Abstract:

The demand for highly skilled and socially engaged people increased challenge expressed in the European Union (EU) agenda, where for 2025 half of all jobs should have high-level qualifications demands from Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to reach levels of competences and skills development in their educational programmes and environment capable to enhance, for example, capacities to be entrepreneurial, thinking autonomously and creatively, communicate effectively, manage complex information. This unique role, in response to this challenge, is crucial for HEI not only in their education, research or innovation development but also in the impact on regional development in response to social and economic needs of the context they are in. A more entrepreneurial HEI is required to be achieve, so entrepreneurship education should be organised in a dynamic way, taking into account research and real business demands.

Being an entrepreneurial higher education institution depends upon individuals, and innovative ways of doing things and the EU-supported HEInnovate tool helps in making innovation and entrepreneurship a core part of overall institutional strategy. HEInnovate is a self-assessment tool for HEIs who wish to explore their entrepreneurial potential. It helps HEI to assess what they need to change or improve, in order to understand the new challenges, they face as an entrepreneurial and innovative HEI, and comprises eight key areas.

This paper uses a case study approach, supported in three dimensions of the HEInnovate tool, namely, “Entrepreneurial teaching and learning”, “Preparing and Supporting Entrepreneurs” and “Knowledge Exchange and Collaboration”, applied at Guarda Polytechnic Institute (GPI). The approach to the Institution is accomplished in a global perspective, and in a segmented way to its four Organic Units (faculties) and eleven Technical-Scientific Units (departments). The dimensions analysed in this case study are related and complement each other, starting from teaching and learning to stimulate an entrepreneurial mindset until reaching collaboration and partnerships, creating value for society.

This is a study in implementation that aims to show how the results obtained with the application of the HEInnovate tool can help the IES in the discussion of the ways to build an entrepreneurial culture and innovation, internally and externally.

Keywords:

Higher Education, Entrepreneurship Education, Collaboration, HEInnovate.