Details

4 March 2026 1:00 pm - 2:45 pm UTC+1

Organized by: WAITRO Operations e.V.

Location: Online (Zoom)

Digital Matchmaking Tools
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About the Session

 

Date: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Time: Bogotá 7:00-8:45 AM | Berlin 1:00-2:45 PM | Pretoria 2:00-3:45 PM | Beijing 8:00-9:45 PM

Agenda

1. Welcome by WAITRO Operations e.V.
Speaker: Dominik Reinertz (Managing Director)

As a long-standing WAITRO representative and expert with extensive experience in the WAITRO ecosystem, Dominik Reinertz will open the session with a brief overview of its purpose, objectives, and relevance for international researchers and research managers.

2. Insight on Building Strong EU Consortia Through Digital Matchmaking
Speaker: Michael Browne (CEO, Co-Founder), Cais Jurgens (Head of Membership Development)

Our experts from Crowdhelix offer valuable insights on effective digital networking and consortium building in EU-funded research and innovation. The session will deliver practical guidance on:

  • Finding trusted consortium partners: Strategies for identifying the right, reliable collaborators for strong and multidisciplinary EU consortia
  • Strengthening international collaboration: Approaches to expand cross-border cooperation and nurture sustainable global research networks
  • AI-enhanced proposal development: Real-world lessons from Crowdhelix’s role as innovation and impact partner in 30+ EU-funded projects
  • Next-generation application support: A showcase of Crowdhelix’s proprietary built AI tools designed to shape and enhance complex EU applications

3. Closing by WAITRO Operations e.V.
Speaker: Dominik Reinertz (Managing Director)

A brief summary of the session followed by concluding reflections and key takeaways for participants.

About the Experts

Crowdhelix

Crowdhelix is an Open Innovation Network and Collaboration Platform that forges links between an international network of excellent researchers and innovating companies, so that they can plan, deliver, and exploit pioneering collaborative projects and value chains. Founded in 2011 by Research & Innovation Managers, Crowdhelix has now spent over 14 years helping universities, RTOs and businesses connect with trusted collaborators. This is their quality over quantity approach to open collaboration for the global research and innovation ecosystem.

Speakers

Dominik Reinertz: As an expert in international research collaboration and open innovation, Dominik Reinertz has more than a decade of experience in strengthening global research development, building strategic partnerships, facilitating matchmaking services and advancing innovation for sustainable development. He is the Managing Director of WAITRO Operations e.V., the legal and operational arm of WAITRO, where he leads global initiatives that connect and empower research institutions worldwide.

Michael Browne: As a global expert in open innovation and international research collaboration, Michael Browne has more than 25 years of experience leading organizations, building strategic partnerships, and shaping worldwide innovation networks across publicly and privately funded R&D ecosystems. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Crowdhelix, an AI-driven open innovation platform designed to connect world-leading research institutions, researchers, and innovative businesses to form multidisciplinary partnerships, that address complex societal and industrial challenges and deliver real-world impact.

Cais Jurgens: Head of Membership Development at Crowdhelix, Cais Jurgens leads engagement with industry and academia to build high-impact and open-innovation collaborations. His work spans corporate innovation projects, international matchmaking and brokerage events, research proposal development and consortium management, as well as impact-driven R&I strategy.

This session is part of the Capacity Development Initiative (CDI):

Getting Ready for International Collaboration – Publicly Funded Research Projects

Other WAITRO Events