Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education: the ... · Linking education, entrepreneurship...

Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education: the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) APRE Workshop Brussels, 10 April 2013 Gudrun Maass European Commission, DG EAC, C2

The EIT: a new kid on the block

• The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has been set up with the objective to deliver world-leading innovation through collaboration between all the actors in the “knowledge triangle”.

• An autonomous institute, but an EU institution.

The EIT’s mission is to facilitate the following transitions:

from idea to product

from lab to market

from student to entrepreneur

by integrating the three sides of the Knowledge Triangle (higher

education, research and business) in areas of high societal need.

THE KNOWLEDGE TRIANGLE

Actors within the knowledge triangle are at the core of the innovation web

Higher Education

Research & technology

Industry & SMEs

ENTREPRENEURIALLY DRIVEN

INNOVATION

EIT – objectives

New business creation through innovation

The transfer and valorisation of higher education, research

and innovation activities in a business context

Cutting edge and innovation-driven research in areas of

key economic and societal interest

Development of talented, skilled and entrepreneurial

people through education and training activities

Dissemination of best practices and systemic knowledge

sharing

The Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the EIT

The EIT operates chiefly, but not exclusively, through the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).

Three existing KICs:

• Climate KIC

• EIT ICT Labs

• KIC InnoEnergy

Linking education, entrepreneurship and innovation

• Education: Promoting excellent education for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship by EIT labelled degree programmes, fostering an EIT student & alumni community.

• Entrepreneurship: Promoting a risk taking mindset and culture by creating more favourable environments for entrepreneurial talent and entrepreneurship driven innovation.

• Innovation: Developing innovative ecosystems to create and grow breakthrough innovations by exploiting KICs' best practices at European level.

The EIT label for academic degrees – criteria for robust entrepreneurship education (1/2)

• Adopt an open concept to innovation and entrepreneurship, encompassing but not confined to setting up a business or running an SME.

• Set up coherent Master programmes and structured Ph.D. trajectories in order to facilitate the acquisition of transferable skills, in particular entrepreneurial skills.

• Embed entrepreneurship in the curricula and learning offer in order to provide relevant training for future entrepreneurs.

The EIT label for academic degrees – criteria for robust entrepreneurship education (2/2)

• Foster a climate in which entrepreneurship is nurtured and where students are offered a comprehensive array of technical, financial and human services and means to test out the commercial potential and viability of their ideas.

• Provide structured opportunities for on-the-job learning, exposing students to the reality of professional life in industry and business.

Example: The EIT ICT Labs Master Programme

• Two-year programme with seven technical majors and a Minor in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

• 19 European top universities, renown researchers and leading businesses are partnered with EIT ICT Labs to provide technical excellence leading to two master's degrees, the EIT ICT Labs Master's Certificate and hands-on experience.

• Built-in mobility scheme.

Example: MSc Innovation and Entrepreneurship of InnoEnergy

• On-going one-year master programme aimed at participants from various academic backgrounds in order to facilitate multidisciplinary innovation.

• Main objective is to equip candidates with the tools and skills necessary to develop ideas and to foster a ‘can do’ entrepreneurial mentality for new businesses.

• Core courses are: Innovation Management, Exploring the Opportunity: Technology and Markets, Entrepreneurship, Creative Thinking, Creating and Capturing Value through Business Models, Business in Society: the Environmental Perspective.

Example: the Journey of Climate KIC (1/2)

• Five-week intensive climate innovation summer/winter school with participants from Masters and PhD education programmes of Climate KIC partners on a discovery tour around Europe, visiting Climate-KIC partner institutions.

• Participants

• Network with and relate personally to like-minded peers at all career levels

• Meet the people who matter in business, science and policy, including entrepreneurs putting ideas into practice

Example: the Journey of Climate KIC (2/2)

• Explore climate change at first hand in its scientific, environmental, political, social and economic contexts

• Work within multidisciplinary teams supported by business coaches to develop and pitch your own ideas as potential business ventures

The EIT: supporting the KICs

• The annual “EIT Entrepreneurship Awards”: a prize for the best entrepreneurial venture from each KIC.

• The annual “Roundtable of Entrepreneurs”: exchange views and experiences between individuals with an outstanding record of excellence in entrepreneurial, innovative and financial enterprises.

EIT/KICs: their future in education

KICs will expand their educational activities:

• Cater for a wider range of innovative, professional development activities with a possible focus on executive training.

• Reach out to a wider audience by experimenting with modules for undergraduate courses or packages targeted to school education.

• EIT will set up an alumni association to foster identity creation and branding.

EIT/KICs: impressive achievements in education

Up to the end of 2012:

• Around 700 Master students trained with another

550 students enrolled in Master courses.

• Around 200 doctoral candidates trained with another 130 currently undergoing such training.

• More than 25 start-ups created.

• 35 patents lined up.

•The Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) – an EIT 'specialty'

Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs)

Main characteristics (1/2)

long-term strategic approach (each KIC is set up for a min. of 7 years)

high degree of integration (each KIC is a legal entity)

effective governance: leadership by a Chief Executive Officer and a lean management team at central and co-location level

the co-location model (each KIC consists of typically 5-6 cluster-like nodes with a clear geographic anchoring) – clustering partners in CLCs distributed throughout Europe that are thematically convergent and driven by societal challenges

Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs)

Main characteristics (2/2)

sufficient autonomy and flexibility: to determine organisational structure and activities governed by a Board of KIC partners organisations

clear targets and deliverables (each KIC sets up a business plan with measurable deliverables)

smart funding & high degree of commitment of partners (EIT funding to KICs is max. 25% of their total budget over time, with 75% to be attracted from other sources – public and private)

The co-location centres: bringing people together in new ways

Each of the KICs operates across 5 or 6 innovation hubs called co-location centres.

There are currently 17 co-location centres spread across Europe.

EIT ICT Labs KIC InnoEnergy Climate KIC

The co-location centres: a new concept

Two dimensions: Physical co-location of people and activities

Structuring effect in the organisation of KIC activities across Europe

Co-location centres are not traditional clusters Leveraging local competencies not available to teams located in one place

only

Combining social capital with network capital

Facilitate and develop knowledge flows for innovation education and research