ECIU and UT partners in an EU project on community engagement by universities

The EuropeanConsortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) and the University of Twente will takepart in an European research project on improving community engagement ofhigher education. The project will receive funding (€ 500,000) from the Erasmus+programme, an EU funding scheme supporting education, training, youth andsport.

 The consortiumfor the collaborative project ‘Towards aEuropean framework for community engagement of higher education’ (TEFCE)consists of 13 partners from across Europe, and is coordinated by the TechnicalUniversity of Dresden.

Societal impact

In linewith the vision of the ECIU, the TEFCE project aims to contribute to socialinnovation by improving the level of community engagement undertaken by highereducational institutions. The members of the ECIU are mostly universities thatare located in regions where major industries have declined. They have a wealthof experience in community building, having already been actively involved inthe regeneration of their region over the past decades.

 The partnerswant to encourage universities to work in closer relationships withpolicymakers, businesses, local governments and civil society. The innovativeapproach enables students to learn by participating in projects and includesexternal stakeholders in the curriculum. The collaboration with externalstakeholders also supports the entrepreneurial spirit of students, as well as enhancingtheir employability, and encourages access to university for people who havelower levels of education.

 Theproject strives to promote social innovation through a knowledge triangle comprisedof education, research and innovation. A toolbox will be developed, withinnovative means for policymakers and stakeholders to monitor, measure andpromote community engagement by universities that will be transferable at aEuropean policy level.

ECIU and UT

As a collaborationbetween 12 research-intensive universities, the ECIU is unified in its emphasison innovation, creativity and societal impact. ECIU President Victor van derChijs: “ECIU is building strong international relations on innovation andentrepreneurship. At the same time, all of the partner universities are deeplyrooted in their own region, strengthening their role in society and enhancingsocio-economic development. This new project underlines the responsibility wetake in this.”

 TheECIU will contribute to the TEFCE project with expertise in related projects,as well as their international network of over 330,000 students and 50,000staff involved in the dissemination and exploitation of the results in Europe. Theproject will be part of the ECIU Steering Committee Entrepreneurship andSocietal Impact of Research (ESIR) and benefit from the experience of theinstitutional experts of that committee.

The role of theUniversity of Twente

The UT,which is a member of the ECIU, will act as a project partner and a pilotinstitution, with its know-how in innovation and impact at the regional level.A researcher from the Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), aworldwide leading education policy research institute at the UT, will participatein the project’s Expert Team. Professor Paul Benneworth, senior researcher atCHEPS, will work on developing a proposalfor an innovative toolbox on community engagement by merging existingresearch, policy and practice.

The projectadministrator, Angela Bloo-Heuven, will also be involved in the operational andfinancial management, evaluation and dissemination of the results of theproject. In addition, the UT will host a peer-learning session on existingpractices of enhancing community engagement.

Forfurther questions please contact Dr. Paul Benneworth (p.benneworth@utwente.nl).