To get a sense of the European Commission’s perspective on the contribution of HEI’s to developing regional innovations systems, the attached report on ‘European Universities and Knowledge Alliances in their territorial innovation ecosystems’, may be enlightening. At the University of Glasgow, we are part of one of the Alliances, CIVIS, and I am grateful to colleagues in the that alliance for making me aware of this report, and supplying the summary below:

Abstract: 

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly expected to contribute to regional development and transformative innovation and heralded as actors of change in the context of the twin transitions and European recovery and resilience. Knowledge Alliances and European University alliances are two ERASMUS+ funding initiatives for HEIs that enable the translation of this broad strategic agenda into an individual and local context and the negotiation of the global (excellence) – local (relevance) dichotomy and potential alignment of their missions. 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.

Aim of the report: 

This research aims to provide an analysis of projects funded and the extent to which they relate to their local ecosystems and to wider RIS3 processes and regional development, strengthen the link between teaching, research, innovation and knowledge transfer, and align, contribute and impact at policy, systemic, organisational and individual levels. It investigates the extent to which these universities of the future contribute to the green and digital transitions and improve European recovery and resilience in the face of societal challenges, and identifies good practice in the reinforcement and anchoring of universities in their regions and connectivity with their local ecosystem as well as alignment of the different HEI missions.

For your convenience, the report is featured and attached below...