Objectives
Higher Education is increasingly called upon to help drive societal transformations, both in the places where they are located and across the EU and globally. The concept of 4th Generation Universities is often used to refer to such roles. Concerning skills for transformations, all actors providing skills are crucial for making the desired transitions a reality.
The Higher education and skills for transformative innovation project aims to:
Develop alternative pathway for universities to contribute to systemic transformations
Diversifying the university toolbox for systems change
Rethinking university stakeholder engagement in support of societal transitions
Rethinking university governance and possible transformations of universities
Considering ways to invest in people as driver of change
Duration
Innovation for place-based transformation aims to increase competitiveness, including through transforming higher education and optimising skills, for the coming years. It builds further on past work on Higher Education for Smart Specialisation which finalised in 2023.
Partners
The EIT is the Europe’s largest innovation network strengthening innovation since 2008. Its mission is to create jobs and deliver sustainable and smart growth bringing together organisations across business, education, and research. The goal of these partnerships is to find and commercialise solutions to pressing global challenges.
This Directorate General is responsible for EU policy on education, youth, sport and culture. It develops and carries out the Commission's policies on culture and media, sport, education and training and youth.
Key outputs
New models for universities to embrace systems change.
Better understanding tools for universities to contribute to systems change.
The roles of universities in the quadruple helix, at territorial and European level.
Optimising the use of competence frameworks.
Optimising the funding for skills.
Developing territorial leadership.
Contact details
If you have further questions, please contact us at JRC-SHIFT
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-SHIFT[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).
Related publications
An analysis of ERDF and RRF support for S3 skills in the 2021-2027 programming period
This report explores the varying role of strengthening HEI’s contribution to and participation in territorial transformation, and aligning the different university missions to connect HEI entrepreneurship and innovation to the territory.
An analysis of ERDF and ESF support for S3 skills in the 2014-2020 programming period.
The potential for HEIs to contribute to and participate in regional innovation ecosystems and European and global education, research and innovation agendas is under-exploited. This report explores the role of these two initiatives in strengthening this interaction.
Drawing on various literatures on the contributions of universities to regional development, this paper explores the strategies and practices that would allow universities to make significant contributions to regional sustainability transition processes and policies.
This technical report presents the results of a cross-case analysis of the eleven case studies conducted under the Higher Education for Smart Specialisation project during the period 2016-2020.
This Handbook is the result of more than four years of analysis and cooperation with regions on how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can contribute to the design and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3)
Policy briefs
- ERDF and ESF funding for skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship 2014-2020
- ERDF and RRF Funding for skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship 2021-2027
- European Universities, Knowledge Alliances and the EIT’s HEI Initiative within their territorial ecosystems
