# Stakeholder engagement in European research and innovation: An investigation into how and why EU R&I projects develop engagement tools

## TL;DR

This study explores how European research projects develop tools to engage stakeholders, identifying two distinct approaches influenced by EU rules and project teams' priorities.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a framework of four phases (Purpose, Prototyping, Praxis, Post-project continuity) and identifies two distinct engagement approaches: project-focused and user-focused.

## Key findings

- Stakeholder engagement tools in EU R&I projects evolve through four distinct phases with unique challenges and opportunities.
- Two contrasting approaches to tool development—project-focused and user-focused—emerged based on EU guidelines and project team priorities.
- The study provides actionable recommendations for improving stakeholder engagement in EU-funded research projects.

## Abstract

The European Union’s research and innovation (R&I) efforts have increasingly prioritised collaboration, co-creation, and stakeholder engagement to address complex systemic challenges in recent decades. However, while stakeholder engagement has become a cornerstone of EU innovation policy in this area, there has been limited research into how tools supporting stakeholder engagement are developed, deployed, and sustained within R&I projects. To address this gap, this article explores factors influencing the development of stakeholder engagement tools in European R&I projects and their relation to the broader European R&I trends.

This study adopts a qualitative approach, with conducting semi-structured interviews with 22 participants representing 14 Horizon Europe projects on topics of agri-food, bioeconomy, and sustainability. Data were collected, coded, and analysed concurrently and the emerging results guided which group was approached next.

Tools developed within projects take up shape within distinct phases, denominated as Purpose, Prototyping, Praxis, and Post-project continuity. Each of these phases comes with distinct challenges and opportunities. The way projects approach these challenges and opportunities showcases two distinct approaches that might be indicative of broader project management work in European R&I projects. These are the Project-focused approach and the User-focused approach.

This study contributes to the broader discourse on sustainability innovation by providing empirical insights into the mechanisms and dynamics of stakeholder engagement tools in R&I projects. It underscores the importance of balancing structural R&I frameworks with flexible, participatory approaches to innovation. The findings offer actionable recommendations for policymakers, project coordinators, and funders to support the development of robust and inclusive stakeholder engagement tools that mobilise diverse actors and facilitate systemic change aligned with the EU’s sustainability goals.

Research funded by the European Union often takes place through collaborative projects in which universities, expert organisations, and businesses take part. These projects often develop tools such as games, guidelines, and exercises to bring the research they do closer to the public. The tools developed within projects can be used to do the research with the public, inform them of the results of the project, or provide a service.

Interestingly, the way in which these projects develop the tools for engaging with the public can take different trajectories. Some projects focus on transparency and accountability towards the EU, as the funder of their work. Other projects focus more on connecting with the public in every stage of developing the tool. We call these two different approaches the project-focused approach and user-focused approach. Each of these approaches can be applied more generally in European research and innovation.

This study argues that the trajectory of tool development in European projects is shaped both the rules set by the EU and the way that staff in the organisations participating in projects approach their work.