(HEI initiative – Innovation capacity Building for Higher Education) EUAccel - Accelerating Innovation in Europe Through Startup Development and Co-creation

    EUAcceL aims to accelerate innovation in Europe through open innovation, co-creation, and start-up development. EUAcceL’s vision is to create an international innovation ecosystem in Europe with all knowledge triangle actors involved.

    The goal is to foster innovation and start-up development with speed and quality, implement synergies with other innovation network initiatives, and create a leading European programme for entrepreneurship and innovation. 

    The project will receive funding from the EIT's HEI Initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education. This new initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) aims to boost the entrepreneurial and innovation capacity of higher education institutions (HEIs).

    Partners:

    • Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences – project lead
    • FH Campus Wien
    • Edinburgh Napier University
    • GründES! Esslingen University
    • The Edge
    • Ghent University
    • Research Centre of Athens University of Economics and Business
    • University of Pisa

    Under the EIT’s HEI Initiative, the project will receive funding of €400,000 in phase one and will run until December 2021. The second phase will run until July 2023 with an additional €800,000 of funding being awarded.

    Further information can be found here 

    ABOUT THE EIT

    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.

    ABOUT THE EIT’S HEI INITIATIVE

    The EIT’s HEI Initiative is a key objective for the EIT as 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.

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