In the past decades the European Union (EU) has undertaken numerous measures to foster European Cohesion. However, given the current economic status of European economies in crisis and increasing disparities not only between the so called “old” and “new” EU Member States but also between EURO-countries, European Cohesion is facing new challenges. At the same time the discourse on European Cohesion is seriously hampered. For example, proposals to promote European Cohesion are currently either presented from an economic or from a political point of view in largely separated academic circles. Similarly discussions are limited to researchers and technocrats. This evidences the need for inclusive discussion and reflection activities to reduce the gaps between involved stakeholders and stimulate new thinking on strategies for European Cohesion. To address this need we developed a “cross-fertilisation project” on the hurdles and perspectives for European Cohesion which also includes the elaboration of concrete policy proposals. In a nutshell the project “Europe in Crisis: Challenges and Scenarios for Cohesion” (EU-CSC) foresees two major outputs and outcomes, which guide all other project activities: Firstly, we organize a multidisciplinary high-level conference which brings together international researchers, policy makers and civil society representatives alike. Based on this conference we aim to contribute to a more inclusive discourse among key stakeholders and bridge existing gaps in the debate. Secondly, we publish the conference findings in a summarizing peer-reviewed publication (special edition in the publication series “Business and Management”, open access) to make the results available for further exploitation to a wider audience. To ensure a broad reach, EU-CSC is accompanied by a substantial dissemination and exploitation strategy. A lasting impact shall be achieved through the direct involvement of key target groups during the lifetime of the project.