Some of the most important moments in research happen early on, when ideas are still taking shape and open to change. The Connected Minds Co-Creation Day created space for early-stage Transformative Futures Grant (TFG) projects , to be explored, questioned, and strengthened through discussion with others. Â
The session brought together over 50 participants, including researchers and collaborators, to workshop ten diverse projects. Through small group discussions, participants engaged closely with each project, asking questions, offering feedback, and bringing in perspectives from different disciplines. These exchanges helped surface new ways of thinking and explore how projects might evolve when approached from outside their original context. Project teams then had the opportunity to reflect on the input, respond to questions, and continue the discussion with the broader group  Â
The neural, machine, and society pillars at Connected Minds actively shaped how projects were engaged, each introducing a different way of working through the same set of questions. Moving across them extended what each project could become, opening directions that would remain out of reach within a single field. Within this, co-creation informed how ideas developed, how collaborations took form, and how projects remained open while their direction was still being defined, embedding rigor early in the process and grounding the work in Connected Minds’ commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.Â
By opening projects up to different ways of thinking early on, teams were able to strengthen their approach and move forward with greater clarity. This kind of collective engagement continues to shape how work develops across Connected Minds, supporting more interdisciplinary, inclusive, and impactful research at the intersection of humans and intelligent technologies.Â