Abstract:

Open Educational Innovation and Incubation (OEII) is a European Erasmus project under the Modernisation Agenda of the European Commission. The aim of OEII is to conceptualise the design of a sustainable organisational interface which supports improved university-market receptiveness and improves (internal) university incubation and innovation. OEI intends to systematically involve university management, change agents, internal & external stakeholders, multipliers and accelerators, to promote the knowledge exchange process between different parties. It seeks solutions to optimise the educational innovation and incubation process, and identify any organisational structures and opportunities that can be taken advantage of. To accumulate knowledge, OEII performs a cross-comparison of university interfacing models, and deduces flexible interface models for improving support to the (pre)incubation of new educational initiatives. It seeks more empirical insight into the process of incubation by assessing the actual strengths and weaknesses of emerging, running, and small-scale experimental pilots, which actually go through the process of (pre)incubation.

OEII is subdivided into four activities: (1) It performs a cross-comparison of university interfacing models and assesses their associated market receptiveness, (2) It deduces more flexible interface models for the organisation, which are increasingly designed to improve the support for (pre)incubation of new educational initiatives, encompassing various stakeholder involvement, (3) It seeks to obtain more systematic empirical insight as to the incubation process through emerging or running pilots as well as through small-scale experimentation pilots, and (4) OEII formulates recommendations as to the organisation of a (more) sustainable and effective university-market interface and an associated code of conduct.

An improved organisational interface is to become the accelerator for incubation of new educational initiatives. Important areas of priority are explored and evaluated per region of country. The role of universities, departments and organisational incubators in the acceleration process, is evaluated. It is explicated what issues & processes have hindered and/or promoted the knowledge transfer process between (or inside) the different parties, and opportunities are identified to improve the situation. Suggestions to improve organisational interfaces are formulated, and appropriate motivation and reward mechanisms for academics and accelerators are suggested. A reference knowledge value chain for the market-university system will be formulated, which is focused on the targeted educational areas and/or emerging markets. Moreover, in transcending a regional perspective, best-practice linkages between other European universities and markets will be explored.

OEII formulates recommendations on the organisation of a (more) transparently organised, and more sustainable, university-market interface, which is receptive to inside and outside developments, and the valorisation of educational innovation powered by commercial & open resources. The project is committed to the requirements and design of an organisational interface, which (more) effectively translates market-specific requirements into the delivery of content, courses, classes, modules or programmes, at a distance, blended, or in a mixed mode.

Keywords:

Modernisation, University Interface, Incubation, Innovation, Educational Initiative.