community in ENLIGHT, including R&I Mobility Awards, Open Science Awards, Impact Awards, and more.
Collaboration was at the core of this project, so the coordination team facilitated networking dynamics between researchers at the 10 universities via the so-called Focus Groups, some of which have submitted successful project proposals together ensuring post-RISE continuous high level research collaboration.
Another entity that will outlive the "project" is the ENLIGHT Expert Networks, teams that have found their activities included in the project format to be useful, and who wish to implement longterm discussion and collaboration formats. These groups will continue to meet, collaborate, and be part of our alliance, able to consult and contribute their R&I expertise and invigorate synergies between the education and research dimensions of ENLIGHT.
The RISE project has many achievements to both look back on with pride and forward to with excitement as it comes to a close.
The Research & Innovation dimension, initiatives and content is available at the ENLIGHT alliance website.