Twinning for Europe's Competitiveness: Keeping Excellence Connected Across All RegionsÖztürk, Cem (Avtor) Hana, Owsianková (Avtor) Tanja, Botić (Avtor) Trakalova, Emilie (Avtor) Marušincová, Blanka (Avtor) Yasemin, Ertan (Avtor) Burcu, Kiran (Avtor) Viera, Pechancová (Avtor) Cogoni, Serena (Avtor) Filiz, Onat (Avtor) twinningperformance gapwideningWIDERA actionscase studyexcellenceneuroscienceenvironmental technologiescultural heritagesocial sciencesbusiness innovationTwinning is one of the European Union’s most effective and affordable instruments for closing the R&I performance gap between Widening and established research systems. Through structured, multi-year partnerships between one Widening coordinator and at least two excellence institutions, it delivers measurable improvements in scientific excellence, institutional management, and European collaboration – at a fraction of the cost of other WIDERA actions. Since Horizon 2020, Twinning has strengthened over 600 research groups, trained thousands of researchers, and helped hundreds of institutions progress from learning to leadership within Horizon Europe consortia. Independent evaluations confirm that Twinning projects achieve the highest publication output among Widening measures, raise proposal success rates, and enhance long-term participation readiness for mainstream EU programmes. The absence of Twinning calls in 2024–2025, however, risks reversing these achievements. The current pause interrupts project pipelines, undermines staff retention, and weakens the momentum of institutions that have only recently reached competitiveness. While Teaming, ERA Chairs, and Excellence Hubs play valuable roles, none replicate Twinning’s targeted, institution-to-institution model of sustained mentoring and skills transfer. The case studies presented in this brief – spanning neuroscience, environmental technologies, cultural heritage, social sciences, and business innovation – demonstrate Twinning’s cross-disciplinary and pan-European impact. They show that small, focused investments can generate enduring institutional transformation, research management maturity, and regional growth. The message is clear: Twinning is not a transitional measure but a strategic investment in Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and cohesion. Reinstating annual Twinning calls with stable budgets, KPI-driven monitoring, and stronger links to regional and Pillar II instruments is essential to maintain the excellence pipeline and ensure that every region can contribute fully to Europe's research and innovation future. Zenodo20252026-01-19 15:56:42Razvojna raziskava96566sl