EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES OF TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ACTION

Project Information

ENHANCERIA

Grant agreement ID: 101035806

DOI

10.3030/101035806

Project closed

EC signature date 19 May 2021

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 30 November 2024

Funded under

• SCIENCE WITH AND FOR SOCIETY

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 1 999 776,25

Coordinated by

NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ENHANCERIA (EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES OF TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ACTION)

Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ENHANCERIA aims to strengthen the research and innovation dimensions of the ENHANCE Alliance. The project brings together seven member universities from the ENHANCE Alliance: Chalmers, NTNU, Polimi, RWTH Aachen, TU Berlin, UPV and WUT.

The ENHANCE Alliance and the project take as a starting point the ambition of universities to become and act as drivers and enablers of sustainable development, in line with the vision of the European Commission for the modern universities in the European Strategy for Universities. The ENHANCE Alliance brings together technology-focused universities with different backgrounds, ranging from more comprehensive universities with technological and natural science main profiles to more specialised polytechnic universities. Common to all partners is a close collaboration with private companies and other societal institutions and stakeholders.

Interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research collaboration is becoming a natural approach to tackling societal challenges, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the energy crisis, environmental crisis and the climate crisis. This requires understanding and exchange around new ways of working with research and innovation, around entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems, around human resources and career development in higher education, and also around the role of research infrastructures.

Based on this, four focus areas have been selected for the collaborative effort in ENHANCERIA:

- Sustainable development through transdisciplinary research (FA1)

- Sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems (FA2)

- Human resources and researcher career development (FA3)

- Research infrastructures (FA4)

The main objective of ENHANCERIA is to combine insights developed with respect to these focus areas in developing a transformation agenda for the Alliance on the role of universities as drivers and enablers of sustainable development. The sub-objectives of the project are to:

- Explore practices, ways of working and structures across the Alliance

- Establish and widen international networks of employees within research and innovation

- Develop models for collaboration and recommendations for implementation

- Disseminate and exchange models and practices

- Increase the internationalisation of research and innovation activities

- Identify challenges and barriers at institutional, national and European level

- Develop new initiatives to be funded through internal, national and international sources



Through broad activities and inclusive approaches, the project has enabled joint activities and new connections between the universities. The project has initiated and contributed to institutional changes that can be further developed and implemented by the universities individually and jointly.

This includes connection of researchers and professionals within the ENHANCE Alliance and beyond, and the continued ENHANCE Vice President for Research meeting arena.

In sum, the ENHANCERIA project has contributed to strengthen the research and innovation dimensions of the ENHANCE Alliance. The ENHANCERIA project has contributed to a richer and more diverse European collegial environment.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

ENHANCERIA follows a general research methodology for the development of insights across the focal areas. This implies: 1) identify, map and connect, 2) compare, exchange and learn, 3) analyse, synthesize and reflect, 4) develop models, approaches, lessons learned and recommendations, 5) develop common strategies and action plan, 6) implement, 7) spread and widen, and 8) identify opportunities for further development and funding.

In ENHANCERIA the partners have connected, mapped practices and developed recommendations and toolboxes for implementation and further actions. Many transdisciplinary initiatives combine research, education, and innovation in collaboration with non-academic stakeholders. Webinar series have been conducted to connect researchers within entrepreneurship and innovation, research papers have been developed, a platform for transdisciplinary research has been developed and an online catalogue of research infrastructures is now available. The collaboration has created teams of trusted partners within the focus areas and opened perspectives on transnational collaboration that was less apparent in the past. This also shows the value of close institutional collaboration on issues related to organizational development that support a transformation agenda on research and innovation for the ENHANCE Alliance.

The links between alliances, through initiatives like the ForEU4All, will contribute to the continued dissemination of ENHANCERIA outcomes and experiences.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The state-of-the-art within the selected focus areas at the partner universities has been mapped in the project, and this knowledge base was used to develop a transformation agenda for the ENHANCE Alliance. This includes a toolbox with recommendations, guidelines and possible pathways for universities within the four focus areas of ENHANCERIA. The knowledge base will also serve as a platform to develop further networks within the ENHANCE Alliance. For example, there is an alliance-wide network within sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation, and active communities of practice within management and utilisation of research infrastructures. The outcomes of the project will be utilised well beyond the end of the project.

In addition to the tangible contributions to the partner universities and the ENHANCE Alliance, the project has contributed towards the further development of the European Research Area, and modernisation of universities in Europe. Some of the impacts the project has contributed to, are:

- Support, facilitate, enable and increase (structured) ways of working across sectors on grand challenges (e.g. green and digital transition) and the UN SDGs, with universities as drivers of such joint efforts.

- Succesful walk & talk meeting format developed as a transdisciplinary tool, that is adopted by other universities for their events

- Increased awareness in universities on the need to increase societal engagement and involvement.

- Enhanced agenda for sustainable entrepreneurial universities in Europe.

- Broadened perspective of entrepreneurship and innovation in and around universities from commercialisation to include holistic and sustainable perspectives.

- Better working conditions for researchers through enhanced implementation of the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

- Increased attractiveness of universities as workplaces.

- Increased international collaboration among ENHANCE partners for students, academic staff, administrative staff and technical staff.

- Increased visibility and access opportunity of strategic research infrastructures across the ENHANCE Alliance.

- Enhanced and continued collaboration to strengthen research and innovation dimensions of the ENHANCE Alliance.

Walk and talk event at CHALMERS April 2024

Walk and talk March 2024

First transdisciplinary walk and talk session at TU Berlin.