Strengthening the role of universities in regional innovation ecosystems by supporting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in innovation processes and promoting entrepreneurship to develop AI-based solutions in the areas of environmental protection, climate action and the green economy.
Context
AI and digital technologies are essential for accelerating the transition to a Green Economy and sustainable society, particularly through the Twin Transition concept, which links digital and green transformations. Integrating AI throughout the innovation cycle can enhance prototyping, reduce carbon footprints, optimise resource use, and minimise waste. Despite growing AI use among students (86% use it in their studies), stakeholder understanding of AI remains limited. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to boost AI literacy among students and academics to maximise its benefits. AI-driven innovation can particularly empower knowledge-based entrepreneurs in Environmental Protection, Climate Action, and the Green Economy to help achieve sustainable development goals.
However, HEIs have been slow to adopt AI comprehensively in education and research. There’s a clear need for better tools, knowledge sharing, and best practices. For this reason, stronger collaboration between HEIs, entrepreneurs, businesses, innovation hubs, and NGOs is also needed to support student start-ups, academic spin-offs, and long-term partnerships.
Objectives
- Establishment of a Joint Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub.
- Creation of mechanisms (structures & programmes) to support Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
- Development of support services to start-ups and spin-offs.
- Fostering the generation of academic spin-offs exploiting research results and start-ups from students’ innovative ideas.
- Mapping of consortium local and regional innovation.
- Improvement of partner HEIs institutional innovations strategies and policies.
- Devise & deliver innovation and entrepreneurial training programmes for students and staff.
- Devise & deliver mentoring schemes for students and staff.
- Establishment of innovation-driven partnerships between partner HEIs, industry and business associations, Science Parks, research organisations, innovation clusters and NGOs with a focus on social innovation.
Activities
- Establishment of 1 BIKE Hub.
- Creation of 1 incubation programme, 1 acceleration programme and 4 Female entrepreneurship support programmes.
- Support offered to 14 start-ups/spin-off and establishment of 4 start-ups.
- Drafting of 1 Policy Strategy Blueprint to improve HEIs entrepreneurship strategies and policies.
- Establishment of 10 new partnerships between HEIs, industry and business associations, Science Parks, research organisations, innovation clusters and NGOs.
Resources
- Innovation Ecosystems Mapping Report.
- BIKE-HEI Training Program Curriculum.
- Institutional Strategy Gap Analysis Report in HEIs.
- BIKE-HEI Hub Framework and Model.
Impact
- Design and delivery of 3 training programmes to 905 students, 115 academic staff & 115 non-academic staff.
- Design and implementation of 3 mentoring schemes for 90 students, 35 academic staff & 35 non-academic staff.
- Mapping of 4 entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems with the engagement of 20 stakeholders.
Partners
- University of Alicante (Spain, coordinator)
- Universität des Saarlandes (Germany)
- University of Primorska (Slovenia)
- Mariupol State University (Ukraine)
- META Group Srl (Italy)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- Association of Balkan Eco-Innovation (Serbia)
- The Arctic University of Norway (Norway, associated)
- Alicante Science Park (Spain, associated)
