Born from the insight that research projects often operate in silos, the Standing Liaison Round Table (SLRT) was envisioned by FOCUS Strategic Thinking Consultants as a targeted response to a common challenge in EU-funded research: aligning fragmented efforts and fostering meaningful collaboration across complex consortia.

In multi-actor EU-funded initiatives engaging diverse stakeholders and thematic areas, structured coordination mechanisms are critical to achieving coherence, visibility, and impact. Within the BBioNets project, this need was addressed through the creation of the SLRT—a bespoke platform designed to facilitate strategic alignment, joint dissemination, and cross-project synergies.

The SLRT was not a pre-existing solution repurposed to fit the project’s needs. FOCUS STC, in its dual role as initiator and manager, conceptualised, designed, and operationalised the SLRT to meet BBioNets’ specific coordination and dissemination challenges. Its framework enables:

• Synchronised communication efforts, such as co-branded campaigns and mutual amplification of outreach
  
• Participation in joint events, stakeholder meetings, and policy dialogues
  
• Strategic content integration across newsletters, digital platforms, and research outputs
  
• Collaborative planning of workshops and dissemination milestones

This mechanism has enabled more coherent messaging, improved visibility, and reinforced synergies among participating projects – creating a networked environment where knowledge sharing is intentional rather than incidental.

Beyond its immediate function, the SLRT exemplifies FOCUS STC’s strategic consulting approach: designing fit-for-purpose structures that address real project dynamics and foster systems-level impact. Though rooted in BBioNets, the SLRT model has been designed with adaptability and scalability in mind – offering a replicable coordination blueprint for other Horizon Europe clusters.

With interest emerging from external organisations to continue or adapt the SLRT post-project, FOCUS STC remains committed to facilitating structured collaboration, enabling dialogue, and aligning diverse actors toward shared innovation goals.

A demonstration of this mechanism in practice can be seen in the video recap of the Joint EU Policy Event, where seven EU-funded initiatives utilised the SLRT framework to co-create policy recommendations. The video includes joint commentary from BBioNets representatives Ephy Kouzi (FOCUS STC), Carmen Girón Domínguez (MTU), and Patrizia Borsotto (CREA Ricerca).