On October 17, the Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer Officers (RITTO) Staff Exchange, promoted by the PhasAGE project, brought together research funding and pre-awarding granting officers from two esteemed partners of the PhasAGE consortium, the University of Padua (UniPD, Italy) and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (i3S, Portugal).
The event aimed to foster collaboration between the supporting officers that work at the forefront of institutional research funding and grant management. The RITTO Staff Exchange served as a catalyst for sharing insights, strategies, and best practices, as participants from UniPD and i3S engaged in a fruitful dialogue. Their discussions highlighted various aspects to achieve successful research funding, from identifying new opportunities to navigating the intricacies of grant applications.
“The RITTO Staff Exchange has shown us how meaningful collaboration can be in research and innovation. Seeing experts from UniPD and i3S discuss job challenges, some of them common to both institutions, has been a clear indication of the potential of teamwork in advancing the field of research funding, technology tranfer and ethics and responsible research,” said Catarina Neves, head of Research Funding Office at i3S.
Active engagement from all the participants in sharing institutional strategies in supporting responsible research and innovation.
Participants at the event expressed their enthusiasm for the exchange and their confidence in the potential for ongoing collaboration. The event served as a stepping stone toward enhancing the research ecosystem within the consortium and beyond, showcasing the power of interdisciplinary partnerships and knowledge-sharing.
The collaborative spirit of Horizon2020 Twinning projects promotes the ideal conditions for institutional capacitation. These types of exchanges set the perfect stage to address the difficulties associated with funding science and research, thereby influencing the future of institutional empowerment of expanding partners in research and innovation.
The Staff Exchange of Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer Officers (RITTO) are organized within the framework of the PhasAGE Work Package 5 – Leaping Forward Research and Innovation Management.