About the Masterclasses
START is excited to invite you to the TIF Masterclasses 2025 (pilot edition) – a unique opportunity to boost your skills in mission-driven research, expand your network, and co-create the future of innovation at START.
These masterclasses are more than just training sessions – they’re a space for interdisciplinary collaboration, inspiration, and transformation. You’ll engage directly with START hub coordinators, researchers, and fellow START members from across disciplines, working together to explore new methodologies and tackle real-world challenges.
Why Join?
- Connect & Collaborate: Meet passionate peers and potential project partners from across the START network.
- Learn & Lead: Gain practical tools in project development, impact assessment, and funding strategy.
- Shape the Future: Your feedback will help refine START’s innovation approach and future programming.
- Be a Pioneer: As part of this pilot, you’ll help set the tone for future masterclasses and community learning.
What's inside?
Masterclass 1: Triple-I methodologies 🎓
The Triple-I framework is the heart of START, encompassing START’s commitment towards integrative, inclusive and inter-disciplinary research that generate a societal impact.
Yet how is this commitment operationalized?
This masterclass will provide training in models and techniques to implement each of the three I’s in future project development.
You will be given training in:
- Interdisciplinary project exploration🔬
- Logic models for cohesive project development🧠
- Models for stakeholder- and collaborator mapping and analysis🗺️
- Meaningful multistakeholder engagement🤝
Masterclass 2: Impact assessment frameworks 🎯
START’s objective of accelerating the green transformation of agrifood systems necessitates the involvement of all disciplines to spur societal transformation 🌱 Yet understandings — even cultures — of what constitutes impact and how to quantify it differ across disciplines. This masterclass will provide tools and understanding to synthesize a variety of impact frameworks into a common language that can bridge the divide between disciplines and create cohesive frameworks aimed at maximizing societal change.
You will be given training in:
- Introduction to different sustainability impact assessment frameworks and their understanding of impact📚
- Requirement of impact assessments from funding providers in connection with proposals📝
- Presentation of different tools for the assessment of sustainability impact🛠️
- Presentation of case studies and practical hands-on testing of own case study🧪
Masterclass 3: Funding (landscape) 💼
The funding landscape is rapidly evolving, placing an increasing emphasis on societal impact.
Yet, each donor quantifies this differently, creating challenges around writing the good application amidst uncertain donor demands.
This masterclass will train you in:
- Translating Triple-I methodologies and novel impact frameworks into applications🧩
- Understanding the call text – what does the donor want?🔍
- Reading between the lines of call texts – how can we operationalize contemporary funding buzzwords in a way that strengthens the application rather than box-ticking?🧠
- Writing the good application – how to hit the right tone, scope, ambitions, and how to distribute your writing efficiently within spatial constraints?✍️
Check out other START activities
