“Fridays for Research” power synergy within EULiST

Connecting Minds Across Borders: How “Fridays for Research” Is Powering Synergy Within EULiST

When building an academic alliance across countries and disciplines, one of the biggest challenges is breaking down silos. How do you create a space where hundreds of researchers, staff, and students can meet, exchange ideas, and turn individual expertise into impactful European research projects?

For the EULiST alliance, the answer turned out to be remarkably straightforward yet highly effective: Fridays for Research.

Building a Virtual Bridge for Innovation

Launched in 2023, Fridays for Research is a recurring online event series held monthly or bimonthly. Over the course of two to three hours, researchers and academic staff from across the EULiST network gather virtually to tackle specific research themes aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The format is fast-paced and interactive:

• Short, sharp presentations: Speakers get 5 to 15 minutes to pitch their work within a thematic focus.
• Direct discussion: Time is dedicated to open questions, idea sharing, and discovering overlapping research interests.
• Proactive follow-up: Participants receive contact details and presentation slides immediately after each session, making it effortless to reach out and explore joint work.

What started as an effort to ensure critical mass and broad participation has quickly evolved into an established hub for cross-border knowledge exchange.

Real Impact in Numbers and Projects

The initiative’s success speaks for itself. Since its inception:

• Over 400 participants joined the series in its first two years alone, with each session consistently drawing between 40 and 100 engaged listeners.
• 14 successful events have been hosted to date, involving representatives from all EULiST member universities.
• Tangible outputs: The sessions have directly sparked two common research networks (COST Action projects) as well as multiple joint research grant proposals.

Beyond the metrics, Fridays for Research has established a permanent, open communication channel—one that connects students, Early Career Researchers (ECRs), senior academic staff, and external stakeholders.

Evolving for the Future: Expanding the Concept

Building on this solid foundation, the initiative entered an exciting new phase in 2026 with the introduction of “Lunch Lectures.” These spotlight events focus entirely on a single EULiST partner university per session—pioneered by Leibniz University Hannover (LUH)—allowing members to dive even deeper into each institution’s unique research ecosystem.

Throughout 2026 and 2027, these dedicated spotlights will alternate with the original multi-partner format, continuously driving new synergies and potential joint publications.