# Universities of the Future and Industrial Revolution 4.0: The Academy Transformation

Maria Teresa Pereira, Manuel S. Araújo, António Castro, Maria J. Teixeira

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Maria Teresa Pereira, Manuel S. Araújo, António Castro, Maria J. Teixeira. Universities of the Future and Industrial Revolution 4.0: The Academy Transformation. IFIP World Conference on Computers in Education (WCCE), Aug 2022, Hiroshima, Japan. pp.429-440, 10.1007/978-3-031-43393-1_40 . hal-05533289

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# Universities of the Future and Industrial Revolution 4.0: The Academy Transformation

Maria Teresa Pereira¹,²✉️, Manuel S. Araújo³✉️, António Castro⁴✉️, and Maria J. Teixeira⁵✉️

¹ Associate Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aerospace (LAETA-INEGI), Porto, Portugal

² Porto School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal

mtp@isep.ipp.pt

³ Porto Accounting and Business School, (CEOS), Polytechnic of Porto, Mamede Infesta, Portugal

manuelsalvador@iscap.ipp.pt

⁴ Escola Secundária Fontes Pereira de Melo (ESFPM), Porto, Portugal

⁵ Monteiro Ribas Indústrias, SA, Porto, Portugal

jt@mri.pt

**Abstract.** This article aims to reflect on the changes that are taking place today, considering them from different perspectives, as well as to describe the impact that results from these changes in social, economic, ethical, and academic terms, and the role of creative learning in this transformational process. A description is made of the main characteristics of this moment, mainly in what is considered the industrial 4.0 revolution, as well as the main global trends that are associated with it in this third decade of the millennium. Presenting the Universities of the Future (UoF) project, an assessment of its main results is made, as well as essential questions that must be asked so that several levels of decision-makers can consider as valid in building a different and better future for the planet we inhabit. Part of the answers found seem to suggest that the different social institutions must converge in a collaborative paradigm, in which the free sharing of knowledge, the distribution of resources, and the focus on common problems with different approaches and by different players, bring more creative, efficient, and sustainable solutions and knowledge.

**Keywords:** Industry 4.0 · I4.0 · Universities of Future · Creative Learning

## 1 Introduction - One Accelerated Transformational World

The world is undergoing such a rapid process of transformation, and there seems to be no other phenomenon of equal magnitude in the history of civilization [1–5]. The turn of the millennium brought the acceleration of digitalization triggered by technological advances in what would be called the fourth industrial revolution (I4.0), commonly understood to mean a range of manufacturing technologies that fuse the physical and digital worlds due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation. But what are
we talking about when we talk about the I4.0 revolution? The social representation of this expression I4.0 is not the same in different social and professional groups. For the common citizen it is vaguer and more diffuse, and for professionals who deal with it more specifically, the construct is clearer and more objective. We will now address some of the main features that seem to characterize the I4.0.

**Industrial Revolution 4.0.** There does not seem to be a clear consensus on this expression, but it appears recurrently associated with automation technologies, data exchange, and using the concepts cyber-physical systems, internet of things and cloud computing, with the focus being the efficiency/effectiveness of the processes. I4.0 is a new paradigm of production systems highly focused on creating intelligent products and processes, using intelligent machines and the transformation of conventional production systems into intelligent factories [6, 7]. All these changes involve not only increasing the efficiency of resources and time, but more highly, changing the way people work. This new industrial paradigm encompasses a set of industrial developments, having emerged in 2010 in Germany, through a project focused on technological solutions and which consisted of the fusion of traditional production methods with the latest technological developments in the areas of information and communication. It represents an evolution of production systems that creates benefits for organizations: cost and energy reduction, increased safety and quality, improved process efficiency, etc. It is the revolution of massive digitization, the *Internet of Things*, *Machine Learning*, and *Robotization*, but also *Nanotechnology* and new materials, *Biotechnology* – technologies that merge the physical, digital, and biological worlds, applied to production processes [8, 9]. The concepts of *Digitalization* (transforming analog formats into digital formats), *Intelligence* (solving problems, normally attributed to humans but increasingly acquired by machines that autonomously communicate with each other and make decisions based on the data received), and *Smart Factory* (factories that could manage complexity, are less prone to disruption and produce products more efficiently) [10], have been associated with discussions about I4.0. Regarding *Smart Factories*, Burke et al. [11], from Deloitte, highlighted 5 main features: 1) connectivity; 2) optimization; 3) transparency; 4) proactivity; and 5) flexibility. These characteristics reduce the need for manual tasks, allow real-time access to the production process, control and monitoring, better human-machine interface, and better use of new technologies such as robotics. Nine pillars of technological advancement are considered and comprise the following technologies: *Big Data* [12]; *Autonomous Robots* [13]; *Internet of things (IoT)* [14]; *Simulation* [15]; *Integrated systems* [16]; *Cyber Security* [17]; *Cloud computing* [13]; *Additive Manufacturing* [18] and, *Augmented Reality* [19, 20]. See Fig. 1.

**Social and Natural Changes.** If it is true that technological changes have brought about significant changes, it is no less true that the social and natural changes of this *Anthropocene* period are also increasingly present. Although there is still no great consensus on the date of its beginning, the *Anthropocene* has been pointed out by some as having started with the first industrial revolution in the 18th century, and some scholars even refer to the beginning of agriculture, as it begins to change greatly, the ecosystem. While considerable social and natural changes are taking place, we have chosen to present the *Demographic Pressure*, *Political Changes*, *Climate Change* and *Pandemic* outbreaks as major concerns in their relationship to the future of industry, academia, and humanity.
<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>Fig. 1. Main components of I4.0.</figcaption></figure>

*Demographic Pressure*. In 2022 we have a global population of almost 8 billion people, values that are estimated to increase dramatically in the coming decades, a reality that creates considerable pressure in terms of the distribution of resources at a planetary level. With a planet with limited resources and an increasing population density and with more consumption demands, it creates an extreme situation with consequences at different levels [10, 21]. On the other hand, the population pyramid is increasingly ageing, requiring this population to create solutions that also involve their inclusion in the productive and social process and not be assumed as a negative liability. If it is true that excess population creates challenges for humanity, it is no less true that population imbalances in different parts of the globe create migration problems, as well as considerable educational needs on the part of educational institutions, as upskilling and upskilling for dealing with this new industrial revolution.

*Politics Changes*. The geostrategic interests of different governments and large companies must be variables to be included in this equation of Politics Changes [22]. The recent crisis in Europe, in which Russia's recognition of the independence of the provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk, followed by military invasion, creating a terrible world tension with damages in human and economic terms at a global level, with a tenuous reaction of international institutions, which does not favor the realization of the 2030 agenda, and therefore the goals most associated with the I4.0 and the transformation of higher education institutions. More aggressive political leadership is not conducive to the social climate of collaboration that we aspire to. On the stage of the different powers, worrying instability processes are unleashed, as they are almost always based on economic paradigms in which short-term economic profit prevails, without much regard for higher values, such as human rights. The need for peace, strong institutions, solid partnerships, respect for human life and the sustainability of the planet is therefore unequivocal, and without political leaders aligned with these democratic values, the challenge of a different and better future through the I4.0 it gets harder to reach.

*Climate Change*. There is immense evidence of climate change on the planet we inhabit, and human activity is the main explanation for this change. It is irrefutable that human activities are responsible by climate change (warming the atmosphere, ocean, and land)
[23]. Scientists from different areas and in different parts of the globe are unanimous in the conclusion that these changes are unequivocal and have great potential to negatively affect life on Earth. By way of illustration, scientific evidence reveals that current warming is occurring roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming. Carbon dioxide from human activity is increasing more than 250 times faster than it did from natural sources after the last Ice Age. Global Temperature Rise, Warming Ocean, Shrinking Ice Sheets, Glacial Retreat, Decreased Snow Cover, Sea Level Rise, Declining Arctic Sea Ice, Extreme Events, and Ocean Acidification continue in this negative spiral, which as you can imagine are not good signs. Given the evidence of these changes, once again science must support the solutions leading not only to their mitigation, but also to our better adaptation to these changes. Intervention for greater sustainability of resources and greater solidarity with future generations and biodiversity involves: increasing energy efficiency; increasing the use of renewable energy; reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions; conserving and protecting water resources through efficiency, reuse, and stormwater management; eliminating waste; preventing pollution; increasing recycling; designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating high-performance sustainable buildings; supporting economic growth and livability of the communities, and other different ways to protect the planet.

*Pandemic*. At the end of 2019, in a city in the People's Republic of China, a new virus was identified with an infection capacity with Pandemic characteristics. Quickly, the epicenter of this event was no longer limited to a part of the globe and became a serious problem for all human beings. Faced with the unknown and the gravity of the phenomenon (deadly or highly debilitating), individuals, organizations, communities, cities, countries, regions, in short - society, put immense efforts into dealing with this global threat. It was interesting to witness a phenomenon of international collaboration that has not been seen for some time in the history of humanity. Scientists, laboratories, public and private research centers, universities, associations, governments, federations, international organizations, and even the simplest person, left their usual selfish goals, to focus on this common problem of fighting the so-called Pandemic of COVID-19. The Mantra of that time was sharing, collaboration, transparency, solidarity, alignment of government measures, effort and sacrifice, mobilization, isolation, and multiple restrictions in terms of freedom and even economic functioning, with unequivocal consequences in terms of business survival and families. It was exciting to watch the sharing, for example, of the knowledge that pharmaceutical companies had (and which they normally hide from their competitors for commercial reasons), to make advances in terms of creating a vaccine to fight the new virus. It is true that "the time window" in which this occurred was short, having quickly turned to "closing the so open sharing of knowledge", then generated by these different actors. However, this interregnum in the more competitive attitude of people, corporations and states resulted in an exponential acceleration of the creation of a new vaccine. What would normally take 5 to 10 years was significantly reduced in terms of the average time to obtain a solution. Different solutions emerged with an interesting degree of effectiveness, empirically validated by the reduction of cases, as well as the reduction of their severity. In addition to this vaccine phenomenon, society also adapted to a new reality, or even a "new normal" after successive pandemic waves passed, with a significant transformation of behavioral patterns, consumption,
socialization, work, among many other changes that were taken for granted before the Pandemic. The vulnerability that this global experience brought, as well as the role that technology played in dealing with it, has refocused the purpose of many decision-makers and many individuals without these greater responsibilities.

The industrial revolution 4.0 and the different changes that are taking place at the planetary and human levels, force us to make fundamental decisions to survive the times ahead. New Eras bring new threats and new challenges, which is why the role that creative learning can play in the co-construction of a better and different future seems fundamental to us. Concerns about sustainability and humanity set the tone for the foundations of the so-called Industrial I5.0 Revolution - Digital transformation to a Sustainable, human-centric industry.

## 2 Universities of Future Project

Industry 4.0 is assuming its rhythm in today's business environment and strategies. Companies are changing their working processes dramatically and this poses major challenges requiring proactive adaptation by businesses/industries, governments, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The industry 4.0 main components are presented (Fig. 1). The major focus of the companies' investment will be on digital technologies (DT) [24]. DT itself is not a leverage issue for the business results, a strategic plan should be done for a sustainable investment. In addition, companies are also investing in training employees and driving organizational change. One main concern relies on occupations' transformation towards a digital culture, where some occupations are threatened by redundancy, others are growing rapidly, and a third set of new occupations will emerge. The Universities of the Future project (UoF) addresses the existing gaps in higher education offers by developing new, innovative, and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning, stimulating entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills of higher education teaching staff and company staff, and facilitating the exchange, flow and co-creation of knowledge through a true community of practice and using design thinking methodology.

The UoF project is to form – and sustain - a community of HEIs, Companies, Government entities, Students, and alumni to address: a) the qualification of teachers and students in the Industry 4.0 age; b) the reskilling and up-skilling of industry staff for the digital transformation towards Industry 4.0; c) the instruments and resources with which HEIs, educators/trainers, businesses and government decision-making bodies should be equipped with to ensure a smooth sailing on this journey.

The objectives set for this project resulted in the following outcomes:

1) A common body of knowledge on industry 4.0's readiness/maturation by regions/business and its subsequent impact on skills' shifting, up/re-skilling. *A Blueprint and a Best Practice report* were developed and publicly available on the UoF website and on the UoF platform.

2) *A Community of practice and co-creation units for university-business cooperation:* 33 small-scale events were organised to engage the four elements of the quadruple helix into providing input for the success of the outputs or outcomes of the project.
3) Educational resources for teacher training, for re- and up-skilling:

*Creating innovative lessons* on core topics/main components of Industry 4.0, targeting bachelor/master students - 12 autonomous lessons of circa 30 min: Artificial Intelligence, Soft skills, Smart Teams and Transformation Leadership, 5G and I4.0, Internet of Things, Intellectual Property, Introduction to I4.0, System thinking, Sensors for Cyber-physical systems, Wireless communication for IoT devices, Tips to Improve Communication, Personal Branding, Basics of Prototyping, Basics of Additive Manufacturing, made publicly available at the UoF platform (requiring a simple registration), directed to the target groups and in the four working languages.

*Continuous training programmes/short courses on core topics/main components of Industry 4.0*, for employees interested in re/upskilling - 10 short courses, with two European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), 24 contact hours, on the topics: Machine Learning and Data Analytics to Predictive Maintenance; Building Internet of Things Solutions; Vanguard Leadership Program for Industry 4.0; Additive Technology - 3D Modelling and Printing; Circular Economy in Industry 4.0 - a practical approach; Systemic Design for Sustainability; Business Processes Modelling; User-Centred Product Development; Ethical Product Development; Sustainable Product Development - made publicly available at the UoF to target groups - e.g. SMEs - platform in the four working languages.

*An international joint post-graduation (PG) program* designed using creative strategies applied to industry 4.0, and targeting workers interested in applying pilot projects to accelerate their companies' digital transformation - PG in I4.0 - Digital Transformation - supported by the Virtual Platform. The PG was initially designed to be developed in a mixed format - online and face-to-face, depending on students' mobilities, with a common timetable (8 h 30 a.m.-10 h 30 a.m.) (Fig. 2).

Classes were recorded and uploaded to the virtual platform, offering to the students the possibility to attend offline. To abide by Portuguese legislation on Higher Education programmes, the joint PG comprised 30 ECTS, 210 Contact Hours (CH), and six modules: Module 1 - Project: with six challenges briefed by the companies to be developed in co-creation (mentoring and coaching), using design thinking methodology (52 CH) throughout the duration of the post-graduation, included three bootcamps with a week; Module 2 - Transferable and Soft Skills (52 CH) running simultaneously with Module 1. Modules 3 to 6 were small hands-on projects and cooperative work on team challenges (24 CH). Module 3 - IT driven 4.0: Introduction to I4.0, IoT, Cyberphysical Systems, Cybersecurity; Module 4 - New Business and Digital Transformation: Development of New Business in the I4.0 and Digital Transformation scope; Data Analytics and Machine Learning; Co-creation in innovation and, Entrepreneurship; Module 5 - Information Systems and Decision Support Systems (IS&DSS): Training in IS/IT to Support de Digital Transformation, Systems Interoperability, Business Process Management and Notation - BPMN - and Power BI. Module 6 - Sustainable Enablers - Logistics and Supply Chain Management 4.0, Augmented and Virtual Reality and Sustainability. Due to COVID-19 the PG programme was delivered online using the same strategy/methodology.

4) *Guiding and supporting resources* directed to HEIs, business and government decision-making bodies, as well as to educators/trainers - Two Tool Kits for Teachers:
<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>Fig. 2. Joint Post-graduation in Industry 4.0 Framework</figcaption></figure>

i) Tools & Methods - with the tools and methods that can be used to support learning and teaching; ii) Technologies - with the most advanced and used technologies available to support the teaching and learning activities; one Tool Kit for HEIs, where Industry 4.0 is briefly presented and its potential benefits and threats for HEIs are highlighted, and one Tool Kit for Industry, where Industry 4.0 is briefly presented and its potential benefits are highlighted, and models for assessing maturity in I4.0 are also presented. Furthermore, it promotes fruitful cooperation between Industry and HEIs. The toolkits translated into four languages are public on the UoF website and the UoF Platform.

5) A robust virtual teaching and learning factory for industry 4.0 providing ample tools and resources enabling the direct contact of the target-groups with the main components of Industry and Education 4.0. A UoF Platform providing i) an area for companies to present briefings and challenges for collaboration – to be used as classroom case studies, or to be developed by international multidisciplinary groups as real-life projects with tangible outcomes; ii) Open educational resources (OER) autonomous lessons; iii) short courses available to be reproduced and adapted to the target groups; iv) post-graduation in Industry 4.0 Innovation and Digital Transformation.

## 2.1 The UoF Project Results

The Blueprint for the universities of the future report [25], was one of the first outputs in the project UoF, supported by the methodologies/tools: expert interviews, focus group and a survey, see Table 1. Investigation also included research into weak signals and megatrends. This information was used to create a start scenario to chart us a direction of where we would like to go and define the educative assets and tool kits that support the leverage for the future scenario.

Concerning challenges in society the main issues identified were the lack of a skilled workforce. Students have often expressed a worry that they don't know what skills they should be learning, and that by the time they graduate, these skills will not be useful anymore. Furthermore, the lack of mobility between countries and regions can exacerbate the shortage problem. Additionally, the lack of a skilled workforce is increased by the gender imbalance and unequal access to opportunities; New ways of working – flexibility in working life, that is not tied to a place, time, or single employer; An ageing
<table><caption>**Table 1.** Collected data for the blueprint</caption><thead><tr><td>Method</td><td>Data</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Literature review</td><td>137 journal articles of Industry 4.0 competencies</td></tr><tr><td>Interview</td><td>86 experts of Education 4.0</td></tr><tr><td>Review</td><td>205 educational solutions for Industry 4.0</td></tr><tr><td>Benchmarking</td><td>35 international forerunners of Education 4.0</td></tr><tr><td>Workshops and co-creation events</td><td>143 participants from higher education, industry, governmental agencies, and students</td></tr></tbody></table>

population - concern over who will care for the elderly; Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 – sustainable solutions are critical; Lack of common vision on technology – many companies that have expressed that there is no common vision on how to use the available technology, or how to start developing it; Legislation is not updated to address all these challenges. Based on that the UoF recommendations for HEIs for the three coming decades can be seen in [25].

The UoF workshops often approached the question, “What is the role for higher education institutions?” and “Are they sufficiently adapting to the new educational needs of society?” The latter question mainly referenced responders’ perceptions of the slow creation of new curriculum, and bureaucratic requirements that made the process even slower.

The educative assets developed under the UoF alliance showed that clusters of collaboration can be used to also develop online learning technology and content, which in turn also increases scalability. When it comes to online learning, student mobility definition should be included, as online learning is a tool that increases educational accessibility and promotes inclusion. Unequal access to education diminishes the efforts for reskilling and upskilling, and online learning can be both accessible and a tool to increase accessibility to create more opportunities for high quality education online. Interdisciplinary education programmes and real projects developed in co-creation with companies have proven a valuable tool to provide a more rounded education to students. Not only by providing experiences which more closely resemble real working life, but also by providing the students the opportunity to learn to work with, and learn from people from different fields, and by becoming a topic expert within their own group. The development of these types of programmes is not easy though and requires more effort in terms of time or resources, than more traditional teaching.

Educational clusters, therefore, can aid in the co-development of these programmes by the mutual pooling of resources, and by creating a larger audience to take part in these programmes. Interdisciplinary programmes are meant to bring students from different backgrounds together to teach them skills related to solving problems, so they can see how they can use their skills in real life, as well as to better understand what people from other disciplinary backgrounds can do. It can increase their understanding and the type of communication skills that are required in working life. It can also create the type of personal connections that can later lead to entrepreneurial activity.
## 2.2 Universities of the Future, I4.0 and Creative Learning

The industrial revolution 4.0, as well as all the previous revolutions that preceded it, challenged society to a set of changes necessary to accompany them on the path of civilizational progress. Companies and academia have been adjusting their methods and content to better align with the new technological requirements. Due to the characteristics of this last industrial revolution, the transformations that need to be carried out in society are of a gigantic order of magnitude, since the mindset that is required is considerably different [26, 27]. As we had the opportunity to present before, the universities of the future will have to reinvent themselves, leaving once and for all the “distance” from the real world that surrounds them, increasingly incorporating in their DNA the valences of the industry, as well as the leadership of technological innovation, or intervention in social problems. The new generations that arrive at universities are not only made up of young people, but also older audiences who return to meet the demands of digital literacy so necessary to this new paradigm. The terms upskilling and reskilling have been increasingly repeated by the most diverse protagonists, and it seems to have been familiar with the idea that basic training is not enough to keep up to date, and for that very reason, make a master, a post-graduation, an MBA, a doctorate, a specialization, or different other shorter training courses, are the “new normal”, which people are already used to fulfilling. If it is true that the academy continues to be the stage where the population normally goes to fulfill this training need, it is no less true that companies have created their own training offers, some of them with a degree of sophistication and innovations that are worthy of admiration. On the other hand, the worker himself invested and created training options for himself in a self-taught way, using his own technology to inform himself and develop professional skills. Part of the success of the UoF project came from the ability of higher education institutions, companies, and government entities to join forces to align objectives, provide knowledge, but most of all, collaborate so that everyone’s needs could be met, in true teamwork, in which the collaborative spirit spoke louder. In a way, it was as if “each of these three entities decided to leave their homes and meet in the city’s central square to talk about their experiences and discover that they could be useful in a unique synergy”.

Jeffrey [28] states that people are themselves the builders of the meanings that matter when they are involved in the learning process, in the continuity of the developmental-constructivist school since Piaget. Chappell and Craft [29, p. 382] advocate that “creative learning conversations are a way of contributing to change, which moves us towards an education future fit for the twenty-first century”. These same authors, consider that traditional forms of teaching and learning suffer from a certain lethargy, in the sense that the degree of participation and commitment of the multiple interested parties of the community interact in a coalescence of talents and synergistic (individual, interpersonal and group processes). A comparative study with successful students in South Korea and the United States sought to identify perceptions about the most creative learning skills and receptive learning skills. The results describe an assessment of lower competence in critical thinking compared to receptive learning competencies in both countries. However, as the school years progress, American students seem to develop a perception of improvement in their creative and critical thinking skills. The authors explain that there may be some influence here from culture, and epistemological beliefs on critical and
creative learning [30]. To have a society of high innovative capacity, it is essential to verify and guarantee the quality of the education system, which is only possible with an ecosystem in which learning creativity is fostered [31]. This learning creativity is based on six fundamental pillars [32, 33]: infrastructures, intellectual capital, integrity, incentives, institutions, and interaction. It seems obvious to us to conclude that if our commitment is not linked to investment in these areas, we will see our economic and human development unequivocally conditioned. To what extent are we promoting these creativity skills in our institutions? Do we, education professionals, have the skills to develop these skills in our students, or do we remain in a classic paradigm of teaching content and in a very receptive and passive methodology for acquiring knowledge? In the European community, the Bologna process aimed to place the student at the centre of the learning process, an intention that goes against this idea of promoting in the person who learns a great responsibility to build their learning, but how could one not fail to be, it also needs a new profile of educators, new methodologies, new resources, new institutions. To what extent are we truly heading in that direction? What does the future of creative learning hold for us? Smitsman and Smitsman [34] presented a very interesting proposal to build the design of learning tasks for the thrivability of creativity: a) need to include activities on how to bring forth future states and emerging worlds from within their present states of reality; b) need to enable the game of diversity through a creative exploratory process that can show wholeness and unity, as skills grow; c) need to provide meaningful feedback and feed-forward interactions that promote future creating behaviors; d) need to make it possible to combine existing capabilities into new patterns by shifting stances; e) need to evoke development of empathy, joy, compassion, care, and trust; f) need to include a supportive environment for exploration; g) need to bring the future into the here and now of a person. The same authors consider that these needs can be met with strategies such as role-play or group dialogues, exercises to visualize a different and better future self, opportunities for communication and storytelling, projects and opportunities for collaboration, training, and education in making their creative future viable, training in systems dynamics (in order to make complexity more visible), training in mindfulness and internal harmony, among others.

## 3 Conclusions

Otto Scharmer and Senge [5] explore a set of reflections related to our capacity for transformation, whether in individual, team, organizational or even social as Humanity. We certainly still have a long way to go to make our society more eco and less ego, but it seems to be evident that part of the solution requires our ability to learn to be more creative and this is impossible to achieve without others. Our brains are fabulous at creating new solutions for new and old problems, but this requires a set of conditions that do not limit this power, on the contrary, it forces the different decision-makers to provide the context, the tools and the culture of freedom and collaboration that creating the future requires.

Projects such as universities of the future seek to bring together different entities, define strategies, and promote methodologies that favour this “organic soup” that promotes creative learning. Like this project, many others are going in this direction, but
not as many as could be needed to accelerate the process of changing the educational
paradigm. Therefore, it is imperative that the great world and national institutions com-
mit themselves to this purpose of “freeing the natural creative capacity of individuals”
so that they can give back to society much more than what they received from it.

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