Knowledge exchange becomes long term collaboration when it is linked to concrete research, education, and innovation activities. Long term cooperation also requires regular dialogue with industry and regional stakeholders, clear responsibilities, and practical outputs that respond to real regional needs.

Knowledge exchange is only the starting point. Lasting collaboration requires trust, a shared purpose, and opportunities for people to stay connected over time. Strong communities create the conditions for new partnerships and joint projects to emerge naturally.

Based on our own experience, I believe it is very important to make sure that the entire Quadruple helix becomes involved. Sometimes, cooperation between regions can only rest on two people who met and clicked- however, if one person leaves the organization representing the region, the entire long-term collaboration may fall. By ensuring that other actors from other parts of the helix of the region become involved after the initial knowledge exchange, the risk of the collaboration being only short-term definitely decreases.

At this stage, it is important to highlight the value of organising events within projects that bring together different stakeholders and create opportunities for them to get to know each other. Based on our experience at the Cluster, although digital tools are an essential part of our daily work, face-to-face meetings offer significant advantages. They provide the opportunity to develop the soft skills that are fundamental to building trust and establishing successful long-term collaborations.            After the initial contact, a practical recommendation is to schedule a first follow-up meeting—either online or in person—as soon as possible. This helps maintain the momentum created during the visit and turns initial interest into meaningful dialogue.

The follow-up meeting should give each organisation the opportunity to present its work in greater detail than was possible during the twinning visit. It should also provide a space to discuss current challenges, share areas of expertise, and explore how each partner could contribute solutions to the other's needs.

This simple but structured approach helps build mutual understanding, strengthen trust, and identify concrete opportunities for long-term collaboration and future joint projects.

@petra-sedlackova 100%. Networking gets people talking, but trust and staying connected are what actually get things done. Build a good community, and the rest follows naturally.

In my experience, lasting partnerships don't happen by chance—they require ongoing engagement after the initial meeting. Regular follow-up meetings, clear shared objectives, and identifying concrete collaboration opportunities help maintain momentum.

It's also important to involve a diverse mix of stakeholders, including SMEs, research organisations, public authorities, and clusters, so that partnerships are built around shared needs and complementary expertise. When trust is established through small collaborative activities, it often becomes the foundation for larger, long-term projects.

@adamsoltan totally agree with you. The more people and organisations from across the quadruple helix become involved, the stronger and more sustainable the partnership becomes. I also think that bringing more people into the cooperation can open doors to opportunities we might not have considered before. Everyone brings a different background, perspective, and network of contacts, and sometimes one new connection is enough to move the whole collaboration in an unexpected but very valuable direction.