Critical success factors and a modus operandi framework for managing multi‐actor research partnerships for sustainable food systems

Mechthild Donner (), Damien Guimond, Emmanuelle Lagendijk, Maurine Mamès, Angela Baker and Hugo de Vries ()
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Mechthild Donner: UMR MoISA - Montpellier Interdisciplinary center on Sustainable Agri-food systems (Social and nutritional sciences) - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement
Damien Guimond: INRAE Transfert
Emmanuelle Lagendijk: INRAE Transfert
Maurine Mamès: UMR IATE - Ingénierie des Agro-polymères et Technologies Émergentes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier
Angela Baker: INRAE Transfert
Hugo de Vries: UMR IATE - Ingénierie des Agro-polymères et Technologies Émergentes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier

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Abstract: This paper investigates critical success factors for managing multi‐actor research partnerships for sustainable food systems along their lifecycle. Such partnerships coordinate both internal activities and manage externally funded projects. Drawing on evidence from case studies and workshops with diverse experts, the study identifies critical success factors for distinguishable development and operational phases, core pillars, and management categories for supported research projects. Guiding principles like adaptability, trust, transparency, consensus, and proactiveness are essential for ensuring inclusiveness and sustainability‐orientation. Additionally, successful partnership management depends on key performance indicators, in critical success factor represented areas, for continuous coordination and management, monitoring and reporting, and coherent communication, dissemination, and exploitation. Based on these unique expert‐driven insights, a novel conceptual Modus Operandi framework is developed, contributing to knowledge on research partnership management. Once validated in different contexts, this framework can support project managers and policymakers in effectively managing and guiding food system research partnerships.

Keywords: sustainable food systems; research partnerships; modus operandi framework; key performance indicators; critical success factors; collective intelligence guiding principles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ppm
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Published in Sustainable Development, inPress, Early View, ⟨10.1002/sd.70930⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05557438

DOI: 10.1002/sd.70930

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