Keeping the co-creation process informal poses a challenge.

One of the challenges involves finding businesses that are willing to collaborate with students without setting a specific goal (i.e., a specific solution to a specific business issue). You need businesses that are willing to collaborate with students in a more coaching capacity. Businesses can be persuaded to engage in collaboration by clearly indicating that the students will be conducting “an initial analysis” and providing a form of “consultancy”, and by allowing the businesses to take part in future events, thus enabling them to meet valuable colleagues in their sector.

Collaborate with a core of strong partners and gradually expand this circle. Building up co-creation with a range of partners poses a challenge. Literature on the “learning ecosystem” offers some useful insights to this end.