HEI Initiative | HEI Initiative - Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education

Within Horizon Europe and included as one of the three specific objectives in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology's (EIT) Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) 2021-2027, the European Commission (EC) expects the EIT and the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) to raise the bar in higher education and create systemic impact by (i) strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurial capacity of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at institutional level, (ii) integrating HEIs in innovation ecosystems and (iii) enlarging the EIT KIC reach to engage EIT KIC partner and non-partner HEIs by launching the EIT HEI Initiative. The EIT HEI 2023-2025 proposal provides an overview of how the HEI Initiative will build on progress so far with regards to its objective to boost innovation and entrepreneurship capacity building in European higher education and facilitate institutional change. While the future of the Initiative is still uncertain following the end of its Pilot phase in December 2023, it is crucial to have a clear vision, strategy and implementation plan in order to effectively prepare for its continuance until 2027, and this document aims to provide that.

In order to achieve the objective of the proposal, the document outlines the vision, structure and implementation plan for the initiative-level coordination of the programme, indicating the parameters of involvement of all EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities in terms of their participation in Work Packages. It aims to provide an overview of the timeline, focus, budget and desired impact of the HEI Initiative’s currently active cohorts 1 and 2, as well as the upcoming three funded cohorts, giving detailed insight into what an individual HEI Initiative project lifecycle looks like and why. All in all, the proposal underlines the significant potential of the HEI Initiative as a major player and force towards transforming European Higher Education Institutions into engines of innovation.