Shaping the Transition
SHAPE towards 2030: What do we need to solve next?. With the extension of SHAPE towards 2030, we are entering a new phase of our journey. Building on what we have learned and achieved so far, the focus now shifts towards the next challenges, opportunities and questions we need to solve together.
In this blog series, SHAPE’s Work Pack Leaders share their perspectives on what comes next, what they see as the most important challenges to address, where new collaboration is needed and what they hope to achieve in the years ahead.
As the leader of Work Pack 5, I often use the old Nokia slogan connecting people when describing our role. SHAPE brings together research, innovation, companies, experts and different perspectives around a shared ambition. But an ecosystem does not become an ecosystem simply because the right organisations are in the same programme. We need to actively create the connections between them, between the people.
That is what WP 5 is about.
Our task is to help SHAPE work as one connected ecosystem by bringing together people, partners and priorities. This includes governance and strategic alignment, but also communication, partner engagement, impact and connecting our knowledge hubs, like M.INC, with the wider work taking place across SHAPE and also outside SHAPE.
For me, one of the most important questions going forward is how we move from collaboration to real impact. How do we make sure that good ideas and research results do not stay within individual projects? How do we connect them with the right expertise, partners and opportunities so that they can be tested, developed and eventually create value in industry and society? What are the most impactful next steps? These conversations need to take place. Time and space are needed to find the answers.
This requires meaningful relationships building and trust. Through SHAPE, we want to create an environment where companies, researchers and other actors can learn from each other, find new opportunities and start collaborations that might not have happened otherwise. Here WP 5 has an important role in creating the structures, the atmosphere, meeting places and visibility that make these connections possible. Conversations where we can share our capabilities and contributions. And with that said, don’t miss our upcoming annual event!
As we look towards 2030, I believe our success should not only be measured by what we deliver during the programme. It should also be visible in what continues afterwards: stronger partnerships, new collaborations, knowledge that has moved into practice and an ecosystem that continues to create value. This is a task that I look forward to dive in to.
And this is also an invitation. If you see a missing connection, an opportunity to create greater impact, an activity we should be doing, or simply something you believe could make SHAPE stronger, I would very much like to hear from you. Part of my role in WP 5 is to connect the dots, but we can only do that if we keep listening, sharing and bringing different perspectives together. So please reach out to me. Sometimes the next important connection starts with a simple conversation.
Maria Smeds Engström
Ecosystem Manager & Workpack Leader for WP 5 Ecosystem Leadership and Shaping the Transition