Many innovation networks succeed in bringing together companies, universities and public organisations. Far fewer succeed in turning those connections into long-term collaboration. As the SustAInLivWork AI Cluster enters its next stage of development, Lithuanian and Finnish experts are asking what it really takes to build an innovation ecosystem that remains active long after individual projects and funding programmes end.
Bringing companies, researchers and public institutions into the same network is only the first step. The greater challenge is turning that network into an active community where organisations find partners, exchange knowledge and develop new projects.
This is now the focus of the SustAInLivWork AI Cluster, presented during the SustAInLivWork Annual Summit 2026 in Kaunas. Bringing together 38 organisations across eight sectors, the cluster is entering a new phase: moving beyond building a network towards creating meaningful collaboration. So far, the project has mapped 101 organisations across the AI ecosystem, including 68 international stakeholders.
According to Vilma Purienė, Lead of WP4 of SustAInLivWork and Head of the Tech Transfer & Valorization Office at VILNIUS TECH, attracting new members is no longer the main objective.
“We are putting a lot of effort into engaging AI Cluster members, but we also need to think about what the best offer for them is. What services, data, access to the platform and other activities can we provide so that they remain engaged and see clear value in being part of the AI Cluster?” says Purienė.
From membership to collaboration
Joining a cluster does not automatically lead to new partnerships or innovation. To help organisations move beyond simple membership, the SustAInLivWork team is developing services ranging from tailored onboarding and expert consultations to pilot support and partner matching through the SustAInLivWork Arena.
Rather than acting as a directory of organisations, the Arena is being designed as a practical collaboration platform where members can discover relevant expertise, identify shared challenges and connect with potential partners for future projects.
What Finland has already learned
The challenge of keeping an innovation ecosystem active is far from unique. During the Annual Summit, Prof. Dr Matti Vilkko from Tampere University shared lessons from Finland’s SIX initiative and the Mobile Work Machines community, which he has helped develop over the past six years.
According to Vilkko, previous Finnish initiatives successfully built strong networks of companies and universities. The real challenge came later: once funding ended, many communities gradually became inactive: “This is not a free marketplace. It is not that a company simply comes into the ecosystem and starts getting results from it automatically. Everybody has to invest something: their own time, activities and, in some cases, money into the goals of the ecosystem.”
For this reason, the Finnish model places strong emphasis on continuous interaction between researchers and companies, ensuring that collaboration continues beyond individual projects or funding periods.
AI connects sectors, not only technologies
The Finnish experience also highlights a broader shift in the role of artificial intelligence. Rather than being treated as a separate discipline, AI increasingly serves as an enabling technology embedded across manufacturing, healthcare, transport, energy and many other fields.
The SustAInLivWork AI Cluster follows the same philosophy by bringing together organisations from different sectors to identify shared challenges that AI can help solve. Alongside collaboration, the project is also developing practical guidance on the responsible use of AI, covering legal compliance, transparency, data protection and human oversight under the EU AI Act.
Success will be measured by collaboration
Over the coming years, the cluster aims to grow to at least 100 members and establish ten international cluster agreements. Yet, according to Purienė, these figures are not the ultimate measure of success.
“Our plan is to engage as many stakeholders as possible, not only local ones but also international organisations and partners. We want to create opportunities for future projects, collaboration, joint ventures and other interactions that will keep the AI Cluster sustainable, alive and active,” she says.
For the SustAInLivWork team, the real indicator of success will not be the size of the network itself, but the number of meaningful collaborations it generates and the long-term value those partnerships create for researchers, businesses and society.
The SustAInLivWork project is co-funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101059903 and under the European Union Funds’ Investments 2021–2027 (project No. 10-042-P-0001).
