Determined to enhance the University of Milan’s reputation as a high-impact institution, the University’s leadership team sought out the Crowdhelix platform to help faculty connect with leading businesses and equally ambitious universities.

Although faculty at the University of Milan are part of significant international networks, the leadership team wanted to extend the University’s reach so that researchers could quickly capitalise on any new opportunities arising from Horizon Europe calls.

The University quickly identified Crowdhelix’s AI-powered platform as a tool faculty could leverage to accelerate their search for collaborators who possessed skills and expertise to complement their own when designing funding proposals.

After joining Crowdhelix, faculty from Milan University published two individual posts on the platform seeking collaborators in three different helixes (digital communities) - the Society Helix, Inclusion and Heritage & Culture. 

Very quickly, experts from several international Universities expressed their ambition to collaborate with the University of Milan’s faculty, who would act as project coordinators.

As a result, the coordinating team was able to quickly assemble suitable and effective partners without spending an excessive amount of time networking or searching through traditional collaboration services. 

This meant that the University of Milan’s faculty were able to immediately start preparing a funding proposal focusing on the role of perceptions shaping European societies. 

In the end, faculty at the University of Milan chose to collaborate with institutions from the UK, Netherlands, Portugal and Israel. 

The University of Milan’s experience underscores Crowdhelix’s ability to facilitate meaningful connections between like-minded innovators, researchers and organisations.

It also demonstrates how organisations can leverage Crowdhelix to connect with skilled researchers and innovators at the cutting edge of innovation to enhance their own brand.