Team Finder

Team Finder alerts (type: collaborators) help you discover researchers with complementary expertise who could be strong collaborators on funding applications. Rather than manually searching for partners, the system monitors researcher profiles and activity to surface potential matches based on your research focus and the requirements of available funding opportunities.

This alert type is particularly valuable when preparing consortium-based applications (common in Horizon Europe, EIT, and similar programmes) where assembling the right team is as important as the research itself.

How It Works

Team Finder uses your research profile, publication history, and configured interests to identify researchers whose expertise complements yours. The matching considers:

• Research focus alignment -- Researchers working in related but distinct areas that would strengthen a joint application.
• Complementary methods -- Partners who bring different methodological expertise to fill gaps in your approach.
• Geographic fit -- Researchers in countries that meet consortium eligibility requirements for specific programmes.
• Institutional diversity -- Partners from different institution types (universities, research institutes, SMEs) to meet funder expectations.

Setting Up a Team Finder Alert

1. Navigate to Smart Alerts from the ArkSearch submenu.
2. Click Create Alert and select Team Finder.
3. Configure your collaboration criteria:
   • Research areas -- Define the expertise you are looking for in a collaborator. This can differ from your own research focus.
   • Target programmes (optional) -- Specify the funding programmes you are targeting, so the system can factor in their consortium requirements.
   • Geographic preferences (optional) -- Indicate preferred countries or regions for collaborators.
4. Choose your frequency: weekly or monthly.
5. Save the alert.

What You Receive

Each notification displays researcher results with:

• Researcher name -- The identified potential collaborator.
• Research focus -- A summary of their primary research areas and recent activity.
• Similarity percentage -- A score indicating how well their expertise complements your stated needs. Higher percentages indicate stronger complementary fit.
• AI-generated insight -- An explanation of why this researcher is a good match, including which of your criteria they satisfy and what they would bring to a collaboration.

Use Cases

• Consortium building -- When preparing a Horizon Europe application that requires partners from multiple countries and disciplines, Team Finder identifies candidates who meet the specific requirements.
• Interdisciplinary proposals -- If your research sits at the intersection of fields, use Team Finder to locate experts in the adjacent disciplines you need to make a compelling case.
• Expanding your network -- Even outside of active proposal preparation, Team Finder surfaces researchers whose work intersects with yours, creating opportunities for future collaboration.