In this Widening Series episode, my co-host Thomas Brent and I explore how EU Widening measures are implemented in practice and the impact they can have on research excellence and collaboration. This time we have two guests: Katalin Oborni from the HETFA Research Institute in Hungary, and Viltaré Platzner from Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. They share hands-on experiences with the Widening projects STREAM IT (focused on gender equality in education), FrontSeat (smart industries), and FreeTwin EV (digital twinning for electric vehicles).

In this conversation we zoom in on how these projects foster international research partnerships, improve research management, and elevate institutional capacities. Our guests highlight practical challenges and lessons in designing and running widening projects — from building balanced consortia and managing expectations of non-widening partners, to using Twinning and Hop-on schemes to gradually break down barriers. We also discuss how Widening fosters trust-building, learning exchanges, and leadership growth among Widening countries. An honest conversation about the R&D politics of Widening, its future, and the nuances of post-communist institutional legacies adds depth to this rich and personal exploration of an evolving EU policy space.

Time codes:

00:02:05 Introduction

00:05:12 Short in the Widening initiative

00:11:02 Introduction to the projects

00:22:10 The Widening perspective - in proposal and project

01:06:11 Take-aways and experience