Abstract
This presentation illustrates the stakeholder engagement process developed within the Spoke 7 " Comunità resilienti: le dimensioni sociali, economiche, legali e culturali" of the RETURN Extended Partnership, funded by the European Union’s Next‑GenerationEU program. The initiative aims to strengthen multi‑risk resilience by integrating scientific, social, economic, legal, and cultural perspectives. Within this framework, TS7 designed a structured methodology to identify and map stakeholders across the project, beginning with the recognition of transversal actors and followed by collaborative refinement with Spokes, Partners, and Work Package representatives. The process led to the establishment of a dedicated working group, the creation of a shared stakeholder database, and the development of a digital platform to support continuous monitoring and coordination.
Engagement activities focused on clear communication, alignment of expectations, integration of feedback, and iterative verification of needs. A major milestone was the general stakeholder event using the World Café methodology, which brought together institutional bodies, regional authorities, technical experts, facilitators, and project teams to discuss applicability, operational contexts, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Evaluation data highlighted strong perceived usefulness, rich interactions, and appreciation for the collaborative format.
The outcomes include methodological reports, shared databases, monitoring outputs, and recommendations for future initiatives emphasizing centralized coordination, dynamic stakeholder mapping, early participatory processes, and iterative co‑design to support long‑term resilience strategies.