Funding alone is usually not sufficient. CRCs need incentives, support and infrastructure to start international cooperation activities:

• Integrate internationalisation aspects in the indicators used for monitoring and evaluation: CRCs that have a certain maturity could be asked to define more explicit internationalisation goals and develop activities to achieve this.
• Develop short and focused CRC-management training modules on topics such as “how to involve foreign companies in my CRC-organisation’, “good practice in IPR management”. They could build on the experiences of ‘peers’: the managers of CRCs that have shown to be successful in their international cooperation activities.
• Organise personalised support (on issues such as contracts, partners etc.)
• Try to build up partnerships with, for example, existing national services for acquiring EU-funding, export support and agencies responsible for attracting foreign investments to match their activities with the specific needs of the CRCs.
• Make international infrastructure of your research and innovation system (f. ex. liaison offices, international representations of universities and research organisations) available to your CRC.
•  Make information on potential partner countries and cooperation chances available to your CRCs and organise a corresponding exchange of experience among your CRCs.