Over the past 15 years, I’ve been involved in building and working within international project consortia — from early Horizon-related initiatives to more recent multi-country projects across Europe, Africa, and Central Asia.

International consortia often look impressive on paper.

Multiple countries.
Strong institutions.
Ambitious goals.

Yet many of them never move beyond proposals.

Or, if funded, struggle with implementation.

I have been part of this process for more than a decade — starting from early involvement in European Horizon-related initiatives, through national-level collaboration, to building multi-country partnerships across Europe, Africa, and Central Asia.

The pattern is remarkably consistent.

Where It Started

Back in 2010, I joined a European consortium focused on developing a regional balneological tourism network in the Black Sea area.

The partnership included:

• universities and NGOs
• partners from Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine
• strong academic and institutional backing

On paper, it was exactly what a “perfect consortium” should look like.

But even then, one thing became clear:

A consortium is not a group of organisations.
It is a system that either works — or doesn’t.

The Illusion of Partnership

A strong international project consortium is not a list of partners.

Many consortia are built around a simple idea:

“Let’s gather as many partners as possible and apply.”

This leads to:

• formal partnerships without real roles
• overlapping expertise
• unclear responsibilities

The result?

A proposal may look strong —
but the foundation is weak.

What Actually Makes a Consortium Work

Over the years — including work with USAID-supported initiatives and more recent multi-country projects — a different understanding emerged.

A strong consortium is built on three things:

1. Clear Roles, Not Just Strong Names

Big organisations do not guarantee success.

What matters is:

• who does what
• who is accountable
• how decisions are made

Without this, even funded projects struggle.

2. Real Complementarity

A working consortium is not a collection of similar actors.

It is a system where:

• each partner brings something different
• roles are not duplicated
• expertise is interconnected

This is much harder to achieve — but essential.

3. A Shared Logic — Not Just a Shared Topic

Many consortia are built around a theme.

Few are built around a common implementation logic.

When partners do not share:

• the same understanding of the problem
• the same expectations of results
• the same approach to execution

the project becomes fragmented.

From Regional to Global Context

In more recent years, building and supporting consortia across different regions — including Africa, the EU, Ukraine, and Central Asia — has reinforced one key insight:

The geography changes.
The pattern does not.

Whether it is a tourism initiative, a regenerative landscapes project, or a multi-country development programme —

the success of a consortium depends less on who is inside,
and more on how it is structured.

Why Many Consortia Fail Before They Start

Because they focus on:

• assembling partners
• writing proposals
• meeting formal requirements

Instead of focusing on:

• structure
• roles
• implementation logic

A Different Approach

Building a consortium is not about filling a table of partners.

It is about designing a system that can deliver results.

And this requires:

• clarity
• discipline
• and often — difficult decisions about who should (and should not) be involved.

---

If you are working on international projects or considering building a consortium,
the key question is not:

“Who can we include?”

But:

“How will this actually work in practice?”