Marija Meškova, a PhD student from Tilburg University, recently interviewed our project coordinator, Jorinus Kalis, as part of her research on coordinating university-industry R&D projects. Her work focuses on the challenges of cross-sector partnerships aimed at addressing large-scale environmental issues, such as climate change.
A critical yet complex task for the success of such projects is establishing a shared understanding of the issues among project members and coordinating the exchange of resources. A shared understanding involves the alignment of project members’ interpretations of the issue, the project’s objectives, and the methods for achieving those objectives. By examining how project members create this understanding and develop solutions through collective action, researchers at Tilburg University aim to advance existing literature and help organizations develop the skills needed to tackle “wicked” problems related to environmental challenges.
CirclesOfLife involves partners from various sectors with differing interests and objectives, including shipyards, suppliers, universities, trade associations, and NGOs. The project also seeks to engage stakeholders across the entire maritime supply chain to maximize exploitable results. Given the diversity of partners and stakeholders, both within and outside the project, establishing a shared understanding is crucial to the project’s success. This relevance is why Marija Meškova chose to include CirclesOfLife in her research.
During the interview, Marija Meškova explored how shared understanding is created among different partners. Jorinus emphasized that shared understanding can only emerge when partners are open about their ambitions and challenges. Transparency in key areas is essential for a successful project. In the proposal phase, partners already begin to assess whether a certain level of openness is feasible, which becomes crucial for forming strong partnerships. Are you involved in a university-industry R&D project and interested in learning more or contributing to the research? Feel free to reach out to Marija Meškova at
