Accelerate Future HEI

Our consortium of 12 partners from 11 countries recently gathered to celebrate achievements and chart the way forward in transforming higher education. From innovative institutional projects to discovering  Tenerife’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, we’re making real progress in fostering more entrepreneurial and innovative universities. Highlights included: Showcasing successful institutional transformation projects Interactive workshops on impact measurement and storytelling Exploring local innovation hubs and meeting inspiring entrepreneurs A big thank you to Universidad Europea de Canarias for being exceptional hosts! Want to learn more about our meeting? Check out our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/dMmwjTFa

The first day of the partner meeting concluded with an inspiring storytelling workshop led by Samantha Carty from Momentum Educate + Innovate, introducing a fresh approach to capturing institutional journeys. The session focused on how higher education institutions can craft compelling narratives about their evolution, moving beyond traditional communication strategies. Using frameworks like Freytag’s Pyramid and Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle, participants explored how to authentically articulate institutional transformations. The workshop emphasised structuring stories around key elements: identifying changes, understanding stakeholder impacts, highlighting progress, and defining future trajectories. A key outcome will be the creation of nine short videos showcasing the reach of acceleration services across European universities. These videos aim to highlight themes like entrepreneurship, digital transformation, regional impact, and leadership, bringing institutional journeys to life. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated on our activities!

In the second coaching session with Joe Steensma, Universidad Europea de Canarias’ analysed entrepreneurship integration across its three schools — Architecture, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences — highlighting shared priorities, challenges, and recommendations. All schools highlighted project-based learning and interdisciplinary collaboration but faced obstacles like limited faculty training, lack of incubation infrastructure, and weak commercialisation support. While each school has a unique focus (urban regeneration, healthcare innovation, and digital transformation), they share a need for faculty incentives, better infrastructure, and stronger community engagement. Recommended actions include launching a university-wide incubator, establishing a coordinator or person responsible for coordinating all the entrepreneurial activities happening on each campus and developing relationships across the schools, expanding maker spaces, and working on more interdisciplinary challenge-based projects. #highereducation #entrepreneurship #innovation #development #AccelerateFutureHEI

The first day of the partner meeting laid a strong foundation for collaboration and progress. TUM International GmbH led an Impact Capturing Workshop, focusing on Monitoring & Evaluation tools and project advancements. Participants actively engaged in group work sessions, exchanging ideas and refining strategies to measure institutional transformation effectively. A key highlight was the plenary discussion, which explored challenges and opportunities in advancing entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and creating meaningful societal impact through higher education. TUM Int. showcased our Board of Experts, including Daniela Marzavan, Enno Masurel, Adrian Solomon, Natascha Eckert, and Richard Tuffs, who are supporting us to drive forward transformative initiatives in higher education. Learn more about the Accelerate Future HEI project at: https://lnkd.in/dkq2g2ij #highereducation #entrepreneurship #innovation #development #AccelerateFutureHEI

In an era of rapid technological advancement, balancing innovation with responsibility has never been more critical. Our latest blog post, authored by Dr. Agita Šmitiņa from Vidzemes Augstskola / Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, delves into key insights from an international panel exploring the ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies in the business world. The discussion, featuring experts from Latvia, Romania, and Egypt, highlighted pressing concerns such as privacy and transparency, particularly in AI and data analytics. The panel stressed the need for businesses to address potential job displacement and recognise that ethical practices are directly tied to organisational reputation and sustainability. Key takeaways included the urgent need for 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. While technologies like AI, machine learning, and automation hold immense potential, they must be developed within a strong ethical framework to protect individuals and communities. As Dr. Smitina notes, “𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘉𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺.” Watch the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/dMJy_V8T #highereducation #entrepreneurship #innovation #development #AccelerateFutureHEI

We’ve just concluded the 5th Transitional Partner Meeting (TPM) in the stunning setting of Tenerife, marking two remarkable years of the Accelerate Future HEI initiative. The two-day event was filled with innovation, knowledge sharing, and meaningful connections. Day 1, hosted at Universidad Europea de Canarias , focused on progress updates, Institutional Transformation Acceleration Projects showcases, and engaging workshops on impact measurement and storytelling. Day 2 took us on an inspiring tour of Tenerife’s innovation ecosystem, including a visit from the EU School of Sustainability and insightful sessions with local entrepreneurs. A huge thank you to our hosts at Universidad Europea de Canarias for their impeccable organisation and warm hospitality. Special thanks to Juan Diego López-Arquillo, Cristiana Oliveira, COSMIN BOLEA, and Vivian Garcia-Rice for for making this meeting truly unforgettable! To all our partners from 11 countries: your dedication to transforming higher education continues to inspire us. Looking ahead to our remaining two years of transforming academic institutions. #highereducation #entrepreneurship #innovation #development #AccelerateFutureHEI

3rd partner meeting of our Accelerate Future HEI 🚀 Project! 🇪🇸 HEIs can positively impact regional and Europe-wide social and economic development through #education, #research and engagement. However, they require targeted support to enhance their capability to fully realise their potential. Accelerate Future HEI is developing and testing acceleration services, to equip HEIs with the skills and capacity to drive institutional #transformation towards becoming more #entrepreneurial and #innovativeinstitutions. KEY 🔑 OBJECTIVES: TO IDENTIFY🔎 the status quo of the HEI and its ecosystem regarding entrepreneurial and innovative activities. TO DEVELOP test and implement acceleration services that help institutions undertake a transformation roadmap and projects. TO BUILD 🏗️ the capacity of the participating HEIs staff to implement the transformation roadmaps through a skills development program. TO EVALUATE the strategies from HEIs supervised by an ‘acceleration board’ of independent experts. TO GENERATE policy feedback to the European Commission as well as provide widespread dissemination of the pilot results to other target groups. Our wonderful #partners 🤝:  UIIN Momentum Educate + Innovate FH St. Pölten – University of Applied Sciences UC Leuven-Limburg Universidade da Madeira - UMa MATE University Universitatea Politehnica din Timişoara Universidad Europea Universit�� de La R��union Technico Lisboa Vidzemes Augstskola / Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences Thank you to the Universidad Europea #team for the #organization of this trip and for sharing some of your amazing island #ecosystem with us: Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales (CEOE)

🎉 Fantastic News from Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences! We are thrilled to share that the business programs at the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE) have achieved remarkable positions in the Times Higher Education (THE) international rankings! 🌟 Social Sciences: Ranked in the TOP 500 (401–500) 🌟 Business and Economics: Ranked in the TOP 800 (601–800) This achievement underscores MATE’s dedication to academic excellence, innovation, and global competitiveness. It strengthens the university’s reputation and makes it a more attractive destination for outstanding students and faculty. It encourages international collaborations and opens new opportunities for partnerships. This is a testament to the hard work of the Institute and the strategic vision of MATE 2030. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this and wishing MATE continued success in their transformation as part of Accelerate Future HEI! 🎓✨ #HigherEducation #AcademicExcellence #Innovation #MATE2030 #GlobalImpact #transformation

A key component of developing entrepreneurial skills is creating opportunities for students to engage in internal and external networking. It can be through dedicated platforms, innovation events, or engaging alumni, all these connections inspire students to see the real-world challenges and successes of entrepreneurship. At recent workshops, participants highlighted several strategies to enhance entrepreneurial education. These include connecting students with business networks and investors to provide real-world insights, incorporating practical case studies into educational programs to build hands-on experience, and leveraging the expertise of alumni for mentoring and inspiration. Together, these approaches are giving students the tools and knowledge needed to navigate entrepreneurial challenges successfully. Download the D3.2 Final Analysis Report to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eZUxHyJJ #highereducation #entrepreneurship #innovation #development #AccelerateFutureHEI

The Instituto Superior Técnico core team of the Accelerate Future HEI project recently had its first mentoring session with Prof. Dana Redford at the Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture & Environment (DECivil Técnico), where the acceleration services to support institutional transformation are being tested as a pilot-case. Dana Redford, an internationally-recognised expert on entrepreneurship, innovation, education and public policy, enabled some valuable discussion to achieve the strategic vision set out for this pilot-project at IST. The possibility of creating a new hub as a vehicle to deploy the Institutional Transformation Acceleration Project (ITAP) is being discussed. More about this soon! The IST acceleration core team are: Nuno Marques de Almeida, Inês Flores-Colen, Antonio Aguiar Costa, João Vieira, Inês Lopes #highereducation #entrepreneurship #innovation #development #AccelerateFutureHEI