EUA Focus Group on Universities in Innovation Ecosystems: apply now!

EUA is organising a Focus Group for university leaders from across Europe to discuss the role of universities in innovation ecosystems. The one-day event will take place on Friday, 1 February 2019 at Aalborg University in Denmark.

Universities work to develop innovative and sustainable solutions that benefit society at large, empower citizens, protect the environment and fuel the economy. In order to reach these goals, a strong knowledge base through research and education is needed, as are highly skilled people with different talents willing to work together in a creative way.

Co-creation of knowledge is becoming more important due to open innovation and the intense collaboration between various players in the innovation space, and universities can have a unique role in this regard. They contribute to regional capacity building and competitiveness by delivering the evidence base stimulating innovation in companies and public organisations and by producing adaptable and highly-skilled graduates, facilitating entrepreneurship and the circulation of knowledge. Often, they also provide the international talent pipelines needed to nourish and sustain a local or regional innovation ecosystem.

EUA has collected evidence on the role of universities in innovation ecosystems through a comprehensive study based on site visits and in-depth interviews of key persons at nine EUA member universities in different regions of Europe.

At the focus group, EUA members will have an exclusive preview of the study and discuss the preliminary results. It will also be an opportunity to meet and engage with university leadership from all over Europe, enjoy the art of Danish cosiness  (‘hygge’) and discover the vibrant regional capital Aalborg with its large student population as well as the unique landscape at the top end of the Jutland peninsula.

If you are interested in participating, please read the call for expression of interest and submit your application via the online form by 26 October 2018.

For more information, please visit the event webpage.

Comfortable read mode Normal mode X