Stickydot training on co-creation - who and how to engage?

Looking to develop your skills in co-creation around research and innovation? Our one-day Brussels training workshop is for you!

This one-day in-person training workshop focuses on who to engage and how to engage in the context of co-creation and multi-stakeholder engagement around research and innovation. Participants will work through the practical steps of identifying relevant communities and stakeholders, building trust, and choosing formats that fit the goals and constraints of their engagement process. The workshop combines theory and insights with hands-on exercises (mapping, case studies and peer exchange) so participants leave with a clearer engagement strategy they can apply directly in their work.

Who is it for?

Researchers, project managers, research support staff, communicators and engagement practitioners who design or run participatory activities (e.g., co-creation workshops, focus groups, consultations, living labs) and need a stronger, more structured approach to stakeholder identification, recruitment and engagement design.

Course objectives

After attending this training, participants will be able to:

• Clarify why engagement is needed in a specific project (purpose, influence, decision points)
• Identify who to engage using stakeholder mapping and profiling techniques (including hard-to-reach groups)
• Analyse relationships, expectations, power dynamics and potential sensitivities between actors
• Select how to engage by matching formats and methods to objectives, context and participant needs
• Design an engagement approach that supports inclusion and meaningful participation (not symbolic involvement)
• Plan practical steps: recruitment channels, messaging, accessibility, timing, facilitation roles and follow-up
• Anticipate common challenges (conflicting expectations, low trust, participation fatigue) and choose mitigation tactics

Insight from a broad range of experiences

The workshop is led by Marzia Mazzonetto and Alexandre Torres of Stickydot, drawing on a wealth of expertise in designing and implementing co-creation and multi stakeholder engagement processes across Europe. It is delivered in English and draws on real-world co-creation practice across research and innovation contexts, with practical examples and exercises designed to be immediately transferable to participants’ work. The sessions are dynamic and interactive, ensuring plenty of time for discussion and sharing of experiences.

About Stickydot

Stickydot is a Brussels-based SME that shapes research and innovation through multi-stakeholder engagement and co-creation. We support teams to design engagement that is structured, inclusive and fit-for-purpose, so that the outcomes are shaped according to the needs and values of the participants. Read more about us here and follow us on LinkedIn.

A lthough this is a paid workshop, we value inclusion and do not want price to be a barrier to participation. Please don't hesitate to contact us about it.