December 2025. Sawsan Khuri. Is it a balance or an eternal juggle? How to find balance in the juggle.
innovation
Devon Chamber of Commerce Board Away Day 2025
One large county. Two vibrant cities, several thriving towns, hundreds of hidden innovation gems. Known for its beaches and moors, Devon is a force to be reckoned with in business as well. This Board Away Day brought out what was most important for us to move forward and evolve with the times.
Community assets in Healthcare
There is ample research evidence for the benefits of healthcare assets beyond the clinic. So how might we turn this evidence to policy and from there into the health system? What evaluation measures are needed for this translation and how might we make it happen? This was the conversation we facilitated for the UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Cultural heritage and climate change Consultation Event
Hosted at the British Council in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council and UNESCO-UK, Collaborative Capacities facilitated a consultation event to determine how policy making might help incorporate cultural heritage into climate change discussions.
Intergenerational Justice Consultation Event
Hosted by UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Collaborative Capacities facilitated a consultation event to explore initial steps towards embedding Intergenerational Justice in the design and implementation of everyday work.
Crop science data workshop
As one of the primary food sources in the global south, cassava is on the menu when it comes to talking about food security. The Gates Foundation has funded large research projects aimed at breeding cassava varieties that can withstand varied growth conditions and pests.
Duke Corporate Education ESG Academy workshop
As a Global Educator at Duke Corporate Education with a focus area on ESG, Sawsan delivered an interactive, engaging session on incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance elements into the innovation processes.
Green Infrastructure Project meeting and report
A multi-sector engagement to create a roadmap for restoring, enhancing and connecting Green Infrastructure for people and nature in a post-industrial landscape.
“If you need to cough or sneeze, please do it into your sleeve.”
October 2022, Sawsan Khuri. It’s a ground rule for any in person gathering, equal to respectful listening and avoiding distractions.
Collaboration starts with how you say their name.
September 2022, Sawsan Khuri. How often have you been unsure about the correct way to pronounce someone’s name? What have you done about it?
Food security consultations
The food security needs and priorities in the ten countries of Southeast Asia are based on a complex set of interrelated dynamics. We designed meeting formats and trained in-house facilitators to run consultation meetings around this topic in Southeast Asia.
The candle, the box and innovation
August 2022, Sawsan Khuri. How often have you heard the old cliché, think outside the box? No one ever asks you to think about how to light a candle without making a mess…
ExeBiblio – a writing intervention
August 2022, Sawsan Khuri and Tamsin Kilner.
Think you might/should/could maybe one day write a book?
Intimidated by the publishing process?
Feel you could write the book on writer’s block?
We did, and here is what we did about it.
Research culture intervention
Whole-university intervention to gain insights around research culture as part of the deliverables for the Declaration of Research Assessment (DORA) and to evidence the implementation of UKRI’s Concordat principles in each department.
An Interview with …
June 2022: The Exeter Chamber recognises the importance of STEMM and of related businesses in the Exeter area through Exist (Exeter Initiative for Science and Technology). The Exist Insights magazine spotlights key players in the area and this month it’s Sawsan Khuri.
Innovation for an improved business model
With business norms evolving, SMEs need to assess their innovation strategy and build resilience into their business model.
Embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Apr 2022, Sawsan Khuri. EDI is at the heart of innovation. We worked with a large organisation to establish a strategy for embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in their culture.
Research Strategy Meeting
Generate trust and cohesion, learn from past success, inform decisions for the future.
Why we use the term intervention
March 2022, Sawsan Khuri. Innovation defines the process of creating something new. Workshops are often used to describe facilitating the process of innovation. However, here at Collaborative Capacities, we prefer to use the term intervention.
Land acquisition for carbon multi-sector workshop
The focus was on listening, noting, and arriving at decisions which consider every voice in the room and work towards the common good.
Revenue models for peatland restoration
A multi-sector generative conversation around market based approached to funding peatland restoration, hosted by the Great North Bog initiative and delivered with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Fast Track Impact and Finance Earth.
Take your shoes off and slide into innovation interventions for lasting change
Jan 2022., Sawsan Khuri. ‘Take Your Shoes Off First’ is a term used by Julia Freeland in the book and podcast of the same name. The powerful idea is to identify our own beliefs and put them aside before trying to understand another person’s perspective. In her fifth podcast, Julia discusses this concept with Sawsan Khuri and how we use it in our innovation interventions.
A broad cross-disciplinary collaborative programme
The hidden histories of environmental science programme was a broad cross disciplinary effort aimed at learning from the colonial past to inform a more equitable, inclusive future for the sector.
How Important are Facts in Conflict Resolution?
Nov 2021, Daniel Maxwell. Dan’s expertise is in working with groups of people to map and compare their beliefs, revealing where they agree and disagree, and helping them understand each other better and reach reconciliation.