University College Dublin Participating in a New EIT-funded Project Aimed at Boosting Innovation and Entrepreneurship
University College Dublin, through NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs, is collaborating with 7 (seven) institutions from 6 (six) European countries on a European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)-funded project aimed at boosting innovation and entrepreneurship at higher education institutions.
The project, Responsible Innovation-Led Entrepreneurial University Transformation Centres (RiEcoLab), led by the University of Łódź in Poland, has up to secured €400k in Phase 1 funding through the EIT HEI Initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education.
RiEcoLab is aimed at accelerating the commercialisation of research through building innovation capacity among researchers, start-ups, students and staff. This capacity will be built by the development and delivery of a broad suite of training programmes for students, researchers and staff. This training will be co-created and delivered by the consortium partners who will each launch a local ‘living lab’ that will build on existing research and innovation operations within each university.
Phase 1 of the project, which concludes this December, involves the development and delivery of a comprehensive training and mentorship pilot programme.
UCD’s partners on the RiEcoLab project are, University of Łódź (Poland) the lead partner, Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (Germany), European Business Angels Network (Belgium), Helixconnect Europe (Romania), National School of Political and Administrative Studies (Romania), Wageningen Economic Research (The Netherlands) and Yaşar University (Turkey).
ENDS
4 October 2021
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, NovaUCD e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie.
Editors Notes
The EIT’s HEI Initiative is a key part of its new strategy, the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda 2021−2027. The initiative aims to support higher education institutions with expertise and coaching, access to the EIT innovation ecosystem, and funding, enabling them to develop innovation action plans complementing the needs of individual higher education institutions. As part of its Pilot Phase, the initiative has provided funding to 23 projects, with the next call for proposals expected towards the end of 2021.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, among leading companies, research labs and universities.
At NovaUCD, the hub for new ventures and entrepreneurs at University College Dublin, we provide purpose-built, state-of-the-art incubation facilities for knowledge-intensive companies alongside a comprehensive business support programme, including accelerator programmes, for our client companies and entrepreneurs. NovaUCD has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, UCD and Xilinx. www.novaucd.ie