The latest ECIU University online workshop places an emphasis on stakeholder voices

On October 1^st, an online workshop ‘Stakeholder voices: Insights from consultations, survey evidence and community experience’ brought ECIU University students, staff and societal partners together to discuss building a joint space for growth and innovation. The stakeholder perspective took centre stage – with both the latest developments and potential next steps discussed.  

The event kicked off with an opening speech from the ECIU University director Niall Power, who emphasised the importance of strengthening the connection between the community, member institutions, businesses and organisations.  

‘We want to understand how to make this collaboration work for an international organisation like ECIU University – and to make sure it works for everybody in the ecosystem,’ he noted. ‘That’s something we can only achieve by talking, analysing, criticising and working together.’

Next, advisor to the vice-chancellor at Linköping University Jan Axelsson presented recent findings from consultations with the societal partners. This included insights from the latest workshop in Brussels and the resulting policy paper on stakeholders’ needs, ‘ECIU University partner voices: Findings from the ECIU University societal partner consultations’.  

Afterwards, ECIU University director Niall Power relayed findings from the ECIU University External Stakeholder Survey. With responses from 26 representatives at 25 organisations, it provided a better understanding of how stakeholders engage with ECIU University – and how this engagement can be strengthened.

The meeting featured testimonials from several community members as well. Among them were teamcher Tim Jongman, who shared insights on Challenge-Based Learning and his work with students and stakeholders, and ECIU Student Board member Marija Pedersen, who brought the learner perspective to the table.  

Stakeholders also took the floor, as the Mylicia Energy (Norway) founder Ronny Fiuren talked about the way ECIU University brings down barriers between institutions, students and businesses. Meanwhile, a video from the Lithuanian state-owned railway company LTG Group detailed its experience with a Challenge at Kaunas University of Technology.

The meeting concluded after breakout discussions, with two crucial questions asked: what impact does ECIU University want to make, and how can this impact be made?  

‘The workshop has shown ECIU University's potential to build much stronger and more meaningful relationships with our societal partners, across education, lifelong learning, research and innovation,’ says Niall Power. ‘The next step is to develop a more structured and consistent approach to our cooperation and translate stakeholders' needs into opportunities to work together – which is what the workshop set out to put into motion.’

The ‘ECIU University partner voices: Findings from the ECIU University societal partner consultations’ policy paper authored by Jan Axelsson highlights the significance of scaling up the connections between organisations and talents, as well as taking the existing processes to a more global level. Read its full text below.

^{Photo: UAveiro}