Dissemination builds bridges and relationships

Dissemination is more than just sharing results — it is about building bridges and relationships, enhancing collaboration, and creating lasting impact. In our ENRICHER hubs project, we have seen how dissemination can foster meaningful relationships, and be a journey from a university colleague and project participant to a trusted partner and friend.

In this article, we discuss the many ways dissemination has transformed project participation into deeper collaboration and impact.

Relationships matter in dissemination

In all research, development and innovation (RDI) projects, dissemination has a prominent role. Dissemination refers to all the activities that help share the project’s goals, progress, and results with others during the project and after it ends. The purpose of dissemination is to ensure that the knowledge and results of the project are actively shared and applied, rather than simply archived.

The European Commission (2025) expects that Erasmus+ project proposals clearly describe how the results will be used, shared, and sustained even after the funding ends. This means choosing the right ways to communicate with different audiences and making sure the messages are clear and useful. For example, the ENRICHER hubs project has an entire work package focused on dissemination, supported by a public plan designed to enhance project visibility and impact.

While it is important to cover the basics of dissemination, it should go beyond simply sharing information. Dissemination should be interactive, engaging, and collaborative. When co-creating knowledge feels genuinely rewarding, the effort involved becomes secondary. And when the outcomes extend beyond publications, they reflect the potential of higher education institutions as leaders in expertise, collaboration, and societal impact. (Väänänen et al. 2024.)

Effective dissemination helps people understand the project, apply its results, and talk about them with others. It is about building meaningful connections and ensuring the project’s legacy continues after its official end.

Successful international project collaboration is built on trust, mutual respect, and a genuine willingness to learn. When partners listen to each other and acknowledge one another’s needs, collaboration becomes more impactful and lasting. Especially in long-term projects, shared goals and cultural awareness help balance differences and strengthen the partnership. (Haley et al. 2024.) This approach strengthens the relevance and usefulness of the results.

Collaboration is not always easy. Time constraints, scheduling conflicts, and limited resources can make it challenging to maintain momentum and engagement. When dissemination and social interaction within external networks are truly inspiring and engaging, limitations like time or internal resources no longer feel like obstacles (Väänänen et al. 2024).

Dissemination is about engagement

Dissemination in RDI projects can take many forms, each serving different audiences and purposes. Face-to-face dissemination remains a powerful method, enabling direct interaction, networking, and immediate feedback. This includes seminars, workshops, and stakeholder meetings, where participants can engage with the project’s outcomes. These allow spontaneous conversations, shared laughter, and the kind of informal exchanges that deepen relationships.

Face-to-face meetings play a vital role in ensuring the successful implementation of the project. While much of the work can be efficiently carried out online, in-person interactions with stakeholders and project partners help build trust and strengthen collaboration. Once partners build trust and get to know each other, communication becomes easier. Informal messages can replace formal emails, making interaction more relaxed and easier. Of course, certain matters must be addressed through formal channels, knowing your partners enables you to identify the best ways to engage and communicate with them.

Online dissemination has expanded the reach and accessibility of project results. Webinars, virtual conferences, social media campaigns, and digital publications allow for flexible participation and broader visibility. These formats are especially effective for engaging international audiences and maintaining continuity beyond the project’s active phase. For example, Haaga-Helia disseminates about its RDI projects on the university website and in digital publications (eSignals and eSignals PRO) as well as in its social media sites.

Other dissemination methods include printed materials, audiovisual content, and integration into educational or professional development contexts. A strategic combination of these approaches ensures that the project’s impact is maximised across sectors and stakeholder groups.

ENRICHER hubs dissemination in action

In the ENRICHER hubs project, we use multiple ways of dissemination and employ all the above strategies to share project results. In addition to the project’s own website and social media channels, we share information through partner university websites, the Ulysseus European University network, and other suitable platforms.

Our project organises two dissemination seminars. The first dissemination seminar took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the end of September 2025. During the seminar day, it was rewarding to see how much we have already accomplished together. The trainings for sustainable tourism and service design have already been conducted, there are trainers in each university, and the training material is being translated to local languages. Some universities have already started to train their students with the material. The project results are being disseminated, the core messages are reaching stakeholders, and the impact is beginning to resonate across the target countries. Lately, the project social media sites have had more content than ever before.

During the autumn 2025, hubs have opened or will soon open in the partner universities in Georgia and Moldova. Hub opening events get publicity online and make a buzz around the campuses. Every day, more people get to know about the project and what it has to offer. We will disseminate about the hub activities in the second dissemination seminar taking place in Chisinau, Moldova, in May next year.

We have already visited two hubs in Georgia: one at the Caucasus University in Tbilisi and the other at Telavi State University in the region of Kakheti. The hubs are dynamic spaces for disseminating innovative methods. Students can be active players and connect with their peers, lecturers and industry stakeholders, learning important skills for the future of work. In the hubs, they exchange ideas as well as discuss, plan, and present solutions for the sustainability of tourism. At the hubs, students can connect with the industry representatives already during their studies. They join the business community not as strangers but as collaboration partners.

Aim for dissemination built on collaboration

While formal reports, presentations, or planned communication strategies are important, we must remember that dissemination is also about relationships, trust, and everyday conversations. When we approach each other with openness, respect, and curiosity, we create space for real connection. When we share our work with friends, over coffee, during walks, or in casual chats, we spread knowledge and results of the project in natural and meaningful ways.

The informal moments may not follow a structured agenda, but they play a quiet and powerful role in how ideas travel and grow. Informal social interactions are often overlooked, but they are crucial to building trust and relationships (Dusdal & Powell 2021).

Dissemination in Erasmus+ projects is a journey. For ENRICHER Hubs, it has transformed from visibility to friendship, from inspiration to impact. Whether online or in person, every interaction is a chance to enrich lives and careers, and build lasting connections.

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