Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Accelerate_FutureHEI (Entrepreneurial & Innovative Universities Acceleration Programme)
Période du rapport: 2023-01-01 au 2023-12-31
The Entrepreneurial & Innovative Universities Accelerator Program - Accelerate Future HEI, is an initiative led by the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN). This initiative brings together twelve European partners from eleven countries with the ambitious goal of revolutionizing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across Europe.
The context for this initiative arises from the recognition of a pressing need for HEIs to adapt and evolve in response to the rapidly changing landscape of education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Traditional models of higher education are being challenged by technological advancements, globalization, and evolving societal needs. HEIs must embrace entrepreneurship and innovation to remain relevant and to equip students with the skills needed for success in the modern world.
The overall objective of Accelerate Future HEI is to equip HEIs with the necessary skills and capacities to drive institutional transformation towards entrepreneurship and innovation. This transformative journey is guided by a comprehensive methodology rooted in a three-phase approach, which includes in-depth gap analysis, strategic vision development, and the crafting of personalized Institutional Transformation Action Projects (ITAPs).
The impact of Accelerate Future HEI is expected to be profound and far-reaching. By engaging in this initiative, HEIs gain a unique opportunity to identify and address their key challenges, fostering the development of innovative solutions. Through personalized guidance, peer-to-peer support, and access to international experts, participating HEIs are empowered to reflect internally on their goals and undergo meaningful transformation.
The project consortium, comprised of international experts and established HEI consortia, ensures that participating HEIs receive the necessary support and resources to implement their initiatives successfully. By leveraging the UIIN Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Framework©, Accelerate Future HEI addresses the challenges and success factors associated with becoming more entrepreneurial, innovative, and engaged.
Moreover, Accelerate Future HEI is committed to ensuring its impact through dedicated monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, as well as the dissemination of transformation stories and policy implications. By harnessing the collective expertise of its diverse partners, this initiative paves the way for European HEIs to emerge as entrepreneurial and innovative hubs, driving societal and economic progress across the continent. Ultimately, the expected impact of Accelerate Future HEI extends beyond individual institutions to encompass broader societal and economic advancement across Europe.
The context for this initiative arises from the recognition of a pressing need for HEIs to adapt and evolve in response to the rapidly changing landscape of education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Traditional models of higher education are being challenged by technological advancements, globalization, and evolving societal needs. HEIs must embrace entrepreneurship and innovation to remain relevant and to equip students with the skills needed for success in the modern world.
The overall objective of Accelerate Future HEI is to equip HEIs with the necessary skills and capacities to drive institutional transformation towards entrepreneurship and innovation. This transformative journey is guided by a comprehensive methodology rooted in a three-phase approach, which includes in-depth gap analysis, strategic vision development, and the crafting of personalized Institutional Transformation Action Projects (ITAPs).
The impact of Accelerate Future HEI is expected to be profound and far-reaching. By engaging in this initiative, HEIs gain a unique opportunity to identify and address their key challenges, fostering the development of innovative solutions. Through personalized guidance, peer-to-peer support, and access to international experts, participating HEIs are empowered to reflect internally on their goals and undergo meaningful transformation.
The project consortium, comprised of international experts and established HEI consortia, ensures that participating HEIs receive the necessary support and resources to implement their initiatives successfully. By leveraging the UIIN Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Framework©, Accelerate Future HEI addresses the challenges and success factors associated with becoming more entrepreneurial, innovative, and engaged.
Moreover, Accelerate Future HEI is committed to ensuring its impact through dedicated monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, as well as the dissemination of transformation stories and policy implications. By harnessing the collective expertise of its diverse partners, this initiative paves the way for European HEIs to emerge as entrepreneurial and innovative hubs, driving societal and economic progress across the continent. Ultimately, the expected impact of Accelerate Future HEI extends beyond individual institutions to encompass broader societal and economic advancement across Europe.
During the first 12 months, the project finalised multiple activities aimed at understanding the challenges, goals and strategic visions of participating HEIs, as well as in-depth analysis of the status quo.
These activities included pre-scanning, asset mapping, focus groups, surveys, and roadmap workshops, all structured by the UIIN Entrepreneurial University Framework©.
Pre-scanning (9, one per participating HEI) involved an initial assessment to understand the landscape and identify areas for improvement. Asset mapping (9, one per participating HEI) helped visualize the resources and capabilities within each institution. Focus groups (9, one per participating HEI) facilitated collaborative envisioning sessions guided by facilitators to explore various facets of transformation, such as strategic vision, stakeholder mindset, organizational support structures, and external ecosystem engagement. The vision statement workshop provided a platform for testing partners to refine their aspirations and formulate Strategic Vision Statements, encapsulating their goals for institutional transformation.
Surveys (9, one per participating HEI) were then deployed across HEIs to gather quantitative and qualitative data on entrepreneurial and innovative activities, mindset, support structures, impact, and ecosystem interactions. The survey garnered significant participation, with a total of 764 respondents across the nine testing partners. Notably, students constituted the largest respondent group (53%), followed by academics/researchers (32%), professional/administrative staff (11%), and faculty/university leaders (4%). The data collected from the surveys underwent comprehensive analysis by UIIN, resulting in individualized reports for each HEI and an aggregated analysis report. These reports offered insights into the entrepreneurial landscape, informing the development of tailored roadmaps during the roadmap workshops.
Roadmap workshops (9, one per participating HEI) brought together internal and external stakeholders to discuss challenges and prioritize solutions, ultimately leading to the creation of dynamic roadmaps for each institution. These roadmaps will serve as guides for navigating the journey towards entrepreneurial and innovative excellence, informing the ITAPs that will be defined and pilot-tested in the upcoming phase of the project.
These activities included pre-scanning, asset mapping, focus groups, surveys, and roadmap workshops, all structured by the UIIN Entrepreneurial University Framework©.
Pre-scanning (9, one per participating HEI) involved an initial assessment to understand the landscape and identify areas for improvement. Asset mapping (9, one per participating HEI) helped visualize the resources and capabilities within each institution. Focus groups (9, one per participating HEI) facilitated collaborative envisioning sessions guided by facilitators to explore various facets of transformation, such as strategic vision, stakeholder mindset, organizational support structures, and external ecosystem engagement. The vision statement workshop provided a platform for testing partners to refine their aspirations and formulate Strategic Vision Statements, encapsulating their goals for institutional transformation.
Surveys (9, one per participating HEI) were then deployed across HEIs to gather quantitative and qualitative data on entrepreneurial and innovative activities, mindset, support structures, impact, and ecosystem interactions. The survey garnered significant participation, with a total of 764 respondents across the nine testing partners. Notably, students constituted the largest respondent group (53%), followed by academics/researchers (32%), professional/administrative staff (11%), and faculty/university leaders (4%). The data collected from the surveys underwent comprehensive analysis by UIIN, resulting in individualized reports for each HEI and an aggregated analysis report. These reports offered insights into the entrepreneurial landscape, informing the development of tailored roadmaps during the roadmap workshops.
Roadmap workshops (9, one per participating HEI) brought together internal and external stakeholders to discuss challenges and prioritize solutions, ultimately leading to the creation of dynamic roadmaps for each institution. These roadmaps will serve as guides for navigating the journey towards entrepreneurial and innovative excellence, informing the ITAPs that will be defined and pilot-tested in the upcoming phase of the project.
The first 12 months of the project laid a solid foundation for the Pilot testing of the acceleration services. The testing partners have defined their Strategic Vision for the institutional transformation, as well as identified the key challenges and opportunities.