28 September, 2023 | Szczecin
The CoCreAid project, an Erasmus+ initiative aimed at enhancing digital co-creation in higher education institutions (HEIs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), reached a pivotal moment during its third transnational project meeting. Hosted by the University of Szczecin, this meeting marked the first in-person gathering of project participants after nearly two years of digital collaboration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Representatives Katrin Uude (PhD candidate) and Carina Hafertepe (graduate assistant), from the Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre at FH Münster, were among the participants who met in Szczecin. The meeting, conducted in a hybrid format focused on the outcomes of the project's second phase, with particular emphasis on the CoCreAid Toolkit, and was to set the ground for the upcoming third project phase.
The CoCreAid Toolkit is a significant achievement resulting from the extensive research conducted during the project's first phase. The research involved 80+ qualitative interviews with HEI and NGO representatives involved in co-creation projects, revealing valuable insights into the barriers and drivers of digital co-creation between academia, NGOs and citizens. The Toolkit provides guidance on overcoming transfer barriers in co-creation projects limited by the physical distance of project partners and suggests suitable methods for successful collaboration in digital environments combined with the appropriate tool for each use case. Prospects can find inspiration for successful co-creation in the good practice examples depicted on the project website.
During the project meeting, the team discussed the plans for pilot-testing the toolkit in 20 projects in the third project phase. The selected projects will apply and assess the effectiveness of the methods and tools included in the toolkit, aiming to identify optimization potential.
The successful in-person meeting in Szczecin signifies a major step forward for the CoCreAid project, highlighting its commitment to enabling effective co-creation between HEIs and NGOs and addressing societal challenges while promoting inclusion. The FH Münster team extends its gratitude to the University of Szczecin for hosting the meeting and providing a warm welcome to all participants. The collaborative efforts of the CoCreAid consortium are instrumental in achieving the project's goals and making a lasting impact in the realm of digital co-creation.
About the project "CoCreAid Kit 4.0"
European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly engaged in society and therefore play a growing role in regional and social development. As a result of the increasing international cooperation, successful collaboration in the digital sphere is becoming more and more critical. However, to date, the collaboration between HEI and NGOs in the digital sphere has been somewhat neglected, leading to a lack of insight about how to co-create successfully in a digital context.
The CoCreAid Kit 4.0 focuses on overcoming barriers to cooperation arising when HEIs and NGOs co-create digitally. The aim is to increase social impact in participating European countries and beyond. Furthermore, digital competencies will be strengthened among the project partners through practical application.
Recently, all insights gained in Milestone 1 have been consolidated into a graphical user interface that serves as an all-in-one user platform for digital co-creation by integrating a knowledge base, existing platforms, and methods. It can be accessed here.