PROMETHEUS exchanging best practices at the EIT HEI Initiative 2023 IVAP Workshop, 31 May

PROMETHEUS actively participated in the EIT HEI Initiative 2023 Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP) Workshop. The event was held on 31 May and 1 June 2023 in Prague, Czechia, at Gabriel Loci.

The objective of the third IVAP Workshop was twofold: to orient and welcome the new cohort of the Initiative while also bringing together all cohorts and projects of the Initiative to collaborate and strengthen their Innovation Vision Action Plans.

The programming (see the full agenda) of the workshop was designed to provide visions and resources for addressing the collective action ideas that the consortia are facing with parallel breakout sessions designed to aid projects with key challenges associated with the initiative.

During the first day of the event participants had the opportunity to attend three insightful plenary sessions and in particular:

Plenary: Select remarks and welcome from key stakeholders of the Initiative (Speakers: Ms. Rosana West, HEI Initiative Manager, EIT Raw Materials | Ms. Merel Leppens, Policy Officer Innovation and EIT, European Commission | Dr. Ruslan Rakhmatullin, Education Officer, EIT | Dr. Dolores Volkert, Head of the HEI Initiative, EIT Raw Materials | Dr. David Oliva Uribe, Expert in Higher Education Policies and Deep Tech),
Plenary: Panel discussion 1: Struggles and successes: Key lessons from Cohort 1 and 2 Projects (Moderator: Rosanna West, Panellists: Anmari Viljamaa | Efstratios Stylianidis | Miika Kajanus | Margot Bucaille),
Plenary: Panel discussion: Deep Tech and the EIT’s HEI Initiative: Perspectives on DTTI (Moderator: Arno Meerman, Panellists: Jara Pascual | Annemarie Vant Veen | Fernando Rivas | Maja Brkljačić | Paul Wilson).

After the Lunch break, PROMETHEUS Dissemination Manager, Georgia Tseva, attended 2 Breakout Sessions focused on Knowledge Triangle Integration at the regional level. The sessions provided a collaborative environment where participants reflected on key challenges and good practices enabling success factors for all projects under the HEI Initiative.

Among key issues exchanged was the lack of a supportive environment for enabling long term collaboration in between businesses, HEIs and the third sector. As it was reflected, smaller innovation initiatives do exist within HEIs however they are perceived as water in the desert. Strategic aspirations at a higher policy level were also highlighted.

Day 1 of the Workshop was concluded with an IVAP Workshop Hosted Dinner that enabled networking and exchange in an informal setting.

Day 2 of the workshop started with a Plenary Session during which HEI Initiative representatives presented key takeaways from the Day 1 Breakout Sessions.

Next, a Poster Presentation Session took place. Cohort 1 and 2 projects had interactive presentations of their posters along with the presentations of initiative level posters. As part of the PROMETHEUS poster presentation, key achievements of the project were discussed such as the number of students trained within the project. In addition, next steps for the sustainability of the project were also highlighted. Exchange with the other projects indicated also common challenges and priorities such as the importance of a common understanding of entrepreneurship and soft skills, the existence of wider-support mechanisms in the innovation ecosystem such as Knowledge Transfer structures, the development of micro-credential educational programmes and funding issues around the sustainability of the projects.

The poster presentation followed a Plenary Session during which Dr. Dolores Volkert, Head of the HEI Initiative, EIT Raw Materials presented key closing remarks and renewed participants’ meeting for the next EIT HEI Initiative event.