Arqus fosters new collaboration opportunities at Maynooth: The nature of wellbeing – Sustainable and healthy futures

The event The Nature of Well-Being: Sustainable and Healthy Futures, held at Maynooth University on Friday, 9 October, was organised by GoGreenNext, a Horizon Europe project associated with the Innovation Value Institute, in collaboration with the Maynooth Arqus team and the newly established MU Futures Hub.

The networking event welcomed over 30 participants from the fields of nature and health, biodiversity, climate change, community advocacy, and the enterprise sector, providing a platform to build collaborations and strengthen partnerships across the nature, health, sustainability, and wellbeing sectors.

The event began with an engaging trail walk around the Maynooth Green Campus and the Royal Canal Greenway, encouraging discussion on climate change and the key challenges facing nature and health.

The morning continued with a panel discussion exploring the next steps towards sustainable and healthy futures, followed by a stakeholder workshop in a World Café format, co-facilitated by the Arqus Capacity and Impacts Officer at Maynooth, Irina Samson. Participants shared stories of success and discussed the challenges of finding pathways to change through knowledge exchange.

The event concluded with a panel discussion on opportunities for collaboration, where Ben Finnegan, Arqus Manager at Maynooth University, highlighted new approaches to research collaboration at MU and showcased the impact of the Alliance on the research landscape. Reflecting on the value of the Arqus network and the reputation of its member institutions, he noted that:

“Since joining the Arqus Alliance, Maynooth University has strengthened its international engagement and developed a more coordinated approach to global collaboration. Through Arqus, we have built strong partnerships with trusted universities across Europe, creating opportunities for collaboration in research, education, innovation, and societal engagement. These relationships provide a solid foundation for future research partnerships, and we look forward to building on them in the years ahead.”

Patrycja Paszkowska’s experience on research and collaboration within Arqus

Representing Dr Agata Dorotkiewicz-Jach, co-lead of the Climate Resilience and Sustainable Development Academic Hub, Patrycja Paszkowska contributed to the Nature of Well-Being: Sustainable and Healthy Futures event as a pannelist, sharing insights on the importance of collaboration in research and innovation.

For Patrycja Paszkowska, one of the key outcomes of the event was the opportunity to connect with people from different sectors and disciplines. Reflecting on her involvement with Arqus over the years, she highlighted how the Alliance has helped her build international networks, gain research experience abroad, and develop collaborations that continue beyond individual events.

“As a result, I spent six weeks in France, and now our lab is signing a material transfer agreement for bacterial strains. We will see where this collaboration leads, but I can already see that I benefited from the international experience, and my lab benefited from gaining long-term collaborators.”

Beyond fostering research collaborations, Arqus has also supported Patrycja’s personal and professional development. Having completed her education primarily in Polish, she explained how participating in international activities has helped her build confidence in communicating in English:

“My whole education has been in Polish. The only opportunities I have to speak English are during these kinds of events, where I can improve both my confidence and my English.”

Patrycja also reflected on the importance of belonging to a wider community of researchers who share similar interests and face similar challenges. She credited much of this support to her involvement in the Climate Resilience and Sustainable Development Hub:

“If you never had strong support in your academic journey, it can be difficult. I found that support mainly through Agata and the Climate Resilience and Sustainable Development Hub.”

She highlighted the importance of events like Nature of Well-Being: Sustainable and Healthy Futures to build connections in person. Concluding her reflections on the day, she emphasised the unique value of face-to-face engagement:

“Through Arqus and today’s event, I have learned that meeting people in person creates the greatest opportunities. It allows you to genuinely get to know people, and there is still huge value in face-to-face conferences and events. Online activities simply cannot replace that experience.”

Article written by Ainhoa López Mir (Maynooth University)