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Innovation for place-based transformations

Higher education and skills for transformative innovation

Higher Education is increasingly called upon to help drive societal transformations. This project considers how higher education can support systems change, what skills are required and how this can be made a reality in EU territories. 

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-SHIFTatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-SHIFT[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).

Related publications

  • General publications
  • WOOLFORD, Jayne, BACHTRÖGLER-UNGER, Julia, BURTON, Anna, LALANNE, Marie, GULDA, Krzysztof

An analysis of ERDF and ESF support for S3 skills in the 2014-2020 programming period.