Critical Success Factors and a Modus Operandi Framework for Managing Multi‐Actor Research Partnerships for Sustainable Food Systems

ABSTRACT This paper investigates critical success factors for managing multi‐actor research partnerships for sustainable food systems along their lifecycle. Such partnerships coordinate both internal activities and manage externally funded projects. Drawing on evidence from case studies and workshops with diverse experts, the study identifies critical success factors for distinguishable development and operational phases, core pillars, and management categories for supported research projects. Guiding principles like adaptability, trust, transparency, consensus, and proactiveness are essential for ensuring inclusiveness and sustainability‐orientation. Additionally, successful partnership management depends on key performance indicators, in critical success factor represented areas, for continuous coordination and management, monitoring and reporting, and coherent communication, dissemination, and exploitation. Based on these unique expert‐driven insights, a novel conceptual Modus Operandi framework is developed, contributing to knowledge on research partnership management. Once validated in different contexts, this framework can support project managers and policymakers in effectively managing and guiding food system research partnerships.