Strand A: Innovation and entrepreneurship capacity building at HEIs
Project duration: 24 months
Project start: 01.04.2025
Project end: 30.04.2027
The IMPACT-Campus project aims to create a network of Knowledge Valorization Centers (KVCs) located in European higher education institutions (HEIs) and covering underrepresented regions, integrating universities into regional, European and global innovation ecosystems. Using the “Four-point Helix” model for collaboration between academia, industry, policymakers and civil society, as well as the “Triple Helix” model focusing on education, research and business, the project promotes institutional transformation and sustainable development. The CECs function as hubs for entrepreneurship, digital transformation and inclusion, addressing societal and economic challenges in line with the EIT HEI initiative, the European Green Deal and the Digital Europe Programme. The project provides universities with the tools, infrastructure and methodologies to act as innovation engines that impact society and institutions. By implementing technology transfer systems, interdisciplinary collaboration frameworks and entrepreneurship strategies, the CECs align Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) with local, national and European innovation programmes, addressing climate change, the digital skills gap and socio-economic inequalities. The initiative reaches out to marginalised groups – women, youth, veterans and people with disabilities – through programmes that promote equal access to innovation, mentoring and entrepreneurial opportunities, fostering diversity in ecosystems, reflecting the priorities of EIT Culture & Creativity and EIT Digital. IMPACT-Campus develops a network of KVCs that integrate cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality and blockchain, into operational strategies.
Expected results:
Provide training in digital skills and sustainable entrepreneurship to over 1,300 students and staff;
Support 12 existing and 2 newly created startups;
Promote inclusion by ensuring that 40% of participants come from marginalized groups;
Create 90 strategic partnerships across sectors and borders;
Institutionalize KVCs as permanent centers of innovation and collaboration.
Workshops
Project Coordinator
Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Kyiv, Ukraine