The UAB to take part in a new innovation and enterpreneurship boosting project
The UAB will be taking part in a new ECIU University project called BOOGIE U. The project, funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), aims to boost EU sustainable economic growth and competitiveness by executing novel models for increasing Innovation and Entrepreneurial (I&E) capacity within the consortium. In doing so, the project aims to contribute to the evolution of local innovation systems.
30/07/2021
The Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP) is based on the Higher Education Innovation (HEI) self-assessment of the consortium members; experience in cutting-edge I&E education coming from three Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) partners involved mainly in three KICs (EIT Digital, EIT RawMaterials, and EIT Manufacturing); experience and competencies developed in the more recent university of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU University) European University alliance, involving all partners in this consortium; a deep-rooted network of collaboration within each partner’s regional economic and innovation ecosystem that will be used to tackle the intra-EU innovation divide; the use of a novel systemic challenge-based innovation approach (currently piloted in the ECIU University) that covers the whole cycle of I&E, from public and private engagement in the co-creation of actual societal challenges, to the use of a playground setting for solving them in an entrepreneurial, innovative way, and the final grounding of the best solutions in new start-ups, or through valorisation in existing enterprises.
In particular, the consortium members will engage in the following main objectives, involving students, academic and non-academic staff, companies, start-ups, regional business development agencies, and public administration: sustainable institutional engagement, with the creation of six Innovation Hubs as multi-disciplinary open spaces in all HEIs; strengthening partnerships by exchanging good practices between KIC and non-KIC partners, as well as with the ECIU University European University alliance; establishing new collaborations, and enhancing the nature, content, and types of collaborations with external partners, co-creating at least six challenge-based initiatives; contributing to the development of innovations and businesses with dedicated structures and practices to support the grounding of the best solutions generated by the proposed challenge-based innovation model; enhancing the quality of I&E education by developing innovation and entrepreneurial training programmes and mentoring schemes for staff and students, while assessing teaching and learning practices.
The project will receive funding from the EIT’s HEI Initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education. This new initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) aims to boost the entrepreneurial and innovation capacity of higher education institutions (HEIs).
As part of this project, we will be working together with the following partners: University of Trento – project lead; Trentino Innovation Hub – Foundation; Linköping University; University of Stavanger; Kaunas University of Technology; and National Institute of Applied Sciences of Toulouse.
Under the EIT’s HEI Initiative, the project will receive funding of €399,957.45 and will run until December 2021, with the possibility of extending the project 18 additional months.
About the EIT’s HEI initiative
The EIT’s HEI Initiative is a key objective for the EIT as part of its new strategy, the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda 2021−2027. The initiative aims to support higher education institutions with expertise and coaching, access to the EIT innovation ecosystem, and funding, enabling them to develop innovation action plans complementing the needs of individual higher education institutions. As part of its Pilot Phase, the initiative has provided funding to 23 projects, with the next call for proposals expected towards the end of 2021.
About the EIT
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, among leading companies, research labs and universities.
This information is related to the following SDG
Partnerships for the goals