Valencia, Spain

Higher education institutions (HEIs) can play a key role in their regions. They are significant regional employers, they educate students and conduct basic and applied research that promotes enterprise formation and supports businesses, public services and cultural institutions. Bringing together policy makers and practitioners; public and private bodies concerned with regional development; leaders and managers of HEIs; and those responsible for community liaison and regional development at HEIs, this important conference will look at ways in how HEIs can best contribute to the region building in the knowledge-based economy.

OECD countries are now seeking to mobilise higher education to support more strongly their economic, social and cultural development. Initiatives to foster innovation and competitiveness draw on the "triple helix" cooperation between government, business and higher education institutions.

In 2004, the OECD launched a comparative review of how higher education is being mobilised to support the social, cultural and economic development of regions. The experiences from this review and the earlier OECD work on territorial reviews, carried out by the Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development (GOV) are brought together in the OECD conference entitled "Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged - Higher Education and Regions". A report under the same title will be launched at the conference.

Purpose of the conference

This conference will: