INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION AGENDA PROJECT: IMPROVING INNOVATION THROUGH ACADEMY‑INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

The objectives alignment in industry and academia allows establishing collaborative relationships with the main result of obtaining higher levels of innovation. Improving innovation is considered as a vital mechanism to achieve sustainable growth and deal with the competitive, globalised and dynamic markets.

In recent years enterprises realise that the interconnection between the pioneering creativity of academy complemented by innovative business models allows enterprises to set a competitive advantage. Therefore, a strong research culture in the academy is needed to fill the industry and markets’ needs, promoting new knowledge synergies.

In this context, the IDEA project (InterDisciplinary Education Agenda, an essential driver for innovation) emerges, handling the Knowledge Triangle: Education-Research-Innovation and promoting the development of industry-academia partnerships. IDEA project takes part on Tempus programme (Trans European Mobility Programme for University Students). Tempus is the European Union’s programme which supports the modernisation of higher education in the Partner Countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean region, mainly through university cooperation projects. The IDEA project consist of 12 project members covering all stakeholders of the knowledge triangle: 10 HEIs, 1 technology transfer centre and 1 manufacturer’s association. Amongst the Higher Education Institutions there is the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). This paper has its main aim on describing the IDEA project and give an insight of the role of UPV along the tasks developed within the project.

IDEA project address Israeli's National Priorities for 2012. In the light of this, the main activities to cover are:
(i) identify the needs and gaps between industry and academy,
(ii) introduce best practices from EU HEIs,
(iii) support for an interdisciplinary innovation culture in the Israeli HEIs and
(iv) create a sustainable knowledge transfer between industry and academy enhancing research and innovation.

According to this, the UPV, part of HEI instructors, contributes to the knowledge exchange as regards its experience in R&D projects involving the public and private sectors in Spain.

The specific contributions of UPV as regards the IDEA project are to:
(i) participate on the development of the theoretical knowledge of innovation processes,
(ii) introduce an interdisciplinary innovation management program involving academia and industry,
(iii) host training for staff and internship for students in,
(iv) supervise the creation of centres to promote research and innovation in the domains of design, engineering and business,
(v) help on monitoring the project performance in a structured and methodological approach, and
(vi) ensure sustainability of the project results within the academic and industrial partners and beyond the span of the project.

The IDEA project jointly with the supervision of UPV and the other HEIs will allow to effectively bridge the gaps within Education-Research-Innovation and support industries to deal with global economic challenges. Besides, academia-industry collaboration will be enhanced in the domain of innovation through the integration of knowledge among engineering, design and business disciplines.