Abstract:

Introduction:
Innovation and Entrepreneurship in HEIs (INVENTHEI) is a research project founded by the EIT’s HEI Initiative, that in March 2021 invited higher education institutions (HEIs) to design activities to improve their entrepreneurial and innovation capacities. INVENTHEI seeks to enhance the role of HEIs in their regional innovation ecosystems and to promote synergies between research and innovation activities.

Methodology:
In Phase 1 (July-December 2021), the minimum viable innovation vision was developed, and different learning and mentoring activities were conducted, allowing the consortium to learn and update their Innovation Vision Action Plans (IVAP). In Phase 2 (January 2022 – June 2023), the innovation vision is being scaled, implementing activities that will allow the consortium to transfer practices to other faculties and disseminate them to other HEIs.
The project is based on a multidisciplinary approach, trying to involve and provide innovation & entrepreneur (I&E) background to academic staff. The target is to prepare them to influence students I&E skills through a “learning by doing” approach, using lean start-up, design thinking and challenge-based multidisciplinary learning as the primary methodologies.

Results:
In Phase 1, learning and mentoring activities included actions on clean mobility and sustainability (“Clean mobility day” and “Transport Tech Day” developed at the University of Pardubice; “Education for sustainability” at Valahia University of Targoviste; Problem based learning project “EU Green Deal” at TTK University of Applied Sciences), lifespan (“Senior Innovation Lab” and “Senior Innovation Workshop” at University of Santiago de Compostela; “Implementation of a lifelong learning course” at University of Pardubice), introductory (“New Innovation & Economic Growth seminar” at University of Sheffield; “Entrepreneurship Inspiration Day” at TTK University of Applied Sciences) and advanced I&E skills (i.e. “Transferable Skills: SciTech - Transversal Challenges in Science and Engineering” and “Innovation Days” at University of Porto; “School of Startups for PhD Researchers” at UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of University of Porto). In this first phase, INVENTHEI trained 567 students, 108 academic staff and 158 non-academic staff and mentored 67 students, 42 academic staff and 24 non-academic staff members. In Phase 2, INVENTHEI is addressing the replicability of its results using a lighthouse approach, where the involved faculties from partner HEIs promote and provide project results to other faculties and HEIs.

Conclusions:
INVENTHEI has developed challenged based learning and innovation-driven research programs, involving external organisations and students from different faculties, and courses for transferable and soft skills, particularly I&E skills, but also including other topics like academic collaboration with industry. The lighthouse/follower model for replicability and transferability is presented and discussed.

Keywords:

Innovation, entrepeneurship, higher education institution, sustainability, lifespan.