Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A new partnership for the modernisation of universities: the EU Forum for University Business Dialogue {COM(2009) 158 final SEC(2009) 423 SEC(2009) 424}
Date: 2009-04-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, European Employment Strategy, business policy, education policy, integration into employment, organisation of teaching, university

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 2.4.2009 
SEC(2009) 425 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

accompanying the 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

A new partnership for the modernisation of universities: the EU Forum for 
University Business Dialogue 

{COM(2009) 158 final 
SEC(2009) 423 
SEC(2009) 424} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

2.1 

2.2 

2.3 

2.4 

2.5 

3. 

4. 

4.1 

4.2 

4.3 

5. 

5.1 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 4 

University-Business Cooperation – Drivers for Cooperation ...................................... 5 

The changing role of universities in the economy ....................................................... 6 

More innovation and higher level skills in business .................................................... 7 

New entrepreneurs, new business start ups.................................................................. 7 

Enhancing the overall employability in students ......................................................... 8 

The main stakeholders.................................................................................................. 9 

The European policy environment ............................................................................. 11 

The National policy environment............................................................................... 13 

Laws supporting University-Business Cooperation................................................... 13 

Policy, strategy and incentives for cooperation ......................................................... 14 

Research into University-Business Cooperation........................................................ 16 

Activity at the Member State level............................................................................. 17 

Governance ................................................................................................................ 18 

5.1.1  National level organisations....................................................................................... 19 

5.1.2 

Institutional boards promoting cooperation ............................................................... 20 

5.1.3 

The expanding role of careers guidance and alumni.................................................. 20 

5.2 

Curriculum Development........................................................................................... 22 

5.2.1  Organisations involved in influencing curriculum development ............................... 22 

5.2.2 

Joint courses between sectors and universities/facilities ........................................... 24 

5.2.3 

Involvement in the development of learning outcomes based certification............... 25 

5.2.4  Quality assurance and accreditation........................................................................... 25 

5.3 

More effective continuing education and training/retraining (Lifelong Learning).... 26 

5.3.1  New institutes for lifelong learning............................................................................ 27 

5.3.2  New courses and adaptation of existing university programmes............................... 28 

5.3.3  Recognition of prior learning ..................................................................................... 29 

5.4 

Mobility...................................................................................................................... 30 

5.4.3  Mobility of academics to and from industry .............................................................. 30 

5.4.3 

Industry Chairs: members of industry chairing or contributing to university boards 31 

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5.4.4 

Student internships ..................................................................................................... 31 

5.5 

Entrepreneurship ........................................................................................................ 33 

5.5.1 

Embedding entrepreneurship in the curricula ............................................................ 34 

5.5.2  National strategies for entrepreneurship .................................................................... 35 

5.5.3 

Teaching the teachers and the entrepreneurs ............................................................. 36 

5.5.4 

Industrial professors ................................................................................................... 37 

5.5.5  Research into entrepreneurship .................................................................................. 37 

5.6 

Knowledge transfer .................................................................................................... 38 

5.6.1  A coherent support structure for knowledge transfer................................................. 39 

5.6.2  Mobility for research.................................................................................................. 40 

6. 

6.1 

6.2 

6.3 

Other issues and activities.......................................................................................... 41 

The role in the regional economy............................................................................... 41 

Corporate Social Responsibility................................................................................. 44 

Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) ............................................................ 45 

6.3.1  Collaboration for innovation within SMEs ................................................................ 45 

6.3.2  Collaboration for greater employment opportunities within SMEs........................... 46 

7. 

7.1 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 47 

Overall conclusions.................................................................................................... 47 

Annex A1 - Publications .......................................................................................................... 49 

Annex A2 – Forum Conclusions.............................................................................................. 53 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

This  staff  working  paper  complements  the  Communication  “  A  new  partnership  for  the 
modernisation of universities: the EU Forum for UNIVERSITY-BUSINESS Dialogue”. 
The  Communication  reports  on  the  first  year  of  operation  of  the  EU  forum  for  University 
Business Dialogue, draws conclusions and makes proposals for future work. This text reports 
more  fully  on  the  experiences  of  university-business  cooperation  which  lie  behind  the 
exchanges  in  the  Forum.  The  intention  is  to  highlight  good  practises  which  can  serve  as  a 
model for new initiatives in this area with a view to strengthen high level skills, innovation 
and creativity. 

The  paper  draws  on  practical  experiences  of  university-business  cooperation  from  the 
Member States, from European programmes and contributions from the University-Business 
Forum  workshops  which  took  place  over  20081  and  continue  in  2009.  The  University-
Business Forum covers a broad range of areas in which cooperation between universities and 
businesses was seen as having a contribution to make. Themes for cooperation include: 

•  Governance 

•  Curriculum Development 

•  Lifelong learning 

•  Mobility 

•  Entrepreneurship 

•  Knowledge transfer 

The report aims to summarise some of the main trends in these areas, consolidating the work 
in the Forum's meetings and workshops by drawing on additional background research. It will 
help to support Member States’ efforts in the modernisation of Europe’s Universities in line 
with the modernisation agenda for universities: education, research and innovation2. 

In  2006,  the  European  Commission  published  a  Communication  on  “Delivering  on  the 
Modernisation  Agenda  for  Universities:  Education,  Research  and  Innovation”.  The 
Modernisation Agenda for universities is part of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs. It 
highlighted  the  key  role  Universities  will  play  in  Europe’s  future  and  in  the  successful 
transition  to  a  knowledge-based  economy  and  society.  However,  this  crucial  sector  of  the 
economy  and  of  society  needs  in-depth  restructuring  and  modernisation  if  Europe  is  not  to 
lose out in the global competition in education, research and innovation.  

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University-Enterprise  Workshop,  Brussels,  17  July  2007,  Brussels;  Thematic  Forum  on  Continuing 
Education  and  Lifelong  Learning  (Brussels,  30  June  2008);  Thematic  Forum  on  Curriculum 
Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (Tenerife,  30-31  October  2008);  European  University-Business 
Forum, Brussels, 5-6 February 2009. 
Mobilising  the  brainpower  of  Europe,  COM(2005)152 ;  Delivering  on  the  modernisation  agenda  for 
universities, COM(2006)298. 

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The Communication suggested changes in nine areas as key to success: 

–  Break down the barriers around universities in Europe 

–  Ensure real autonomy and accountability for universities 

–  Provide incentives for structured partnerships with the business community 

–  Provide the right mix of skills and competencies for the labour market 

–  Reduce the funding gap and make funding work more effectively in education and research 

–  Enhance interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity 

–  Activate knowledge through interaction with society 

–  Reward excellence at the highest level 

–  Make the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area more visible 

and attractive in the world. 

The need for action in these nine areas is widely acknowledged by stakeholders and Member 
States, most recently in the Council Resolution of 23 November 2007. There remains however 
a clear challenge in the implementation of these measures.  

One  of  the  EU-level  responses  to  the  changing  role  of  HEIs  in  the  economy  has  been  the 
establishment of the European University-Business Forum, intended to facilitate exchange of 
examples  of  good  practice,  to  foster  mutual  learning  and  networking  and  to  inspire  further 
activities  in  the  EU  Member  States.  The  Forum  is  the  European  Commission’s  response  to 
calls  from  the  academic  and  business  communities  for  regular  and  sustainable  dialogue, 
exchange, sharing and mutual learning. 

2. 

UNIVERSITY-BUSINESS COOPERATION – DRIVERS FOR COOPERATION 

At  the  heart  of  University-Business  Cooperation  is  the  need  for  Europe  to  be  globally 
competitive  in  the  knowledge-based  economy.  Asian  economies  are  overtaking  the  US  and 
Northern Europe to become the most competitive in the world3. After the European Union and 
the US, China is now the third largest economy in the world. Skilled labour supply in China 
now equals around 40% of that in all OECD countries, and the growth rate of student numbers 
is  much  higher  than  in  the  OECD.  In  the  coming  years,  these  shifts  may  have  major 
implications for global trade4 

The  discussions  and  presentations  in  the  University-Business  Forums  point  to  a  number  of 
different drivers for cooperation from the perspectives of business and higher education. 

•  The changing role of universities in the economy: new sustainable models 

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20th World Competitiveness Yearbook, released May 15 2008 by IMD business school 
The  Higher  Educational  Transformation  of  China  and  Its  Global  Implications:  NBER Working  Paper 
No. 13849 http://www.nber.org/papers/w13849 

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•  Supporting innovation and higher level skills in businesses 

•  Creating new entrepreneurs, new business start ups 

•  Improving employability of graduates 

The public consultation was designed to involve stakeholders in present and future European 
debates concerning school education; however, it did not present a proposed policy on which 
views were sought. On the contrary, it sought to involve  participants in the development of 
future  cooperation  work  by  seeking  their  views  on  some  important  aspects  of  school 
education and on future challenges and possible solutions. Opinions were sought in particular 
on what the added value of European cooperation could be in addressing common challenges, 
while respecting the principle of subsidiarity and Member State competences. 

2.1 

The changing role of universities in the economy 

Throughout  the  world  a  consensus  is  emerging  regarding  the  position  and  role  of  Higher 
Education  in  the  developed  knowledge  economy,  with  common  agreement  that  universities 
are not just places of teaching, learning and ‘ivory tower’ research. Where it has been possible 
in  the  past  to  sustain  academic  activity  simply  to  increase  the  body  of  knowledge  and 
understanding  in  particular  domains,  the  economic  consequences  and  opportunities  arising 
through scientific and technological advances have brought knowledge and the acquisition of 
knowledge  firmly  into  the  economic  sphere  and  into  world  markets.  Universities  are  thus 
increasingly  becoming  actors  in  the  landscape  of  global  economic  relationships  and 
transactions. 

At  the  same  time,  a  role  has  been  identified  for  HEIs  in  the  upgrading  of  skills  in  the 
workforces  required  to  power  the  new  knowledge  economies,  presenting  opportunities  to 
engage far greater numbers of students in tertiary education, and to support and resource the 
lifelong  learning  activity  which  can  afford  not  only  personal  fulfilment  but  also  the 
continuous  updating  of  skills  to  meet  rapidly  changing  requirements  in  the  economy. 
Globally, universities are expected to meet a variety of challenges: 

–  To contribute to the economic welfare of a region and/or country 

–  To respond to academic competitive forces 

–  To engage in the drive for prestige 

–  To respond to increasing enrolments 

–  To respond to globalisation of education 

In a February 2007 speech at London’s Brunel University, the then UK Prime Minister Tony 
Blair  said  ‘Colleges  as  sites  of  disinterested  learning  are  one  of  the  great  parts  of  our 
civilisation. But we have grafted onto them a very modern phenomenon - that the knowledge 
that  was  once  the  preserve  of  an  elite  is  now  the  indispensable  requirement  for  economic 
advance. To that extent the democratisation of university entrance is a matter both of social 
justice and of economic efficiency.’ 

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This new enlarged relationship between HEIs and the economy and labour market inevitably 
directs tertiary education towards collaboration with the primary agents of economic delivery 
and employment – businesses. 

2.2 

More innovation and higher level skills in business 

The  Mid  Term  Review  of  the  Lisbon  Strategy  stressed  the  importance  of  knowledge  and 
innovation  as  key  drivers  of  European  competitiveness,  and  outlined  a  variety  of  proposals 
aimed at increasing the level, efficiency and the exploitation of education and research as the 
drivers of innovation.5 

“The  innovation  gap  between  the  EU  and  its  two  main  competitors,  the  US  and  Japan,  has 
been  decreasing  but  remains  significant”  according  to  the  2008  edition  of  the  European 
Innovation  Scoreboard  (EIS)6.  The  US  keeps  its  lead  in  12  out  of  16  indicators  for  which 
comparable data are available, and Japan keeps its lead in 12 out of such 16 indicators 

In this context there is a limited level of knowledge sharing, exchange and transfer between 
higher  education  and  research  centres  on  the  one  hand  and  business  on  the  other7  .  Many 
European  universities  and  researchers  still  consider  business  as  a  separate,  perhaps  even  an 
alien  world,  and  many  businesses  do  not  consider  interaction  with  universities  or  other 
research organisations as a strategic input into their future. Whilst this is, in part, a demand 
side  problem  resulting  from  widespread  private  sector  reluctance  to  work  with  the  higher 
education sector8, the responsibility also lies with European universities, and their ability to 
deal with the demands of the private sector9. 

2.3 

New entrepreneurs, new business start ups 

The  2005  Lisbon  Strategy  describes  the  essential  role  of  entrepreneurship  to  promote 
economic growth. Entrepreneurship and start-up businesses provide jobs, in particular higher-
value  jobs  and  career  opportunities.  In  order  to  sustain  economic  growth  the  level  of 
entrepreneurship,  and  the  number  of  new  start-ups  must  continue  to  increase.  Research 
demonstrates  a  positive  correlation  between  entrepreneurship  and  economic  growth,  and 
shows that countries with high entrepreneurship rates have decreasing unemployment rates. 

The  Global  Entrepreneurship  Monitor  (GEM)  2007  indicates  that  Europe  has  far  less 
entrepreneurial  activity  than  China  and  the  US,  for  example.  The  GEM  figures  for  “overall 
entrepreneurial  activity”  in  China  are  24.6%  compared  to,  for  example,  Austria  (8.4%), 
Belgium (4.6%), France (4.8%), the Netherlands (11.3%) or the United Kingdom (10.5%)10. 
Looking  at  the  figures  for  “High  Growth  Expectation  Early  Stage  Entrepreneurship  in  the 
Adult population”, China is higher than all other GEM countries. 

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COM (2005) 24 final “Working Together for Growth and Jobs: A New Start for the Lisbon Strategy” 
EIS 2008 published  on 22  Jan 2009. EIS  is  an  instrument  providing  a  comparative  assessment  of  the 
innovation performance of the EU Member States and a limited number of other countries. Report and 
annexes are available at http://www.proinno-europe.eu/metrics 
OECD (2002) Benchmarking Industry-Science Relationships 
(2003) The Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration 
Lambert, R. and Butler, N. (2006) The Future of European Universities: Renaissance or Decay? 
Entrepreneurial Activity in 2007 across the globe GEM Adult population survey 2007 (APS) 

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The  appearance  of  new  pressures  on  the  European  economy  include  an  ageing  population, 
shrinking labour force, as well as increasing competition from emerging economies that offer 
cheaper labour. Facilitating entrepreneurship gives advantages in opening up employment for 
currently under-utilised sections of the workforce, including the unemployed, disadvantaged, 
this  way 
and 
entrepreneurship  can  also  contribute  to  social  cohesion  through  the  level  of  employment  as 
well  as  enhancing  the  level  of  individual  economic  reward  and  work  satisfaction.  Europe 
needs to prioritise entrepreneurship for these reasons; and universities need to be at the heart 
of its efforts to do so. 

the  entrepreneurial  potential  of  women.  In 

in  particular  enabling 

Professors,  students  and  researchers  need  to  develop  entrepreneurial  skills  to  facilitate  the 
creation of new opportunities from study and research11. On the whole Europe produces few 
spin-outs and new businesses. The staff  working paper12 accompanying the Communication 
“Think  Small  First  -  A  Small  Business  Act  for  Europe"  underlines  that  entrepreneurship  is 
still not sufficiently reflected in educational and training policies. 

Another issue in the EU relates to insufficient mobility in education, innovation and research 
among  professors,  students,  researchers  and  company  staff.  The  low  level  of  mobility  – 
between  institutions,  across  borders  and  between  academia  and  business  –  and  the  existing 
legal and administrative barriers to mobility hinder knowledge exchange, sharing, transfer and 
creation. 

In  order  to  encourage  entrepreneurship,  a  more  favourable  social  climate  must  be  created 
through changing the mindset, culture, and the skills set of the workforce, removing obstacles 
to  start-ups  and  promoting  self-employment  as  an  attractive  prospect.  Higher  education 
provides  an  ideal  opportunity  to  foster  entrepreneurial  qualities  by  enabling  individuals  to 
develop the generic attributes, skills and attitudes for entrepreneurship, as well as imparting 
knowledge about start-up, business, and markets. Higher education institutions offering life-
long learning can also spur entrepreneurial activity among individuals who are already in the 
workforce.  Furthermore,  individuals  with  an  understanding  of  entrepreneurship  can  make  a 
greater  contribution  to  employers.  Traditionally,  education  in  Europe  has  not  encouraged 
entrepreneurship, but examples are emerging of new initiatives to include this is in curricula13.  

2.4 

Enhancing the overall employability in students 

There is an increasing labour market demand for people with the highest qualification levels 
(European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) study: 12.5 million 
additional jobs at the highest qualification level in 2015; jobs that require high or intermediate 
skills  will  correspond  to  79%  of  labour  market  needs  in  201514.  Technological  change  and 
globalisation are likely to further accelerate the shift in skills demand. Without the adaptation 
of  Higher  Education  and  forecasting  techniques  which  will  allow  universities  to  respond  to 
labour market demands as they emerge, the supply will be insufficient.  

COM (2006) 33 “Implementing the Community Lisbon Programme: Fostering Entrepreneurial 

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Mindsets through Education and Learning” 
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SEC(2008)  2101  “Commission  Staff  Working  Document  accompanying  the  Communication  “Think 
Small First - A Small Business Act for Europe” 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council,  Implementing  the  Community  Lisbon 
Programme: Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets through education and learning (2006) 
Compared to 74% in 2006 

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Feedback  from  employers  indicates  that  a  too  many  graduates  do  not  have  the  right  mix  of 
knowledge, skills and competence that is required in the labour market. Employers are asking 
in particular for more transversal and transferable skills, an area of skills development which 
is  often  inadequately  tackled  by  universities.  Research  by  the  CBI15  in  the  UK  shows  that 
almost a third of employers (30%) have problems with graduates’ generic employability skills 
such as team working, communication and problem solving. Employers are also disappointed 
with graduates’ attitudes to work (25%), self-management (33%), business awareness (44%) 
and foreign languages (49%). This mismatch between the knowledge, skills and competences 
acquired by graduates and those expected and valued by employers, is explored in more detail 
in  the  study  undertaken  by  the  CIHE  in  the  UK16.  The  report  confirms  the  mismatch  and 
provides some recommendations to employers, universities and students. 

The report of EUA “Trends V”17 suggests that employability is a high priority in the reform of 
curricula  in  all  cycles.  This  concern  transcends  national  boundaries  and  implementation 
priorities. However, the results also reveal that there is still much to be done to translate this 
priority into institutional practice. This is a paradox for a reform process inspired, at least in 
part, by a concern that higher education should be more responsive to the needs of a changing 
society  and  labour  market.  In  this  respect,  one  of  the  main  challenges  for  the  future  is  to 
strengthen dialogue with employers and other external stakeholders. 

2.5 

The main stakeholders 

University-Business Cooperation takes place between the two communities concerned, but a 
wider array of stakeholders must also be involved. 

Table 1 Examples of stakeholder types 

Government/public 

•  National Government 

•  Regional Government/authorities 

•  Sector councils 

•  Funding bodies 

Business 

•  Business/sector associations 

•  Trade unions 

•  Joint associations  

• 

Individual businesses 

•  University Associations 

University 

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16 

17 

CBI/Pertemps, “Employment Trends survey”, 2006 
Council  for  Industry  and  Higher  Education;  Graduate  Employability:  what  do  employers  think  and 
want; 2008  
Trends V: Universities shaping the EU Higher Education Area, EUA report, 2007 

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• 

Individual universities 

Other 

•  Qualifications/ Quality Assurance Agencies 

•  Professional academic associations 

•  Student bodies 

There  should  also  be  a  wide  range  of  interactions,  allowing  stakeholders  to  work  with  each 
other  in  a  number  of  ways.  From  the  business  perspective  cooperation  can  be  envisaged 
through,  for  example,  national  government  or  regional  level,  channelled  through  sector 
organisations,  with  either  groups  of  universities  or  individual  universities  or  with  faculties. 
From the Higher Education perspective it can be through, for example, national and regional 
business  organisations,  quality  assurance  agencies,  sector  specific  organisations,  alumni 
mechanisms or individual businesses.  

In order to reach SMEs it is important to include organisations that can act as a facilitator and 
intermediary to bring in different views and see challenges from a different angle: chambers, 
incubators,  investors,  government  agencies,  technology  parks,  etc.  Such  intermediary 
organisations, in particular those close to business, can reach out to enterprises of all sectors, 
in particular SMEs, and make the necessary link with universities.  

Each type of stakeholder can also take a range of approaches to cooperation. The following 
table gives some examples of the types of mechanisms which might be used. For universities, 
the more traditional forms of cooperation such as research projects tend to dominate the types 
of relationships formed with businesses. 

Table 2 Stakeholders and cooperation mechanisms 

Stakeholder 

Universities  

Cooperation mechanisms 

Contracted and cooperative projects, Licensing and sale of intellectual property,  
Graduate training courses, Continuing education centres, Adaptation of courses to new 
skills requirements, Community services, Scientific and technological parks, Spin out 
companies, Business support services, Staff and student exchanges 

Students 
alumni) 

(new  and 

Knowledge on career expectations, Feedback/evaluation of relevance of UBP 
approaches 

Businesses  

Internships for students, Internships for university staff, Contracted and cooperative 
projects, Knowledge on necessary labour market skills required (technical and 
managerial), Input on advisory boards, Business professors/role models/entrepreneurs, 
Creation of new centres of excellence/private training 

Government (national 
and regional) 

National strategies with reference to engaging HE with businesses, Higher Education 
Acts/laws, Funding of national/regional initiatives, New bodies/commissions to 
discuss these issues, Regional consortiums/networks 

Funding bodies 

New initiatives/funding streams to promote cooperation 

Sector councils/Trade 
unions 

Research into sector skills needs, Dialogue with government and Higher Education 

Joint Associations 

Research into the complete subject, New projects, Dialogue with government 

University 
Associations 

Dialogue with business associations, sector councils, trade unions, Dialogue with 
government. Represent the needs of universities, Dialogue with QA 

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Stakeholder 

Cooperation mechanisms 

Qualifications 
Agencies 

Accreditation, Recognition of University-Business Cooperation in performance 
indicators. 

3. 

THE EUROPEAN POLICY ENVIRONMENT 

There  are  a  number  of  EU  policy  initiatives  and  financial  instruments  either  targeted 
specifically towards education or innovation or research activities individually, or focusing on 
specific  target  groups:  Higher  Education  Institutions,  companies,  research  organisations  or 
regions. 

In  the  area  of  Entrepreneurship,  the  Recommendation  on  key  competences  for  Lifelong 
Learning  was  adopted  on  18  December  2006  by  the  European  Parliament  and  Council18. 
Among the eight defined competences are digital competence, social, interpersonal and civic 
competence  and  cultural  expression  and  sense  of  initiative  and  entrepreneurship.  The 
Communication  on  “Implementing 
the  Community  Lisbon  Programme:  Fostering 
entrepreneurial mindsets through education and learning” develops a number of proposals to 
improve entrepreneurial attitudes in Europe. 

The New Skills for New Jobs initiative identifies a number of measures and actions to improve 
the  availability  and  quality  of  information  on  present  and  future  occupational  demand  and 
related skill requirements. Although there is awareness of the complexity of the undertaking, 
there is universal agreement that forecasting is an indispensable tool better to inform policy 
makers and to achieve a better match between demand and supply of skills. 

2009 is the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. The activities of the year will focus 
on  creating  an  environment  favourable  to  creativity  and  innovation  and  become  a  strong 
impetus  for  a  long-term  policy  priority.  The  European  Year  of  Innovation  and  Creativity  is 
proposed as a cross-cutting initiative covering not only education and culture, but also other 
policy  domains  such  as  enterprise,  media,  research,  social  and  regional  policy  and  rural 
development19. 

In the area of mobility the European Job Mobility Action Plan (2007-2010) [COMM (2007) 
773] has been adopted. Moreover, specific priority actions fostering the mobility in research, 
including mobility between academia and business, have been proposed by the Commission 
(COMM (2008) 317). 

Several  other  policy  initiatives  address  the  promotion  and  development  of  innovation  in 
Europe. The Commission has proposed framework conditions20 as well as specific measures 
in  support  of  research  and  innovation  that  will  contribute  to  meet  the  Lisbon  targets.  The 
communication on “Improving knowledge transfer between research institutions and industry 

18 
19 
20 

http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/objectives_en.html#basic 
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/482 
COM  (2005) 488  “More  research  and Innovation,  Investing for Growth  and  Employment:  a  common 
approach” 

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across Europe”21, with its annex22 goes a step further and provides more concrete support to 
different stakeholders. 

Particularly  important  in  this  context  is  the  establishment  of  the  European  Institute  of 
Innovation and Technology (EIT)23, which aims: 

•  to  contribute  to  improving  the  innovation  capacity  of  the  EU  by  involving  partner 
organisations  in  integrated  innovation,  research  and  education  activities  at  the  highest 
international standards; 

•  to  become  a  model  and  flagship  for  the  integrated  European  Innovation  Research  and 
Education area by generating innovations in areas of key economic or societal interest and 
providing a reference for managing innovation. 

The  policy  initiatives  are  financially  backed  up  by  various  Community  programmes:  the 
Financial  Framework  2007-2013  allocates  substantial  amounts  of  resources  to  education, 
innovation  and  research  related  activities  to  contribute  to  boost  the EU  economy  and  create 
more and better jobs. 

The  integrated  Lifelong  Learning  Programme  (2007  –  2013)  addresses  important  needs 
concerning  the  modernisation  and  adaptation  of  Member  States’  education  and  training 
systems,  particularly  in  the  context  of  the  strategic  Lisbon  goals.  It  also  brings  added  value 
directly to individual citizens participating in its mobility and other cooperation actions. 

The  7th  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Technological  Development  is  the 
main  financial  tool  through  which  the  European  Union  supports  research  and  development 
activities.  Particularly  interesting  in  this  context  are  measures  that  support  the  sharing, 
exchange and transfer of research results, the mobility programme for researchers at all levels 
of  experience  being  of  particular  importance.  In  FP7  People  Programme  two  important 
schemes – Initial Training Networks (ITN) and Industry Academia Partnership and Pathways 
(IAPP)  have  been  further  developed,  addressing  researchers  at  all  stages  of  their  careers 
starting,  from  initial  research  training  specifically  intended  for  young  people  to  life-long 
learning, both in the public and private sectors. 

The  Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Programme  (CIP)  aims  at  improving  the  structural 
innovation and growth conditions of the Union. For this purpose, it includes actions in support 
of innovation and of growth for SMEs. It aims to improve access to finance and to promote 
eco-innovation, while funding EU services in support of business and innovation. 

The  new  generation  of  economic  and  social  cohesion  programmes  allocates  a  significant 
proportion  of  its  budget  for  investing  in  the  main  drivers  of  growth  and  employment, 
especially in the fields of research and development, innovation, business-support activities, 
employment  and  education.  The  Community  strategic  guidelines  on  cohesion  policy  (2007-
2013)  adopted  by  the  Council,  stress  the  promotion  of  sustainable  development  and  the 

21 

22 

23 

COM  (2007)182  “Improving  knowledge  transfer  between  research  institutions  and  industry  across 
Europe” 
SEC(2007)449  “Voluntary  guidelines  for  universities  and  other  research  institutions  to  improve  their 
links with industry across Europe” 
COM(2008) (EIT) 

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strengthening  of  competitiveness  by  concentrating  resources  on  research  and  innovation 
(RTDI), entrepreneurship, information society and training and adaptability of workers. 

4. 

THE NATIONAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT 

The  wide  variety  of  national  and  regional  political  economies  in  Europe,  coupled  with  the 
current  reforms  being  undertaken  in  higher  education,  means  that  national  policy 
environments  are  complex.  Although  some  countries  have  not  explicitly  set  out  University-
Business  Cooperation  as  a  policy  priority,  in  many  countries  it  is  embedded  in 
competitiveness,  globalisation  or  science  and  innovation  agendas.  There  is  also  evidence  of 
mature regional or institutional development across Europe. 

4.1 

Laws supporting University-Business Cooperation 

The majority of EU Member States have some form of cooperation decreed by law. However 
these  laws  differ  in  focus  and  complexity.  The  following  give  some  examples.  In  Estonia, 
since 2003 there is a requirement that all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to have 
curricula councils where relevant employers or professional associations are represented24. In 
Italy,  formal  compulsory  cooperation  of  business  and  social  partners  is  provided  for  in 
national law and includes the design of curricula of all 1st and 2nd cycle degree courses. In 
Hungary,  the  HE  Act  states  that  four  members  of  the  Hungarian  Higher  Education 
Accreditation  Committee  must  be  delegated  by  chambers  and  national  professional  bodies 
involved in the operation of higher education, while six members of the Higher Education and 
Scientific Council must be delegated by the chambers, one member each by the Trade Unions 
of Higher Education Employees and three partner ministries25. In Austria, in the Universities 
of  Applied  Sciences  (UAS),  cooperation  with  business  and  social  partners  is  provided  on  a 
legal basis and all UAS study programmes are profession-oriented. 

Austria: Universities of Applied Sciences 

In the UAS sector, cooperation with the world of business and social partners is provided on a 
legal  basis.  UAS  study  programmes  are  profession-oriented.  The  curricula  are  designed  in 
close cooperation with experts from industry or the public sector following several analyses of 
the needs of the job market (section 12 paragraph 2 number 9 and paragraph 3, UAS Studies 
Act). Consequently the implementation of the Bologna principles has always been borne by 
the institutions and the world of work. There is a strong involvement of external experts both 
in teaching and in research. Furthermore, representatives of the world of work are involved in 
the external and internal quality assessment. (Bologna Report 2007) 

The  Universities  Act  2002  in  Austria  also  makes  provision  for  universities  to  establish 
certificate university programmes for further education. 

“The  individual  universities  and  the  Federal  Government  conclude  for  periods  of  three  years  performance 
agreements  whereby  the  universities  shall  formulate  their  contribution  to  social  progress…  this  includes 
courses….for  working  students…”  An  amendment  to  the  current  university  act  in  Finland  also  states  that  “in 
carrying out their mission, the universities shall interact with the surrounding society and promote the societal 
impact of research findings and artistic activities” (Amendment 715/2004).  

24 
25 

Estonia: Bologna Report 2007 
Hungary: Bologna Report 2007 

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This  quoted  part  will  be  included  in  the  new  act  to  come  into  force  in  2010.  The  role  of 
private partners in two of the 16 universities that will exist in 2010 will be significant. 

Finland: New law in 2010 

The University Law in Finland will be updated in 2010. Universities will have a strong third 
mission and have to facilitate lifelong learning throughout their activities. When it comes to 
governance,  there  is  a  proposal  that  at  least  half  of  the  members  of  the  university  boards  - 
including the chairman - shall come from outside the university. 

The Finnish Government has started a reform and merger of universities that will guarantee 
their  autonomy.  Universities  operating  either  as  corporations  under  public  law  or  as 
foundations under private law. 

Some  Laws  are  very  specific:  in  Romania,  the  university-business  link  is  fostered  through 
Law  No.  258/2007  on  student  internships.  The  implementation  of  its  provisions  aims  at 
improving  quality  and  content  of  internships  which  represent  a  compulsory  component  of 
curricula26. 

Although less prescriptive, in Sweden27 the Higher Education Law from 1992 establishes that 
basic  higher  education  has  the  duty  to  prepare  students  for  the  changes  and  challenges  in 
working  life.  Government  proposals  have  since  argued  that  universities  as  individual 
institutions  are  obliged  through  law  to  take  labour  market  needs  as  well  as  student  demand 
into  consideration  in  its  planning  of  courses  and  programmes28.  In  a  preview  of  the  2009 
budget  proposal,  the  Swedish  government  also  reveals  plans  for  specific  investments  into 
higher education entrepreneurship and innovation specific programmes. 

4.2 

Policy, strategy and incentives for cooperation 

•  In the publication 'University and Business: Partnering for the knowledge society’ (Luc E. 
Weber and James D. Duderstadt) the authors argue that University-Business Cooperation 
can only happen through the involvement of state actors. 

A  number  of  Member  States  have  developed  programmes  and  incentives  for  University- 
Business Cooperation in their strategies and work through other state actors. In the UK, the 
Higher  Education  Funding  Council  for  England  (HEFCE)  plays  a  central  role  in  the 
encouragement  of  new  relationships  between  Higher  Education  and  employers  to  support 
business  growth.  HEFCE  support  a  workforce  development  programme29  which  includes 
employer  engagement  projects  and  higher  level  skills  pathfinders.  The  programme  has  two 
related  goals  -  to  design  and  deliver  of  HE  courses  in  partnership  with  employers,  and  to 
increase  the  number  of  learners  in  the  workplace  supported  by  their  employers.  The 
programme will run from 2008-2011. 

UK: HEFCE Employer Engagement Funded Project – University of Derby 

26 
27 
28
29 

Romania Bologna Report 2009 
Student demand tends to be the main regulator of higher education supply 
http://www.riksrevisionen.se/templates/OpenDocument.aspx?documentid=4781 
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/econsoc/employer/ 

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University  of  Derby  Corporate  aims  to  enhance  the  University  of  Derby’s  capacity  for 
employer  engagement  and  fully  exploit  its  proven  flexible  frameworks  for  responsive, 
customised skills development and lifelong learning. The project will engage more employers, 
including those in sectors with no tradition of higher education (HE). These opportunities will 
be  designed  to  develop  a  highly  skilled  workforce  underpinned  by  the  university’s  flexible 
framework for bespoke and shorter awards. 

Specifically, the three objectives of the project are to: 

•  establish  a  new  business  model  for  employer  engagement  to  result  in  more  HE 

programmes in partnership with employers 

•  create  a  new  academic  career  pathway  in  employer  engagement  through  establishing 

'Workforce Development Fellows' 

•  create a purpose-built facility for services to employers that meets the standards required 

by business clients. 

In response to the current economic challenges, UUK and GuildHE30, with support from UK 
Government  Ministers  and  HEFCE,  produced  a  brochure  to  outline  some  of  the  ways  that 
higher  education  can  offer  short  and  long-term  help  to  businesses.  This  includes  points  of 
contact at higher education institutions for publicly funded business support31. 

In Denmark, the Danish Government launched an ambitious and pro-active strategy to equip 
Denmark  for  the  future.  The  strategy,  which  was  published  in  April  2006,  contains  350 
specific initiatives, which include extensive reforms of education and training programmes as 
well  as  research  and  entrepreneurship,  and  also  substantial  improvements  in  the  framework 
conditions for growth and innovation in all areas of society. Two key areas highlighted were: 
1.  To  set  up  a  collaboration  programme  to  strengthen  cooperation  between  educational 
institutions  and  companies.  2.  To  have  greater  flexibility  in  short-cycle  higher  education 
programmes in relation to the needs of the labour market. Higher education internships for at 
least 3 to 6 months have been made compulsory in Denmark for students in the first cycle and 
are  allocated  ECTS  points.  Denmark  has  also  introduced  advisory  panels  of  users  at  all 
institutions,  as  well  as  local  educational  panels.  In  order  to  introduce  a  new  course, 
universities need to demonstrate labour market research that shows there is a requirement for 
the course.  

In  Finland,  the  new  innovation  strategy32  calls  for  the  steering  and  financing  system  of 
universities  will  be  renewed  in  order  to  support  interaction  between  universities,  trade  and 
industry and other parts of society. 

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands set out an Education and 
Research Plan in 2004. The plan expressed the government policy aims to achieve excellence 
and  maximum  participation  in  higher  education.  Included  in  this  was  an  emphasis  on 
strengthening  the  relationship  between  higher  education  and  business  and  industry.  In  the 

30 

31 
32 

UUK is Universities UK and GuildHE is an inclusive body, a key advocate for institutional diversity 
across higher education 
http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Bookshop/Pages/DIUScrisisleaflet.aspx 
http://innovaatiostrategia.fi/en 

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Netherlands  a  number  of  national  agencies  and  committees  support  strong  relationships 
between  higher  education  institutions  and  industry.  The  Advisory  Council  on  Science  and 
Technology Policy (AWT), the Education Council, and the Social-Economic Council (SER) 
have  all  advocated  the  strengthening  of  systematic  partnerships  between  higher  education 
institutions  and  their  regions,  including  enterprises  in  order  to  facilitate  knowledge  transfer. 
Policies  include:  collaboration  on  research  and  education  projects,  exchange  of  personnel, 
more flexible forms of learning, as well as competence-based learning and the establishment 
of the Innovation Platform. The policies have resulted in an increase in contract research and 
establishment of “strategic alliances” between universities and industry33. 

4.3 

Research into University-Business Cooperation 

The  national  data  on  both  the  need  for  higher  education-business  engagement  for  skills  and 
innovation  and  the  actual  level  of  engagement  of  universities  and  enterprises  are 
underdeveloped.  At  Community  level  the  FP7  Regions  of  Knowledge  initiative  aims 
specifically at the integration of research capacity of universities to the service of the regional 
and local development within the frame of triple-helix-clusters (business entities, universities 
and  local  public  authorities).  There  are,  nevertheless,  some  examples  below  from  the  UK, 
Ireland and Germany. 

The UK has a substantial amount of published data and research mainly due to the targets of 
the  Leitch  Review34  and  the  Lambert  Review  on  business  and  university  collaboration.35  A 
large  body  of  evidence  has  been  put  together  by  the  CIHE,  the  Council  for  Industry  and 
Higher Education.. which has recently produced reports on the “Employer Demand for Higher 
Level Learning”, “Global Horizons and the Role of Employers”, “Developing Entrepreneurial 
Mindsets” and “Graduate Employability” for example. 

The  higher  education  sector  in  Ireland  has  responded  to  the  demands  of  the  labour  market 
through  a  series  of  skills  initiatives  arising  from  recommendations  of  the  Expert  Group  on 
Future  Skills  Needs  (ESFSN).  This  government-appointed  body  brings  together  industry, 
academia  and  State  agencies  in  identifying  overall  skills  requirements  in  the  economy.  The 
EGFSN  analyses  Ireland’s  skills  and  labour  needs  and  makes  recommendations  for  new 
courses. 

The  German  Academic  Exchange  Service  (DAAD)  carried  out  a  project  in  2006-2007, 
entitled  University-Enterprise  Cooperation,  which  built  on  new  challenges  from  past 
experience from 2006-2007. The project aimed to analyse the place of University-Enterprise 
cooperation in EU education and training policies to see how universities have integrated this 
into their strategy and activities. An online survey showed there was a need for structures to 
promote on-going dialogue and better understanding between universities and business. There 
is  also  a  need  for  further  professionalisation  of  higher  education  management  (i.e.  how  to 
manage intellectual property, and costing policies, overheads, staff management, customizing 
service,  research/continuing  education  etc).  Furthermore,  the  project  found  that  universities 
and enterprises have different cultures and different objectives with universities operating on 
long-term  goals,  and  enterprises  focussing  on  short-term  solutions.  Eleven  institutions  were 

33 

34 
35 

Centre  for  Higher  Education  Policy  Studies  Issues  in  higher  education  policy:  An  update  on  higher 
education policy issues in 2004 in 11 Western countries (2004) 
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/furthereducation/uploads/documents/2006-12%20LeitchReview1.pdf 
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/lambert_review_business_university_collab.htm 

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chosen  for  case  studies,  which  revealed  a  number  of  examples  of  good  practice  including: 
student  placements,  mission  statements/strategic  plans  and  support  structures  and  services. 
This  research  showed  the  benefit  of  making  placements  compulsory  in  initial  education 
programmes,  of  developing  entrepreneurship  in  education  and  training,  and  integrating 
continuing  education  into  lifelong  learning  strategies.  In  addition,  the  need  to  upgrade  the 
curriculum, to develop joint research and to support the development  of  spin-off  companies 
was  highlighted.  The  report  concluded  that  producing  qualified  workers  for  a  European 
knowledge society can be achieved through joint strategies in structured networks, to mobilise 
resources,  and  respond  to  market  needs.  This  requires  permanent,  yet  flexible  partnerships, 
and structured dialogue between universities, enterprises and policy-makers.36 

5. 

ACTIVITY AT THE MEMBER STATE LEVEL 

Whether prescribed or supported through law or policy at the national or regional level, there 
are  interesting  examples  of  activities  in  the  context  of  University-  Business  Cooperation 
taking place at the institutional level in the Member States. The University-Business Forum 
has been looking at cooperation in the areas of: 

•  Governance 

•  Curriculum Development 

•  Mobility actions 

•  Entrepreneurship 

•  Continuing Education 

•  Knowledge Transfer 

All  of  these  areas  are  interlinked  with  many  initiatives  which  may  be  cross  cutting  or 
addressing wider agendas at the level of skills, innovation and creativity. The examples under 
each category in the following sections give a flavour of the types of activities undertaken in 
the  Member  States.  Where  they  touch  on  other  important  policy  priorities  (widening 
participation,  gender  balance,  regional  economic  development)  this  is  highlighted.  It  is 
followed  by  a  specific  section  on  “other  related  issues  and  activities”  which  are  supporting 
University-Business Cooperation through other national policy agendas. 

In order to help illustrate the complex landscape of University-Business Cooperation and the 
stakeholders  the  following  diagram  maps  links  between  the  stakeholders  and  highlights  the 
types of actions and outputs that are expected. 

36 

University-Enterprise  Cooperation:  building  on  new  challenges  from  past  experience,  Project  Report, 
DAAD (2006) 

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Figure 3 - Actions and outputs of University-Business Cooperation in Education  

Actions for University Business Cooperation in Education

Government
National/regional

Government strategies/policies
Intermediary bodies (reps from education, students
 and industry)
Grants/loans/incentives

Intermediary bodies 
Skills forecasting
 Consulting government policy
Creation of common languages 
for dialogue and accreditation
Stimulate market demand
Links to VET 

Governance models
Working groups (university/faculty)
Regional/sectoral groups
Contract managers

Outputs:
Joint curriculum development 
(development of 
entrepreneurship skills, 
workforce skills)
New degrees
Industry professors
Entrepreneurship chairs
Other staff exchanges
Student exchanges (internships)
New types of courses for LLL
New model careers services
Credits for internships

University

For staff
Incentives
New skills/knowledge
Recognition
New research ideas
Entrepreneurship

For students
New accreditation
Skills for jobs
Entrepreneurship

Industry

For employers
Skilled workforce
Ongoing skills development
New ideas

For employees
LLL opportunities
New business ideas
Long term careers

5.1 

Governance 

For Higher Education, modern governance reform normally means the introduction of more 
autonomy and responsiveness to society’s diverse needs. Institutions are being encouraged to 
increase their capacity and willingness to become involved in a wider range of activities and 
to  involve  more  stakeholders:  this  includes  industry.  Although  industry  involvement  in 
modern  university  governance  is  limited,  it  is  growing,  and  is  playing  a  number  of  roles  in 
governance  structures.  It  can  help  universities  to  modernise  their  structures  and  funding 
models, it can help shape courses and degree structures at the strategic level, it can incentivise 
universities  to  engage  with  business,  it  can  help  universities  in  research  and  development 
decisions, representing the economy and societal issues. Engaging in governance can also be 
at the national and regional level, through organisations which mobilise industry and higher 
education to work together. The Member States are taking various approaches to incentivising 
and improving engagement with industry. This is happening both at the policy level, through 
Education Councils, new bodies to promote University- Business Cooperation, and also at the 
institutional level, through the advancement of teaching staff’s careers, widening roles for the 
career  advice  centres  and  other  incentives.  At  the  same  time,  stronger  collaboration  with 
universities needs to be balanced with the continued involvement of students and teachers in 
the governance process. Effective governance needs to be inclusive. Universities also need to 
link their governance structures to their diverse missions and strategic priorities. 

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The  University-Business  Forum  has  demonstrated  that  changes  in  higher  education 
governance at national regional and institutional level are core conditions for the development 
of effective collaboration between university and business. 

5.1.1  National level organisations 

learning 

issues  at  higher  education 

In  the  UK,  Ireland,  Greece  and  Spain  although  very  different  types  of  bodies,  there  are 
Councils  and  other  organisations  which  help  support  the  governance  of  University-Industry 
Cooperation.  The  UK  has  three  important  organisations.  The  Council  for  Higher  Education 
and  Industry:  CIHE37  is  a  high  level  partnership  between  people  from  a  wide  range  of 
businesses,  universities  and  colleges.  The  Council  leads  in  developing  an  agreed  agenda  on 
international 
the 
competitiveness,  social  cohesion  and  individual  development.  The  National  Council  for 
Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) was formed in 2004 with the aim of raising the profile of 
entrepreneurship and the option of starting a business as a career choice amongst students and 
graduates.  The  Council  is  not  only  focused  on  graduates  starting  businesses,  but 
understanding,  developing  and  promoting  a  culture  of  entrepreneurship  within  higher 
education  through  research,  education  and  facilitation38.  The  majority  of  HEIs  have  an 
independent  majority  on  their  governing  bodies  and  the  Leadership  Foundation  for  Higher 
Education39 provides a dedicated service of support and advice on leadership, governance and 
management for all the UK’s universities and higher education colleges.  

that  affect 

the  UK’s 

level 

In Greece, the National Council for Education (Ethniko Symvoulio Paideias - ESYP)40 is an 
autonomous  advisory  body  for  the  Ministry  of  Education.  It  aim  is  to  guarantee  the  widest 
consensus  possible  on  issues  relating  to  educational  policy  and  practices,  to  create  a 
community  forum  where  dialogue  can  occur  between  a  diverse  group  of  policy  makers, 
academics  and  community  members  resulting  in  improved  educational  opportunities  in 
Greece. Since 2005, the Confederation of Greek industries has been involved in participating 
in the National Education Council to represent the views of industry. 

Ireland  has  a  Joint  Council:  Irish  Business  and  Employers  Confederation  and  the  Irish 
Universities  Association.  The  Irish  Business  and  Employers  Confederation  (IBEC)/Irish 
Universities Association (IUA) Joint Council promotes collaboration between enterprise and 
universities and provides a forum for university heads and senior business people to discuss 
national and international issues of common interest.  

In  Spain  the  universities’  Social  Councils  (Consejos  Sociales),  are  required  by  the  national 
legislation  and  other  policies  as  a  mechanism  to  link  the  university  with  important 
components  of  the  economy,  society  and  culture.  The  social  councils  however  need  to  be 
improved and be credible both inside and outside the university. Spain also has the CYD, the 
Knowledge  and  Development  Foundation  (Fundación  Conocimiento  y  Desarrollo)41.  CYD 
was created in 2002 at the initiative of Spanish employers’ organisations and universities. Its 
mission is to showcase and promote the contribution of universities to Spain’s economic and 
social development, and to build links between universities and business. In its 2007 report on 

37 
38 
39 
40 
41 

http://www.cihe-uk.com/index.php 
http://www.ncge.com  
http://www.lfhe.ac.uk/ 
http://www.ypepth.gr/docs/what_is_the_national_council_for_education__esyp__080115.doc 
http://www.fundacioncyd.org/wps/portal 

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the  “Contribution  of  Spanish  Universities  to  Development”  CYD  analyses  the  role  of  the 
university system in Spain’s economic and social development 

From  the  business  perspective,  in  Germany,  Stifterverband  is  the  business  community’s 
innovation  agency  for  the  German  science  system.  It  is  a  private  sector-led  approach  to 
ensuring research and education excellence in science. It undertakes a number of programmes 
supporting this aim including looking at quality, career orientation, collaboration, encouraging 
dialogue and analysing research structures in Germany. Stifterverband has been working on 
formulating  legal  guidelines  for  a  more  competitive  university  system  and  recently 
benchmarked state university laws in a major study. 

5.1.2 

Institutional boards promoting cooperation 

In most Member States, university boards include members from business and society in their 
governance  structures  in  the  broadest  sense.  In  Austria,  each  university  has  one  university 
council with three members holding responsible positions in the societal, scientific, cultural or 
economic  sector  who  must  be  external  to  the  university  and  the  public  sector.  In  practice 
between 40 and 60% of the university council is from the business sector42.  

There is a new law in Baden-Württemberg in Germany which means that universities have an 
advisory  board  which  is  de  facto  the  ruling  body.  Karlsruhe  is  one  of  two  universities  that 
decided  to  have  all  9  members  of  the  board  from  outside  of  the  university.  There  are  also 
advisory boards at the faculty level who advise on curriculum content and although they have 
no formal powers, there are between 3-7 external members on each board. The university has 
an alumni and careers service advisory board which looks at key qualifications and soft skills. 

The  University  of  Minho  in  Portugal  has  strong  links  with  the  region’s  industry,  both  with 
large companies and SMEs. Representatives of companies sit on the board of governors, and 
the topic of university–business cooperation is often a subject for board meetings. 

Denmark  has  introduced  advisory  panels  for  all  higher  education  institutions  that  include 
industry representatives, in particular with a  view to  more communication with the regional 
economy 

There  are  still  some  issues  in  the  implementation  of  new  representative  governance 
mechanisms. In Spain for example, the election of representatives varies a lot across the HEIs 
and  in  spite  of  the  participation  of  various  stakeholders  in  the  boards,  the  system  is  still 
thought  to  lack  flexibility  when  it  comes  to  the  election  of  rectors.  Often  elected 
representatives  are  still  lacking  the  requisite  skills  sets  in  management  and  leadership  to  be 
able to adequately fulfil all of their duties43. 

5.1.3  The expanding role of careers guidance and alumni 

Most universities have careers guidance for the students’ careers after higher education. These 
services tend to be underutilised resources in Higher Education where flows of information to 
and  from  industry  could  be  strengthened,  as  well  as  feedback  from  students  entering  the 

42 

43 

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composition 

The 
http://www.portal.ac.at/owa/portal.overview_en?otp_id_in=6 
University Business Forum : Governance session Feb 2009. 

university 

every 

of 

council 

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at: 

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labour market. In the past, careers services connections have been dominated by highly visible 
multinationals,  which  targeted  universities.  New  trends  in  careers  services  include  initiating 
greater  contact  with  regional  economies,  including  SMEs.  A  number  of  countries  have 
national  accreditation  standards  for  careers  guidance  practitioners  and  there  is  currently  a 
project underway to look at putting together a comparable system across Europe or certifying 
professionals.44  

The  UK  offers  some  good  examples  of  how  careers  services  are  changing,  involving 
businesses  from  the  beginning  of  a  student's  education.  Liverpool  John  Moores  University, 
has changed the way it offers career advice to students through incorporating a new service: 
World of Work (or WoW skills) which is part of the degree offering. The university decided 
that  higher  education  has  an  obligation  to  provide  students  from  the  outset  with  such 
workplace  skills  as  project  management  and  strategic  thinking.  WoW  skills  are  being 
developed  with  organisations  including  Marks  &  Spencer,  Pilkington,  the  National  Health 
Service, Ford, Littlewoods, Shell and the CBI. These organisations help decide what skills the 
students should have and are in charge of assessing them through external accreditation.  

The University of Lancaster, Centre for Employability, Enterprise and Careers (CEEC - UK), 
has developed a number of new initiatives to engage employers in the region. CEEC focuses 
on  its  external  role,  engaging  local  enterprises  and  has  embarked  on  providing  compulsory 
programmes of employability and enterprise skills relevant to all employers. The University 
of Manchester Careers Service (Manchester Leadership Programme, Careers & Employability 
Division),  is  working  with  large  companies  and  SMEs  to  develop  placements  but  also  to 
support local business by involving SMEs in curriculum development, by partnering with 13 
other careers services in the region to offer a pool of 50,000 students placement and graduate 
jobs, and to help SMEs access resources at universities. 

Raising Employers’ Awareness about the Bologna Process (REABP) is a 16th month project, 
partially  funded  by  the  EU  with  4  participating  institutions  from  the  Coimbra  group. 
Targeting  careers  services  and  employers,  the  project  aims  to  create  an  interactive  dialogue 
between  universities  and  employers.  The  Careers  Service  also  participates  in  FEDORA,  the 
European  Forum  for  Student  Guidance.  With  a  3-year  rotating  cycle  of  conferences, 
congresses, and summer universities the Forum provides an opportunity for careers guidance 
professionals  to  exchange  knowledge  and  share  examples  of  best  practice  across  different 
institutions and countries. 

At the TU Berlin45, the careers service has taken on a role to help promote entrepreneurship in 
students, graduates and young researchers. They are using the self employed as role models or 
ambassadors  to  come  into  the  university.  As  part  of  this  the  university  organises  panel 
discussions  with  employed  and  self-employed  speakers  on  topics  such  as  career  building, 
work-life balance etc. It cooperates with TU graduates who have founded their own company 
– for example as guest speakers in presentations, lectures and conferences and as mentors. As 
well  as  continually  reviewing  their  own  service  the  TU  is  working  on  transferring  the 
concepts developed to other Technical Universities in Germany and on a European level. 

44 
45 

International Association for Educational and Vocational guidance 
http://www.career.tu-berlin.de/ 

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5.2 

Curriculum Development 

Employability has been at the heart of curriculum reform called for in the Bologna process, 
but with varying degrees of attention and success.  

The  forum  on  curriculum  development  organised  by  the  European  Commission  (held  at 
Tenerife,  30th  –  31st  October  2008)  stressed  the  heterogeneity  of  the  landscape  of  higher 
education  policy,  universities  and  employers  in  Europe.  Although  the  advantages  of 
cooperation are clear, there is no one single mechanism, but many which will fit the different 
contexts of individual, regional and national approaches. However common threads included: 
the  need  to  demonstrate  quality  and  relevance  of  study  to  the  labour  market,  the  need  for 
continuous,  structured  dialogue  over  time,  incentive  systems  for  universities,  widening  the 
roles of alumni and career services and providing a common language for dialogue and skills 

The range of practice across Europe includes: 

–  Organisations/enterprises involved in influencing curriculum development 

–  Joint courses between sectors and universities/facilities 

–  Involvement in the development of learning outcomes 

–  Quality assurance 

More  extensive  dialogue  with  the  business  sector  at  the  faculty  and  university  level  can  be 
very  beneficial  for  the  redefinition  of  knowledge,  skills  and  competences  required  by 
graduates and for setting in place cooperative learning.  

5.2.1  Organisations involved in influencing curriculum development 

For  enterprises,  getting  involved  with  curriculum  development  is  often  a  gradual  process. 
Initial contact for enterprise often happens through careers fairs or interviews with students. A 
second  step  might  be  the  involvement  in  student  or  staff  placements  or  guest  lecturing. 
Collaborative  research  or  joint  partnering  in  developing  qualifications  is  more  complex.  In 
most cases this is done through industry associations (eg UIMM in France), unless companies 
are large multinationals with the ability to mobilise significant resources in this area (eg SAS, 
Schlumberger, Telefonica, Shell). In the case of large firms, there is often scope for them to 
have an individual strategy towards how they would like to work with the University sector. 
SAS46 for example has a global academic programme and works with over 4000 institutions 
worldwide and 67 in the UK. The company strategy in this area aims to link customers and 
universities, to create internships and special programmes for students, to work with academic 
thought leaders and to develop flagship schools. 

Enterprise: Schlumberger – University Relations 

Through their Ambassador Programme, Schlumberger is working with about 45 universities 
worldwide.  Schlumberger  works  directly  with  faculties  and  although  the  company  does  not 
specify course content, the company emphasises the need for teamwork, communication skills 

46 

http://www.sas.com/ 

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22 

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and a commitment to learning. Schlumberger sends scientists and engineers to universities to 
give  demonstrations  to  staff.  The  company  also  provides  experts  to  teach  specific  subjects, 
such as petroleum engineering. 

SMEs, find it harder to work directly with universities, especially in curriculum development 
where they often need generic high level skills rather than specific courses designed for their 
requirements. 

There  are  numerous  sector  organisations  involved  in  curriculum  development.  In  many 
Member States, the engineering societies are involved in curriculum development and quality 
assurance  of  education  (and  indeed  at  the  European  level  through  SEFI).  The  Finnish 
Association of Graduate Engineers, TEK47 is a professional organisation that promotes high-
quality  engineering  education.  TEK  contributes  to  a  working  group  of  key  stakeholders  in 
engineering  education  in  Finland.  In  the  UK,  the  Sector  Skills  Councils  are  working  with 
universities. 

The  Telematica  Instituut  is  a  consortium  of  companies  and  knowledge  institutions  in  the 
Netherlands  that  form  a  public-private  partnership  that  is  responsible  for  the  management, 
financing  and  research  of  the  technological  institute.  Companies  contribute  knowledge  and 
money to the institute and courses, and students gain from their expertise. 

SEFI  –  The  European  Society  for  Engineering  Education  -  Working  Group  on  Curriculum 
Development (CDWG) 

The  CDWG  aims  to  provide  a  forum  for  people  interested  in  the  development  of  Engineering 
Education  in  Europe.  The  CDWG  consists  of  people  highly  involved  in  all  aspects  of  modern 
engineering education.  

The CDWG is interested in the following: 

–  The integration of developments in science and technology in engineering education 

–  Mobility and exchange in engineering education at the European level 

–  Incorporation of new demands like: life-long learning and distance learning in Engineering 

Education 

–  Implementation of active learning methods in the engineering curricula 

–  Enhancing Engineering Education by new technologies 

–  Quality care and accreditation 

–  Faculty development and teacher training. 

47 

TEK  represents  graduates  working  as  engineers  or  in  the  field  of  technology  and  anticipates  the 
changing needs of the labour market and the education system 

EN 

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5.2.2 

Joint courses between sectors and universities/facilities 

In  the  UK,  ITMB  (BSc  (Hons)  in  Information  Technology  Management  for  Business48  is  a 
new IT degree course available at a number of Universities. It was designed by some of the 
biggest employers in the IT industry and funded by the UK government. The goal is to ensure 
that  graduates  with  an  ITMB  degree  are  tailor-made  for  the  IT  industry.  Rather  than  focus 
purely on technical areas the degree covers a mix of skills and knowledge for students who 
want  management  or  senior  professional  careers  designing,  developing  and  implementing 
technology solutions for businesses. Business, project management, and personal skills are as 
important as technical skills in this degree49. 

Hewlett  Packard  (HP)  Bulgaria  supports  eSkills  development  with  university  students  and 
strengthens  their  qualifications  for  the  international  labour  market.  Last  year  HP  Bulgaria 
supported three universities in offering specially designed modules to be taught in technology 
labs donated by HP to help graduates gain some of these specific skills. The modules have a 
strong focus on practical implementation, with 30 hours of lectures coupled with 30 hours of 
practical lab work in the HP IT laboratories. The participating universities were the University 
of Sofia, the Technical University and the New Bulgarian University. 

Although most examples of curriculum development with industry are in science, engineering 
and  business  schools,  there  is  a  growing  involvement  in  the  arts  ,  humanities  and  social 
sciences.  The  University  of  Economics,  Prague,  Czech  Republic,  in  cooperation  with  the 
Association  of  Communications  Agencies  (AKA),  has  introduced  a  curriculum,  based  on  a 
blueprint  developed  by  the  European  Association  of  Communication  Agencies  (EACA).  It 
involves  taught  courses,  visits  to  companies  and  participation  in  group  discussions,  case 
studies,  based  on  individual  firms’  specifications  and,  finally,  written/oral  ‘state’  exams. 
Professionals  from  the  business  world  are  heavily  involved  in  lectures  and  the  examination 
board.  Successful  completion  of  the  programme  leads  to  a  Certificate  awarded  by  both  the 
University of Economics and the Association of Communications Agencies (AKA). 

The Royal College of Art and Imperial College London in the UK offer a joint Masters course 
(MA+MSc) for artistic and technical graduates. The graduates work in the consumer industry, 
industrial  product  design,  design  management,  architecture/building  design,  or  the  digital 
industries. Some of the students are entrepreneurs with start-up companies. There are several 
aspects  of  business/industry  involvement:  the  students  often  work  with  commercial  project 
partners  who  contribute  to  their  projects;  the  course  also  runs  some  modules  with  company 
sponsorship;  there  are  summer  project  opportunities  with  industry  or  summer  work 
placements with partners such as Sony, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, B&Q, Dyson, Targetti 
Lighting, BTG, and Bank of America. 

There are also examples of universities teaming up with the public sector to improve courses. 
The University of Warwick, UK, has adapted the curriculum for a course on Clinical Systems 
Improvement  in  accordance  with  the  needs  of  the  National  Health  Service.  The  course 
examines  how  to  provide  better  healthcare  by  improving  processes,  leadership,  knowledge 

48 
49 

http://www.e-skills.com/itmb/1754 
ITMB is the only Honours degree endorsed by e-skills UK, who officially represent the IT industry to government 
in  the  UK.  The  ITMB  degree  is  supported  by  BA,  BBC,  BT,  CA,  The  Cabinet  Office,  Cisco,  Deloitte,  Ford, 
Fujitsu,  HP,  IBM,  Lehman  Brothers,  Logica,  The  Met  Office,  Morgan  Stanley,  Norwich  Union,  Royal  Bank  of 
Scotland, Sainsbury's, Southampton City Council, Symantec and Unilever. 

EN 

24 

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transfer  and  systems  design,  and  includes  lessons  learnt  from  public  and  private  sector 
organisations  related  to  health  care  and  outside  of  health.  The  NHS  Institute  for  Innovation 
and Improvement held a conference to bring together various stakeholders who were able to 
contribute to a discussion on service improvement, with the aim of consensus regarding what 
a curriculum for Clinical Systems Improvement should be designed to achieve. 

5.2.3 

Involvement in the development of learning outcomes based certification 

At  the  European  level,  the  Tuning  project50  (Tuning  Educational  Structures  in  Europe)  is 
supporting  the  Bologna  process  through  use  of  a  methodology  to  “(re-)  design,  develop, 
implement  and  evaluate  study  programmes  for  each  of  the  Bologna  cycles.  It  develops 
reference  points  in  study  programmes  to  help  make  them  comparable,  compatible  and 
transparent  across  countries.  These  reference  points  are  expressed  in  terms  of  learning 
outcomes  and  competences.  Part  of  the  Tuning  methodology  is  to  ensure  that  for  all  study 
programmes, a social need for the programme has been identified and that it has been done on 
the basis of consultation of stakeholders. 

A European Tempus project developing a joint software engineering master’s  course across 
four universities in Germany, Serbia, Spain and the UK has involved the European Software 
Institute (ESI) in reviewing the course curriculum as well as involving local advisory boards 
in the participating countries. 

5.2.4  Quality assurance and accreditation 

Quality  assurance  has  an  important  role  to  place  in  the  recognition  of  University-  Business 
Cooperation  in  most  of  its  forms.  The  formal  responsibility  for  quality  assurance  is 
increasingly  taken  by  higher  education  institutions  themselves.  Institutional  management, 
academics and, to a lesser extent, students, are influential when it comes to setting the rules 
for quality assessment in their institutions. The Ministry of Education (or its equivalent) plays 
a significant role in several countries. Its role is more to ensure that the institutions take their 
responsibilities  seriously,  although  the  task  of  evaluating  this  is  frequently  delegated  to 
independent national agencies for quality assurance (either through accreditation, evaluation 
or audit).  

It is still rare to find quality assurance which includes measurements relating to University- 
Business  Cooperation  or  third  stream  activities.  In  Greece  HQAA  is  the  supervising  and 
coordinating independent agency for the quality assurance system in higher education. Within 
their external evaluation template there are questions such as: 

–  How were the objectives of the curriculum decided? 

–  Which factors were taken into account? 

–  Were they set against appropriate benchmarks? 

–  Did the unit consult other stakeholders?51 

50 
51 

http://tuning.unideusto.org/tuningeu 
See 
External 
http://www.hqaa.gr/files/template%20for%20the%20External%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf 

Evaluation 

Template 

EN 

25 

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In  Hungary,  the  new  HE  Quality  Award  focuses  on  the  labour  market  relevance  of  the 
programmes.  The  ENQA  Report  on  Standards  and  Guidelines  for  Quality  Assurance  in  the 
European Higher Education Area of 200552 addresses the issue of working with industry and 
calls for “regular feedback from employers and labour market representatives, for instance, to 
be included in quality assurance of programmes/awards/institutions.” There is however little 
evidence of progress in this area.  

ENQA – Standards and Guidelines 

The ENQA fulfils the role of a European forum for developing standards and guidelines on 
quality  assurance,  as  part  of  this  job  it  aims  to  find  common  points  in  European  quality 
assurance  systems.  In  order  to  achieve  this,  the  ENQA  works  with  a  number  of  partner 
organisations  including:  European  University  Association  (EUA),  European  Association  of 
Institutions 
in  Higher  Education  (EURASHE),  European  Students’  Union  (ESU), 
BusinessEurope,  Education  International.  The  ENQA  organises  transnational  projects  to 
disseminate information with the long-term aim of establishing a quality assurance framework 
across the European Higher Education Area. 

There are a number of accreditation agencies which include business representatives in their 
decision  making  body.  ACQUIN  in  Germany,  HETAC  in  Ireland  and  CTI  in  France  for 
example.  CTI  is  responsible  for  engineering  curricula  and  counts  an  equal  number  of 
members  from  academia  and  from  industry.  Transversal  skills  and  interactions  of  students 
with industry are core requirements for accreditation. 

5.3 

More effective continuing education and training/retraining (Lifelong Learning) 

Education, skills and qualifications are important determinants in people’s employability but 
the need to update and acquire skills does not stop on first entry into the labour market. There 
is a growing need for ongoing education to keep the workforce up to date and economically 
competitive. 

Continuing education therefore plays an important role in the delivery of relevant and timely 
knowledge  and  skills.  Continuing  education  also  opens  the  door  to  widening  participation. 
With  education  in  this  area  being  closely  coupled  to  job  opportunities  for  the  future,  it  is 
increasingly necessary for enterprise and representative organisations to have an influence on 
company training, labour market training and new entry routes to learning. 

Widening participation 

The  need  to  widen  participation  in  higher  education  is  recognised  as  a  key  issue  within  the 
European Union. An estimated 4-5 % of over-30s in the US are involved in lifelong learning 
of some kind whereas the European figure is less than 2%53. Widening participation addresses 
the  large  discrepancies  in  the  take-up  of  higher  education  opportunities  between  different 
social  groups.  Under-representation  is  closely  connected  with  broader  issues  of  equity  and 
social  inclusion  and  concerned  with  ensuring  equality  of  opportunity  for  disabled  students, 
mature students, women and men, and all ethnic groups. 

52 
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www.bologna-bergen2005.no/Docs/00-Main_doc/050221_ENQA_report.pdf 
EUA figs 

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The Glasgow Declaration (2005) stated that ‘Europe needs strong and creative universities as 
key  actors  in  shaping  the  European  knowledge  society  through  their  commitment  to  widen 
participation  and  lifelong  learning,  and  by  their  promotion  of  quality  and  excellence  in 
teaching, learning, research and innovation activities. The European Commission drew up its 
communication in October 2006 called 'It's never too late to learn'. The paper, subsequently 
adopted  by  EU  government  leaders,  urged  that  lifelong  learning  be  the  core  of  the  Lisbon 
2010-process and that in effect the whole of the EU should become a learning area. 

The EUA (European Universities Association) drafted a charter of Lifelong Learning in 2008. 
The  document  sets  out  10  policy  commitments  ranging,  among  other  things,  from  wider 
access  to  learning,  diversifying  the  student  population  and  increasing  the  attractiveness  of 
study programmes to the embracing of lifelong learning in a quality culture, strengthening the 
relationship between research, teaching and innovation, and developing partnerships at local, 
regional,  national  and  international  level.  All  of  which  resonate  with  University-Business 
Cooperation and relate to widening participation, reaching out to otherwise unengaged groups 
as well as returners to education. 

The forum on continuing education organised by the European Commission (held in Brussels 
on 30 June 2008) concluded that Universities should recognise the importance of LLL within 
their mission, policy and strategy. Relevant incentives are required to engage universities into 
LLL  (for  universities  as  organisation  and  for  its  staff).  The  importance  of  different 
stakeholders was highlighted – depending on the national, regional or local context - such as 
local authorities and other intermediate players, in particular for SMEs. In order to fulfil their 
role in the continued learning context, universities need to offer more flexible courses which 
respect the training needs and time schedules of all people, including those in employment. In 
order to define the demand for new skills on local level and develop a comprehensive lifelong 
learning strategy, universities should involve intermediary business organisations, since they 
can offer a different perspective on the market needs and be particularly helpful in developing 
new and adequate skills profiles for the SMEs. 

The BeFlex project, funded by the former Socrates programme, monitored the development of 
university  lifelong  learning  (ULLL)  in  the  reformed  structure  of  higher  education 
qualifications  (the  Bologna  process).  The  2007  report  included  a  benchmark  of  the  reforms 
undergone by over 300 universities. Findings showed that 79% of universities surveyed had 
either  an  existing  LLL  policy/strategy  or  one  in  preparation.  However,  30%  of  respondents 
said that LLL was not yet a high priority. 

In  Croatia,  the  Law  of  Science  Activities  and  the  Higher  Education  (2003)  places  lifelong 
learning  programmes  with  the  university  context.  The  University  of  Zagreb  supports  the 
professional  development  and  upgrading  of  competence  of  former  graduates  through  a  new 
component of LLL as specific educational service to the higher education graduates. 

5.3.1  New institutes for lifelong learning 

Greece is currently developing new lifelong learning institutes54 which will provide high level 
lifelong  learning  programmes  in  Universities  and  Technical  Education  Institutions  (TEIs). 
LLL Institutes are the first systematic attempt towards the development of a LLL strategy in 

54 

Law 3369/2005 

EN 

27 

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Greek  Higher  Education  Institutions  (HEIs).  One  of  the  objectives  is  to  develop  a  closer 
relationship between universities, TEIs and the business sector in order to update graduates’ 
knowledge  and  skills  to  make  them  fit  for  the  labour  market.  It  also  aims  to  bring  new 
knowledge on technology and communication to the existing labour force.  

The legislative framework for lifelong learning is rather new in Greece and provides for the 
establishment of the National Lifelong Learning Committee which consists of representatives 
of the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and 
Social  Protection,  the  Ministry  of  Internal  Affairs  as  well  as  representatives  of  the  social 
partners  (employers  and  employees),  of  trade  unions,  the  Rectors’  Conference,  and  of  the 
relevant agencies. 

As  part  of  a  Socrates  Project,  Hungary  put  together  a  national  Higher  Education  Lifelong 
Learning  network.55  Almost  50,000  people  in  Hungary  are  now  taking  post-  graduate 
specialist training and higher-level vocational training courses. In the Netherlands, the Dutch 
National  Agency  for  Lifelong  Learning  was  launched  in  2007  to  take  responsibility  for 
managing  lifelong  learning  programmes  and  promote  the  EU  lifelong  learning  programme 
and  European  mobility.  The  Open  Universiteit  Nederland  has  also  formed  the  Netherlands 
Laboratory for Lifelong Learning with the aim to research lifelong learning. 

Lifelong learning in Finland – University Continuing Education Network56 

University Continuing Education Network UCEF is  a cooperative organisation for the UCE 
institutions  in  Finnish  Universities.  Every  Finnish  university  is  represented  in  the  network, 
usually  by  their  UCE  director.  UCEF  was  founded  in  1990.  The  headquarters  is  located  at 
Helsinki University of Technology Lifelong Learning Institute Dipoli. 

The Krems University57 in Austria is a University for Continuing Education. It started in 1995 
with  93  students,  increasing  to  4000  students  by  2008.  It  is  now  the  largest  provider  of 
postgraduate continuing education in Austria. 

The  Lifelong  Learning  Institute  at  the  University  of  Leicester  offers  a  range  of  activities 
including  adult  learning,  professional  development,  research  and  social,  cultural  and  artistic 
events,  as  well  as  a  counselling  and  psychotherapy  programme.  The  institute  works  closely 
with  partners  in  the  region  including  enterprises,  secondary  education,  public  sector 
organisations,  and  voluntary  bodies.  The  institute  offers  part-time  degrees,  diplomas  and 
certificates in several subject areas, and in many cases financial assistance to learners through 
government schemes. 

5.3.2  New courses and adaptation of existing university programmes  

Universities  which  are  widening  their  market  to  attract  returners  to  education  often  need  to 
include new methods of learning in order to adapt to the needs of people in employment with 
little  time  to  devote  to  structured  learning.  Another  important  issue  is  the  accreditation.  In 
Hungary,  Higher  Education  Institutes  now  have  more  autonomy  to  deliver  lifelong  learning 
and  are  introducing  shorter  vocational  training  programmes  into  the  universities.  Higher 

55 
56 
57 

Hungarian Higher Education Lifelong Learning Network: MELLearN 
http://www.dipoli.tkk.fi/uce/english/info.html 
http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/en/index.php 

EN 

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Education institutes now have the right to provide short programmes to  meet  labour market 
needs and can validate non-formal and informal learning. 

In  Malta:  there  is  now  an  initiative  concerning  ‘Workers  return  to  learn’58:  A  diploma 
programme has been jointly developed between MCAST (Malta College of Arts, Science and 
Technology) and the Federation of Industry in Malta. It is specifically aimed at adult learners 
who have acquired skills and competences through informal and non-formal routes, but have 
not  acquired  much  formal  education.  The  diploma  is  delivered  in  the  classroom  and  in  the 
workplace.  It  is  split  into  40-hour  study  units,  each  covering  a  different  aspect  of 
manufacturing  and  includes  mentored  training  and  practical  work.  Participants  who  are  self 
funded  will  receive  a  100%  reimbursement  in  the  form  of  income  tax  credits  from  the 
government. Firms sponsoring their employees' fees will receive a 17.5 per cent company tax 
credit. Enterprises such as Playmobil Ltd, Toly Products Ltd, Trelleborg Ltd and Actavis Ltd 
have  endorsed  the  diploma  and  have  committed  to  offer  a  number  of  sponsorships  over  a 
number  of  years.  MCAST  has  also  produced  an  employer’s  guide  to  vocational  training  in 
collaboration with the Federation of Industry. 

In Western Sweden, three universities have developed tailor-made distance learning courses 
for SME employees. “Better Concept” was initiated in 2003 with a year’s funding, proving so 
popular that the Swedish universities of Borås, Skövde and Väst decided to develop it further. 
Western  Sweden  is  continuing  to  fund  the  scheme,  and  many  SMEs  in  remote  areas  of  the 
region  are  participating,  gaining  access  to  further  education  they  might  not  have  had  the 
chance  of  otherwise.  Originally  two  main  problems  had  been  perceived  in  the  region:  first, 
there  was  no  established  connection  between  research,  academic  resources  and  SMEs. 
Secondly, the education level of SME employees needed to be at a higher level for companies 
to  be  competitive.  The  primary  purpose  of  Better  Concept  is  to  contribute  to  the  region’s 
business  and  industry  development  by  training  SME  employees.  The  courses  are  university 
accredited and the credits gained can count towards a degree59. 

5.3.3  Recognition of prior learning 

In encouraging lifelong learning, particularly in employees, recognition of prior learning is an 
important  incentive.  In  Belgium  (Fl)  complementary  to  the  introduction  of  the  Bachelor-
Master’s structure, the Flemish Government has put in place a new regulatory framework for 
flexible learning paths in higher education. From January 2008 a new funding model was put 
in  place  in  higher  education  which  favoured  lifelong  learning  provision.  Higher  education 
institutions  have  modularised  their  study  programmes  and  students  have  more  choice  in  the 
number of credits they take. All higher education institutions have also developed a system to 
assess and recognise all forms of prior learning.  

In  France,  the  Chambre  de  Métiers  et  de  l'Artisanat  du  Val  de  Marne  trains  heads  of  craft 
businesses with, normally, less than fifteen employees. There are 900,000 such businesses in 
the  country,  bakers,  builders  and  so  forth.  The  network  of  chambres  nationwide  is  now 
working with HE institutions on the development of professional and accredited qualifications 
for craft workers taking into account existing knowledge. 

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5.4 

Mobility 

Enabling  mobility  of  staff  and  students  between  universities  and  businesses  is  an  important 
mechanism  to  facilitate  greater  understanding  between  the  two  cultures,  and  to  develop 
meaningful,  long-lasting  relationships.  Mobility  of  personnel  between  universities  and 
industry facilitates knowledge transfer, collaboration for research and technology transfer, and 
can influence curriculum development. 

For staff, such mobility is likely to include flexible career paths encompassing both university 
and  business  either  one  after  the  other,  or  in  simultaneous  employment.  This  would 
necessitate recognition, in terms of career progression and financial recompense, of the skills, 
and experience gained in each sector by the other. 

Between 2007 and 2013, 2 billion Euros will be spent via FP7 in order to foster collaboration 
between higher education institutions and their business partners. Marie Curie Initial Training 
Networks will ensure that postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers are able to move around 
Europe and the rest of the world to work in the best institutes and receive business-relevant 
training. 

For  students,  mobility,  in  the  form  of  internships  and  work  placements  alongside  or 
sandwiched  within  university  courses,  provides  an  ideal  opportunity  to  build  awareness  of 
potential career paths and industry and markets relevant to their course of study. Furthermore, 
for  students,  work  placements  provide  ideal  learning  opportunities  for  the  development  of 
relevant skills, and place in context the skills they have gained at university, and encourage 
aspiration for further skills they aim to gain in the future. In addition, internships can lead to 
future employment.  

Although  there  is  a  growing  number  of  mobility  programmes  across  Europe,  including 
mobility from university to industry, it remains selective and overall, interaction between the 
two sectors is most commonly found in science and engineering, and still at a relatively low 
level. 

Where  established  mobility  programmes  exist,  there  is  a  growing  trend  to  recognise  and 
accredit these work placements, especially for students. For staff, mobility is currently even 
less common, and universities rarely recognise work in industry. 

5.4.3  Mobility of academics to and from industry 

There are a number of barriers which hamper the mobility of academics to work in industry, 
for example a lack of accreditation and recognition of such work by universities or in some 
cases legal barriers (social security; pension).  

This  has  never  really  been  an  issue  in  the  US,  where  dual  career  paths  for  professors,  i.e. 
spending time in private industry and in higher education institutions, are widespread. There 
are also good examples in Europe, in Ireland, personnel in universities have the option to use 
one day a week to pursue their own interests/consultancy work. In Norway, professor II is a 
position  where  professors  spend  20  %  of  their  time  in  industry.  Their  work  in  industry  is 
acknowledged  and  they  receive  additional  salary  from  industry  corresponding  to  their 
services, often in addition to their regular salary. In the Netherlands ‘extraordinary professors 
‘(bijzondere  hoogleraren)  are  doctorates  coming  from  industry  and  employed  to  work  for 
universities. Their number grew significantly during the 1980s. For example, the University 

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of Utrecht had about 430 ordinary professors and 120 extraordinary professors in 1998. These 
positions  are  useful  for  promoting  mobility  between  industry/interest  groups  and  academia, 
and, furthermore represent a source of financial support for universities. 

Also via the FP7 the Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnership and Pathways action seeks 
to  facilitate  mobility  of  researchers  between  public  research  organizations  and  private 
commercial enterprises, in particular SMEs. Some 350 million Euros will be spent breaking 
down barriers which hamper mobility between these two sectors. 

These  examples  show  two  themes  associated  with  mobility:  freeing  time  for  academics  to 
work in industry, and recognition of their work by both universities and enterprises, in terms 
of career path, and pay. 

Royal Phillips Electronics Public R&D Programmes 

Phillips has over 100 projects with public R&D programmes in Europe with many research 
contracts  with  universities.  They  receive  many  visiting  students,  R&D  trainees  and 
postdoctoral  students.  The  company  benefits  from  the  knowledge,  including  the  tacit 
knowledge,  of  researchers,  and  benefit  from  the  mobile  exchange  between  academia  and 
industry  for  Open  Innovation.  Furthermore,  the  company  encourages  lifelong  learning 
through the Van der Pol Program which has four levels from trainee to principal acting as a 
host for academics from MSc, PhD, Postdocs, and Visiting Principal Scientists.  

5.4.3 

Industry  Chairs:  members  of  industry  chairing  or  contributing  to  university 
boards 

In  the  other  direction  industry  is  spending  time  in  higher  education.  The  Spanish  company 
Telefonica has relationships with 169 universities in 39 countries around the world. In Madrid 
alone they have 50 joint projects with universities. One of their main methods of working is 
through  industry  professorships  -  chairs  set  up  jointly  by  university  and  industry.  There  are 
now  15  chairs  throughout  the  world  and  this  initiative  represents  a  good  permanent 
relationship  between  the  company  and  academia.  These  chairs  are  an  evolving  mechanism 
and since 2008, Telefonica is focusing on how to use them to come closer to societal issues 
(health education, IT gaps), to improve outreach through the dissemination of new knowledge 
and through exploring social networking 

In Austria another instrument set up is the ‘foundation professorship’ (a form of cooperation 
between universities and the private sector), exemplified already by the relationship between 
the  Magna  Group  and  Graz  University  of  Technology.  Magna  is  financing  three 
professorships at Graz University of Technology until 2014, whereas the university, in turn, 
has  set  up  a  separate  Department  for  Automobile  Engineering.  In  the  UK  the  University  of 
Strathclyde  Hunter  Centre  for  Entrepreneurship,  a  social  investment  by  the  Hunter 
Foundation,  is  led  by  both  an  executive  director  with  a  background  in  business,  and  an 
academic director. 

5.4.4 

Student internships 

The mobility of students is most commonly performed through internships, research projects, 
and  schemes  integrated  within  their  course  of  study.  There  is  already  a  strong  tradition  of 
work placements associated with degrees, particularly in engineering and sciences. However 
in the past, these have tended to be more unstructured: the “work placements” often involved 

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the student becoming a normal employee for a short time rather than working on a specific 
project relating to his or her degree. 

The  situation  in  Europe  is  mixed  although  many  countries  have  well-developed  internship 
programmes  (The  Netherlands,  UK,  France  and  Denmark  for  example).  The  expanding 
careers  services  are  increasingly  taking  the  responsibility  for  organising  and  managing  the 
process  as  part  of  the  student  experience  within  the  university.  In  Denmark,  internships  are 
now  a  compulsory  part  of  the  degree  programme.  At  the  university  level,  the  University  of 
Groningen,  Netherlands,  incorporates  traineeships  as  a  compulsory  part  of  degree  courses. 
Students  can  undertake  placements  throughout  Europe,  and  approximately  40%  chose  to  go 
abroad. Individual faculties are responsible for organising placements, and each faculty has a 
students’  placement  bureau  and  liaison  officer  to  help  students  find  the  most  appropriate 
placement. Efforts are made by the university to ensure the quality of the placements, and the 
available  mentoring  for  the  students.  Each  bureau  holds  a  database  of  placements,  with 
feedback from previous participants to inform future students.  60 In Valencia, ADEIT61 is an 
organisation  with  the  specific  objective  of  linking  the  university  to  its  social  environment. 
University  students  are  placed  in  either  organisations  or  enterprises  of  the  Valencian 
Community and in the other countries of the European Union. ADEIT places 1500 students a 
year  with  companies.  Another  key  area  of  work  is  training  for  tutors  on  both  sides  of  the 
placement.  ADEIT  including  placements  in  banks  (UNECAM)  and  professor  internships 
where professors work in companies for up to 100 hours.  

Turku  Academic  Career  Services  (Rekry)  is  a joint  service  of  universities  in  Turku  and  the 
Turku  Employment  Office  in  Finland.  Rekry  provides  information  on  job  openings  and  job 
seeking  for  students  and  graduates.  Career  counselling,  seminars  and  info-days  are  also 
provided. In addition, Rekry serves companies and public authorities as a channel for finding 
interns, and students to do their theses on subjects important to the company. The University 
of Turku has the alumni and mentoring programmes which both try to support at least partly 
student mobility from the university to the labour market. Within the mentoring programme 
the person with work experience guides student at the graduating phase to direct final studies, 
look  for  job,  write  CVs  etc.  The  mentor  can  also  use  their  own  networks  to  find  work 
opportunities for the student 

There  are  also  examples  of  universities  running  international  internships  (external  to 
Erasmus). The Oxford University International Internship Programme (OUIIP) was launched 
in 2008. The programme provides undergraduates with the opportunity to spend their summer 
working  in  a  sponsoring  organisation  in  another  country.  The  Erasmus  University  in  the 
Netherlands  does  not  separate  out  international  internships  from  its  internship  programme 
which  is  coordinated  through  the  careers  services.  In  some  of  the  international  master’s 
programmes the internships abroad are compulsory. 

DANUBE – European Programmes for Training Research and Technology 

The  European  Programmes  for  Training,  Research  and  Technology  is  represented  by  the 
organisation,  DANUBE,  in  Vienna.  The  mission  of  DANUBE  is  to  promote  university-
enterprise cooperation. This activity was initiated through the University Enterprise Training 

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University-Enterprise Cooperation: Building on new challenges from past experience, DAAD (2006) 
http://www.adeit.uv.es/ 

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Partnership  (UETP).  DANUBE  has  a  large  number  of  industry  contacts  and  promotes  the 
value  of  placements,  and  through  the  Leo-Net  network  promotes  placements  through  the 
programme Job Offer Exchange for Leonardo traineeships, providing placements for students 
both  nationally  and  internationally,  in  which  over  120  European  universities  take  part.  The 
trainee  produces  a  work  programme  agreed  upon  by  both  the  university  and  the  placement 
company and is later assessed by the two institutions.  

From  the  enterprise  perspective,  in  France  the  Union  des  Industries  et  Métiers  de  la 
Métallurgie (UIMM) supports a national initiative to finance and support student placements 
in  enterprises.  One  key  outcome  of  the  placement  programme  points  to  the  need  to  make 
employers meet the universities and their students and explain their needs. While undertaking 
placements, students need access to counselling and guidance. There is also a need to ensure 
proper  mechanisms  in  place  for  knowledge  transfer.  In  the  UK,  Shell  Step,  sponsored  by 
Shell, is a programme which has been running for a number of years across the country and is 
focused  on  placing  undergraduates  into  SMEs  and  community  organisations  to  undertake  a 
specific  business  or  technical  projects  driven  by  the  needs  of  the  host  business.  The 
programme  has  the  dual  aim  of  communicating  to  small  business  managers  the  impact  an 
undergraduate can have on their business and encourages undergraduates to consider starting 
a  career  within  the  small  business  sector.  It  has  been  highly  successful  and  favourably 
evaluated  as  to  the  impact  the  scheme,  not  only  on  the  skills  of  the  student  but  on  the 
absorptive capacities of the SMEs who have taken students. 

5.5 

Entrepreneurship 

The  contribution  of  entrepreneurship  has  impacts  at  many  levels:  the  individual,  the 
educational  institution,  wider  society  and  the  economy.  Higher  education  provides  an  ideal 
opportunity to foster entrepreneurial qualities among potential economic actors to bring about 
significant enhancement in business performance and competitiveness.  

The  European  Commission  has  played  an  active  role  in  fostering  entrepreneurship  for  a 
number of years. The Brussels European Council of 23/24 March 2006 "underlines the need 
of  creating  an  overall  positive  entrepreneurial  climate  and  of  appropriate  framework 
conditions  that  facilitate  and  encourage  entrepreneurship  and  therefore  invites  the  Member 
States  to  strengthen  respective  measures,  including  through  entrepreneurship  education  and 
training  at  the  appropriate  level  of  education."  The  Conference  on  “Entrepreneurship 
Education  in  Europe:  Fostering  Entrepreneurial  Mindsets  through  Education  and  Learning” 
was  an  initiative  of  the  European  Commission  jointly  organised  with  the  Norwegian 
government  which  took  place  in  Oslo  on  26-27  October  2006.  Through  a  number  of 
workshops  and  presentations  of  examples  of  Good  Practice62,  the  conference  elaborated 
concrete initiatives on how to put the recommendations of the Commission Communication 
into practice63. 

There  are  numerous  examples  of  universities  encouraging  entrepreneurship  development  in 
Europe,  many  of  which  are  covered  in  the  report  by  the  BEST  group  “Entrepreneurship  in 

62 
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63 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/support_measures/training_education/ 

Communication  from  the  Commission  COM/2006/0033  final:  Implementing  the  Community  Lisbon 
Programme: Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets through education and learning 

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Higher Education, especially in non-business studies: Final report of the expert group March 
2008”64. 

The Lahti University of Applied Sciences (Finland) created a programme called “Business 
Succession School”65, linking students with business owners who are looking for a successor. 
This is a training programme for universities of applied sciences providing the skills to plan 
and run a controlled transmission of the enterprise to the student, who will be able to continue 
the profitable business and ensure business regeneration. This practice — piloted in the Lahti 
University  of  Applied  Sciences  —  is  being  extended  to  ten  other  universities  of  applied 
sciences in Finland. (Best Report 2008) 

The  concept  of  the  ‘entrepreneurial  university’  is  becoming  more  prevalent  in  Europe  and 
much  has  been  written  on  it.  The  Technical  University  of  Munich  describes  itself  as  and 
‘entrepreneurial  university’.  It  lives  in  the  midst  of  an  ecosystem  of  major  global  players, 
Siemens,  BMW  etc.  The  chair  of  the  supervisory  board  is  one  of  the  major  shareholders  of 
BMW.  The  overarching  aim  of  the  university  co-operation is to change perception amongst 
young  people  and  support  their  capacity  to  start  and  grow  businesses  of  the  future.  The 
university  Centre  for  Innovation  and  Business  Creation  was  established  with  the  mission  to 
encourage and enable entrepreneurship - the Centre for Innovation and Business Creation was 
founded in 2002. It has 40 employees and is an associated Institute of the university.  

5.5.1  Embedding entrepreneurship in the curricula 

There are growing numbers of both optional entrepreneurship courses to be taken alongside 
degrees  as  well  as  interdisciplinary  approaches  to  embedding  entrepreneurship  in  the 
curricula. 

The  University  of  Wolverhampton  (UK)  is  coordinating  the  SPEED  project  (Student 
Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education)66, a network of 13 institutions to help students 
develop  self-employment  opportunities  as  an  alternative  to  traditional  work  placements. 
Students present their business ideas to a panel. If accepted, they are offered a placement of 9 
to12  months.  Each  student  is  helped  to  develop  a  personal  and  business  development  plan, 
and is given access to one or more mentors selected for their experience in a related area. The 
placement may be full time, as part of a sandwich degree course, or part time alongside their 
academic  studies.  Each  student  is  supported  by  a  mixture  of  bursary  payments,  finance  for 
business  related  activities  and  professional  services.  The  institution  provides  additional 
resources  in  the  form  of  incubation  facilities  and  skills  training.  Where  possible  a  SPEED 
placement will be credit bearing for the student. (Best Report 2008)  

At  Wuppertal  University67  (Germany)  entrepreneurship  education  modules  are  offered  as 
compulsory or optional classes in all relevant undergraduate courses. In addition, there is a 
specially  designed  Master’s  course  called  “Start  Up, 
Innovation  and  Economic 
Development”.  Teaching  is  always  highly  problem-oriented,  student-centred  and  inter-

64 

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66 
67 

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BEST  procedure  project:  Entrepreneurship  in  Higher  Education,  especially  in  non-business  studies: 
Final report of the expert group March 2008  
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/support_measures/training_education/entr_highed.pdf 
www.jatkajakoulu.fi 

www.speedproject.ac.uk 
www.brauk.uni-wuppertal.de, www.koch.uni-wuppertal.de 

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disciplinary. The Wuppertal approach to start-up promotion takes the form of a value chain. 
As in a funnel, students will become acquainted with entrepreneurship issues in a diversified 
but  not  particularly  profound  way  during  their  first  semesters.  Later  on,  more  specific 
modules  will  follow  which 
the  perspectives  of  various  subjects  on 
entrepreneurship  issues.  The  course  is  on  the  one  hand  designed  for  students  of  Economics 
and on the other hand — in a separate module — for students of other departments such as 
Engineering, Natural Sciences, Architecture and Design. Both groups will meet in specialised 
classes such as business plan seminars and case study training. 

incorporate 

The support of students which are potential founders should cover the whole course of their 
studies  and  should  also  be  expanded  to  post-graduate  activities.  Universities  should  also 
provide coaching to the young entrepreneurs and support during the start-up process.68 

As yet, there is little evidence associated with the results of these interventions. Although this 
document  specifically  covers  higher  education,  entrepreneurship  education  is  increasingly 
being  delivered  throughout  the  education  system  from  pre-school  to  university  and  in 
vocational education and training programmes. 

5.5.2  National strategies for entrepreneurship 

There  are  a  general  lack  of  data  on  the  quality  of  entrepreneurship  education  in  higher 
education,  however,  existing  data  do  show  that  entrepreneurship  education  in  Europe  is 
lagging  behind  US  and  Canada.  Data  from  the  Survey  of  Entrepreneurship  in  Higher 
Education  in  Europe  show  that,  of  the  21  million  students  in  Europe,  around  5  million  are 
actively  involved  in  entrepreneurship,  whereas  11  million  have  no  opportunity  to  engage  in 
entrepreneurship, with business schools as the most likely to offer entrepreneurial education.69 

The  survey  analysis  shows  that  acknowledgement  among  the  top  management  at  the  HEIs, 
both to their institution and to society as a whole, is the most important factor in determining 
delivery  of  entrepreneurship  education.  Findings  show  that  top-down  and  bottom-up 
approaches do not stand alone, and that top management and academic staff must make a joint 
effort in order to successfully implement entrepreneurial education throughout the institution. 

The survey showed differences across the European regions with the Western (EU15) region 
having  more institutions that  offer entrepreneurship education.  However the Eastern Region 
(EU>15) tend to have a broader model of entrepreneurship education. This is likely to reflect 
top-down  approaches  (for  the  EU>15  region)  whereas  the  EU15  region,  who  have  a  longer 
tradition  of  entrepreneurship  education,  show  that  traditionally  it  has  been  instigated  by 
individuals. One of the key recommendations from the report is that entrepreneurial education 
should  be  adopted  within  a  broad  definition  of  entrepreneurship  and  in  this  way 
entrepreneurship is more likely to be included in a broad range of academic subjects. 

The concept of entrepreneurial education is still relatively immature, and is usually instigated 
by individuals rather than at strategic level on the part of the HEI or at national policy level. 
Lack  of  funding  is  cited  as  the  most  common  barrier  to  development  of  entrepreneurship 

68 

69 

Norbert  Kailer,  "Konzeptualisierung  der  Entrepreneurship  Education  an  Hochschulen:  Empirische 
Ergebnisse,  Problemfelder  und  Gestaltungsansätze"  in  Entrepreneurship  Education  an  Hochschulen, 
ZfKE 2005 
Survey of Entrepreneurship in Higher Education in Europe DG Enterprise (2008) 

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education. Providing funds is crucial for the appointment of entrepreneurship professors, and 
establishing entrepreneurship courses, centres and extra-curricular activities for students. 

The  following  are  some  examples  at  the  strategy  level.  The  Norwegian  strategy  for 
Entrepreneurship in Education has the purpose of profiling entrepreneurship as an educational 
objective and training strategy from primary stage to University and College level. Between 
2000 and 2005, 844 enterprises have been created by researchers in France, through academic 
incubators.  Recently  a  new  type  of  company,  called  “Young  Academic  Enterprise”,  allows 
significant advantages to encourage business creation by researchers and students. In Wales, 
every  university  and  college  now  has  its  own  “Entrepreneurship  Champion”  funded  by  the 
Knowledge  Exploitation  Fund  (part  of  the  Wales  Assembly  Government).  These  senior 
members of staff are tasked with promoting a new culture of entrepreneurship among students 
and academics. Their role includes: building entrepreneurship into the curriculum; facilitating 
support  for  new  business  start-ups  by  graduates;  establishing  support  networks  for  local 
entrepreneurs  and students; helping to  commercialise the  results of research  and intellectual 
property owned by institutions. 

5.5.3  Teaching the teachers and the entrepreneurs 

The  European  Foundation  for  Entrepreneurship  Research70  (EFER),  founded  in  1987 
promotes research and teaching of entrepreneurship in higher education across Europe. EFER 
introduced  Teach-the-Teachers  programmes  in  the  early  1990s  to  train  entrepreneurship 
faculty and collaborates with institutions to provide programmes as well as hosting workshops 
and  conferences  on  entrepreneurship  to  build  relationships  between  businesses  and 
universities.  In  the  UK,  the  Enterprise  Educators  UK  is  the  national  network  for  enterprise 
educators.  It  supports  over  600  enterprise  educators  from  more  than  90  Higher  Education 
Institutions  to  develop  their  practice,  network  with  peers,  and  collaborate  in  enterprise  and 
entrepreneurship  teaching  and  research  across  all  curriculum  areas71.  In  Germany,  some 
universities give their professors the opportunity to get practical business experience. For 
example, the Gelsenkirchen University of Applied Science can give professors one semester 
off for testing and using scientific expertise and methods as well as to get practical experience 
in firms (after a period of at least eight semesters). 

In  Denmark,  the  International  Danish  Entrepreneurship  Academy  (IDEA)  and  associated 
universities organised more than 10 innovation camps during 2005-2007, bringing together 
students,  business  people  and  teachers  in  a  selected  physical  space  and  for  a  limited  time. 
Inter-disciplinary groups of students work on ideas taken from firms and solve problems. In 
November  2007  IDEA  tried  a  new  camp  model  matching  students,  business  people  and 
university technology transfer people, working with three university patents for 48 hours, and 
coming up with ideas on how these patents could be applied for practical use. 

Alumni  are  often  a  natural  starting  point  for  institutions  and  over  two  thirds  of  HEIs 
responded that they use their alumni as good examples and bring them into the entrepreneurial 
teaching. Conversely, the survey found that the majority of staff teaching entrepreneurship did 
not have personal experience with entrepreneurship. As entrepreneurship is a practical subject 
its teaching would be improved if those teaching did have their own practical experience on 

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http://www.efer.nl/ 
http://www.enterprise.ac.uk/ 

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which  to  draw.  Furthermore,  the  teaching  skills  for  entrepreneurial  pedagogy  are  deemed 
different to the methods used to teach academic subjects. However, few institutions described 
training opportunities for staff.72 

As  well  as  teachers,  the  practical  experience  of  the  entrepreneur  needs  to  be  conveyed  to 
students  and  often  entrepreneurs  may  not  have  the  skills  set  to  teach  in  the  university 
environment.  In  Belgium,  the  FREE  Foundation73  organised  a  2-day  seminar  for 
entrepreneurs  to  train  them  to  use  case  studies,  to  speak  in  front  of  students  and  to  teach 
some section of a course. The seminar was offered to them in exchange of a commitment to 
spend (for free) at least 30 hours of their time over a period of three years for teaching. These 
entrepreneurs are now an important resource for education. 

5.5.4 

Industrial professors 

Industry chairs and professors, mentioned already in the section on mobility, often have the 
primary  strategic  function  of  entrepreneurship  and  are  named  “entrepreneurship  chairs”. 
Entrepreneurship chairs can have a dual function of lecturing in entrepreneurship as well as 
training other university professors (teaching the teachers). 

A  survey  carried  out  in  2000  of  funding  of  entrepreneurship  chairs  at  tertiary  level  showed 
that  business  schools  in  the  United  States  receive  20  times  more  funding  from  alumni  and 
entrepreneurs than European business schools. According to the 2002 European Commission 
Best  Group  Report74  few  universities  have  a  Chair  in  Entrepreneurship.  The  situation 
improves  in  an  overview  of  entrepreneurship  activities  in  general,  that  is  at  the  presence  of 
entrepreneurship  within  different  teaching  subjects  (at  both  undergraduate  and  postgraduate 
level). However, in some countries there is an established history of this type of activity. In 
Germany, the investment bank KfW has, since 1998, invested in and supported the start-up of 
a number of professorial chairs in various German higher education institutions.. The chairs 
were limited to five to ten years, after which they had to be able to survive on their own.  

In Austria entrepreneurship chairs have been set up at four universities and are also used in 
the  careers  services  to  offer  counselling.  In  the  UK,  the  University  of  Huddersfield  is 
introducing an “Entrepreneurship Degree”, the joint idea of one of the leading Professors of 
Entrepreneurship at the university, alongside a leading entrepreneur in the region. The Oxford 
Said  Business  School  has  also  appointed  a  Visiting  Professor  of  Science  Entrepreneurship, 
and  several  universities  now  have  departments  that  research  entrepreneurships  such  as  the 
University of Lancashire, and Edinburgh University. 

5.5.5  Research into entrepreneurship  

There are still a number of opinions as to what entrepreneurship is, how it can be fostered, if it 
can be taught, and what the outcomes should be.  

The IDEAS Institute at Valencia University of Technology is running a project to get a better 
in  general 
understanding  of  what  entrepreneurship  means.  The  results  show 

that 

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74 

Survey of Entrepreneurship in Higher Education in Europe DG Enterprise (2008) 
www.freefondation.be 
FINAL  REPORT  OF  THE  EXPERT  GROUP:  Best  procedure:  Education  and  Training  for 
Entrepreneurship November 2002 

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entrepreneurs,  self-employed  and  employees  display  rather  different  profiles  regarding  both 
the  elements  leading  to,  and  those  emerging  from,  their  occupational  decisions  after 
graduation.  Gender  and  country  of  residence  are  important  determinants  influencing  the 
decision to become an entrepreneur. On average entrepreneurs have high grades in secondary 
education, suggesting higher ability and they also tend to take longer to complete their higher 
education,  possibly  because  they  performed  additional  activities  during  their  study  period. 
During their education, entrepreneurs prefer to spend their time gaining practical experience 
rather than attending lectures. Remarkably, those graduates who start  up  their own business 
undertook  further  education  and  training  in  higher  proportions  than  the  rest  of  graduates. 
Entrepreneurs  appear  especially  concerned  about  the  difficulties  their  institutions  had  in 
providing them with practical experience and with the necessary conditions to facilitate their 
access to the labour market. Entrepreneurs also showed a characteristic profile regarding the 
combination  of  competences  they  possessed  at  the  time  of  graduation;  those  graduates  who 
became  entrepreneurs  scored  relatively  higher  in  leadership  and  taking  responsibilities,  and 
relatively lower in time management. 

5.6 

Knowledge transfer 

Knowledge transfer traditionally refers to the relationship between enterprise and universities 
in the area of research, development and innovation. With the changing role of universities, 
the  concept  of  knowledge  transfer  is  being  widened  to  include  other  relationships  which 
enable  knowledge  flow.  The  “entrepreneurial  university”  is  increasingly  involved  in 
managing its knowledge assets and facilitating their exploitation, and this includes the area of 
education. As a term, knowledge transfer has the potential to encompass all the mechanisms 
or  approaches  outlined  above  which  seek  in  some  way  to  exchange  knowledge  and  ideas 
between universities and business. 

University-Business  Cooperation  in  the  area  of  education  can  learn  from  the  existing 
mechanisms  employed  to  facilitate  knowledge  transfer  in  research,  through  governance, 
Technology  Transfer  Offices  (TTO),  regional  clusters  and  the  management  of  relationships 
around Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and patents. 

ProTon, the European Association of Technology Transfer Offices was created in 2003 by the 
European Commission and is the largest KTO network. It has over 220 KTO members and 10 
National  Partner  Associations  (comprising  over  500  KTOs),  ProTon  Europe  reaches  out  to 
almost  600  universities  and  public  research  organisations  across  Europe.  It  is  self  financing 
and one of the main objectives is to use expertise of the members to highlight issues to the 
European Commission. It also organises dedicated training sessions to TTO managers. It has 
already  had  a  direct  affect  on  European  Commission  work  and  the  Commission 
Recommendation  (2008)  1329  10.4.2008  defends  the  principle  of  KT  and  asks  all  Member 
States to develop KT as a strategic priority 

Also,  if  universities  already  have  structured  relationships  with  businesses  in  the  area  of 
research, it makes sense to capitalise on these existing mechanisms. Businesses find it hard to 
find  the  time  and  resources  to  invest  in  dialogue  and  multiple  relationships  with  higher 
education,  especially  SMEs.  Therefore  simplifying  or  coordinating  the  contact  is  beneficial 
for both parties. There are increasing moves from universities to widen their careers services 
to  include  services  for  students  throughout  their  studies  as  well  as  relationships  with 
businesses involved in internships and as potential employers. This service has the potential to 

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combine  with  the  work  in  technology  transfer  offices  and  become  a  single  entry  point  for 
university business transactions. 

The final report of the OMC (Open Method of Coordination) 3% CREST Expert Group on the 
priority topic : "Encourage the reform of public research centres and universities, in particular 
to promote transfer of knowledge to society and industry”. Four areas were developed for: 

•  The changing role of public research centres in knowledge transfer” - that public research 
centres  should  see  knowledge  transfer  as  their  main  mission  after  research.  They  should 
integrate demand driven approaches into the planning of research, and redefine operational 
management of the organisation 

•  “Support  and  development  of  university  knowledge  transfer  activities”  -  as  part  of  the 
“third  mission”  of  universities.  However,  rather  than  try  to  overhaul  the  organisation  of 
entire  universities  to  this  end  (with  the  possibility  of  distracting  from  their  primary 
objectives  of  teaching  and  research),  it  is  proposed  that  a  knowledge  transfer  unit,  well 
supported with professional input should operate in a position to promote cooperation with 
industry  and  advise  departments  in  order  to  overcome  cultural  resistance  within 
the  need  for  professional 
therefore 
universities.  This  recommendation 
management  of  knowledge  transfer  activities,  appropriate  infrastructure  for  knowledge 
transfer, and a structure that assess performance regarding knowledge transfer. 

includes 

•  “Design of funding schemes to support knowledge transfer” - Knowledge transfer requires 
a long time to produce benefits, therefore it necessitates funding support in initial stages, 
therefore additional public funds are needed to sustain knowledge transfer activities. 

•  “Creation of incentive schemes for researchers to conduct knowledge transfer activities” – 
Individual  researchers  must  be  on  board  in  order  for  knowledge  transfer  to  work. 
Appropriate incentives should be in place including career progression and promotion, and 
salary increases rewarding researchers for knowledge transfer activities. 

The report responds to the Commission’s 3% Action Plan (Barcelona objective for R&D investment), 
which proposes the issues to address as: “establishment of incubators, science parks, seed funds and 
new types of public-private partnerships and the performance appraisal of researchers”. 

5.6.1  A coherent support structure for knowledge transfer 

There  are  national,  regional  and  institutional  approaches  to  coherent  knowledge  transfer 
structures. 

At  a  national  level,  Finland’s  new  innovation  strategy  defines  itself  as  being  based  on  the 
skills  and  competences  of  the  individuals  and  thus  encompasses  knowledge  creation  in  its 
widest  form  “Innovations  and  entrepreneurship  are  closely  connected.  In  many  cases, 
entrepreneurs are the ones who are able to combine ideas, the ability to take risks and other 
required  skills  with  a  clear  view  of  customers’  needs.  Innovation  policy  must  be 
entrepreneurship  policy  -  a  key  viewpoint  to  consider  when  reforming  public  services.”  In 
Austria the Academia plus Business programme, across Austria run by the Austrian Research 
Promotion  Agency  funds  innovative,  technology  oriented  spin  offs  from  the  academic 
community through the creation of business centres targeted at young scientists. 

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The  University  of  Twente  is  a  good  example  of  a  university  embedded  in  its  regional 
economy taking a joined-up approach to knowledge transfer. Together with regional partners, 
the  university  has  a  knowledge  park  and  business  accelerators  linking  the  knowledge  in  the 
university with the business community. In supporting entrepreneurship, for over 10 years, the 
university has had a minor programme available to all students. For students who wish to start 
a company there is support from the TOP programme (Temporary Entrepreneurial Positions) 
with a number of benefits. There is also a programme for University Student Enterprises and a 
growth programme which is for owner managers of companies. Included in these modules are 
training  and  networking  activities.  Brno  University  of  Technology  uses  different  models  of 
Technology  Transfer  through  its  Technology  Transfer  Office  incorporating  short  term  and 
long  term  strategies..  Examples  of  long  term  collaboration  and  strategic  partnership  include 
Honeywell, Siemens, SKANSKA. Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium also takes a 
multi model approach to technology transfer and also has an initiative CROSSTALKS which 
is the university and industry network of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. CROSSTALKS aims 
at creating an open and constructive exchange dynamic by hosting thematic encounters which 
go beyond the limitations of specific disciplines and which encourage active participation of 
key players from all levels of society. 

In Finland, the regional development project (Korkeakoulut seutukunnissa) coordinated by the 
Centre for Extension Studies of the University of Turku supports regional development and 
strengthens  SMEs’  competitiveness  through  improving  availability  of  higher  education, 
research and development services of the seven higher education institutions located in Turku. 
The project looks for structural and operational models to enhance regional engagement of the 
HEIs. The work has two approaches: 

•  knowledge transfer or interaction between HEIs and SMEs and  

•  knowledge management and operational models inside the HEIs. 

The  Athens  University  of  Economics  and  Business  has  established  links  with  international 
firms  and  enterprises  which  offer  career  opportunities  and  scholarships  to  students  and 
graduates.75 

5.6.2  Mobility for research 

Student internships for industrial experience are only one part of student mobility. There are 
also a number of undergraduates, professors and postgraduate internships or schemes which 
focus  on  research  rather  than  industrial  experience  (they  are  more  common  at  the  post 
graduate level). A number of these are already covered under the section on mobility as many 
placements have a dual function. The knowledge transfer from both research and experience-
oriented placements - to the enterprise and to the university - are of equal importance. Both 
can feed into research and education orientation within institutions. Also once a relationship is 
established  with  a  business,  it  can  be  nurtured  and  broadened  into  areas  of  adult  lifelong 
learning and/or curriculum development for example 

A  number  of  these  schemes,  such  as  the  Marie  Curie  Actions  in  FP7,  are  already  covered 
under the section on mobility as many placements have a dual function. 

75 

http://www.aueb.gr/pages_en/about/index.php; http://www.imba.aueb.gr/  

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Placements and internships in industry are well-organised for some big companies including 
Bosch in Germany and NOKIA in Finland. There are also some good practices in countries 
such as Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain and Greece.  

Extraordinary  professors  (bijzondere  hoogleraren)  in  the  Netherlands.  These  are  doctorates  coming 
from industry and are employed to work for the university. Their number has grown much during the 
‘80s. For example, the University of Utrecht had about 430 ordinary professors and 120 extraordinary 
professors  in  1998.  These  chairs  are  useful  for  promoting  mobility  between  industry/interest  groups 
and academia and furthermore represent a financial support for universities. In practice, the university 
board appoints a newly created third party (e.g. a foundation, group of founders) for the establishment 
of  an  extraordinary  chair.  The  third  party  then  appoints  the  person  to  the  chair.  Extraordinary 
professors  mostly  work  part-time  (Report  Mobility  of  Researchers:  12  Practical  Recommendations 
European Commission 2006. 

6. 

OTHER ISSUES AND ACTIVITIES 

The  themes  outlined  above  illustrate  just  some  of  the  ways  in  which  universities  can 
cooperate and collaborate with business. The agenda does not sit in isolation. Universities are 
going through a number of changes; they are embedded in regional economies and respondent 
to  financial  crises,  the  economic  downturn  and  changes  in  European  and  national  policy 
priorities. Many Member States have been going through (or are still going through) a number 
of  structural  changes  in  higher  education  (Denmark,  Finland,  Portugal,  for  example).  There 
are  also  specific  issues,  wider  than  University-Business  Cooperation,  which  affect  how 
working  relationships  can  be  established.  Some  of  those  issues  and  activities  explored  here 
include the regional economy, the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the specific 
involvement  of  SMEs.  Other  important  areas  which  affect  University-Business  cooperation 
and have been addressed under the existing themes, include: accreditation, quality assurance, 
the  diversification  of  approaches  to  learning  and  the  identification  of  appropriate  indicators 
for University-Business Cooperation. 

6.1 

The role in the regional economy 

In  the  regions,  universities  have  traditionally  played  a  dual  role  in  the  innovation  system, 
enhancing  stocks  of  knowledge  through  research  and  education  and  also  indirectly 
contributing to industry and economic growth. In the past decade many universities in Europe 
have  formally  incorporated  regional  economic  development  into  their  mission  statements. 
Regional  development  agencies  are  also  including  policies  which  support  partnerships 
between universities and industry in regional economic strategies. Although many are focused 
on  technology  transfer,  a  number  include  widening  their  role  in  linking  industry  to  course 
development and delivery (although are not always explicitly stated). 

The modes of policy interaction are critically important at the regional level and often need 
vertical  coordination  between  the  administrative  levels  (European,  national,  regional)  and 
horizontal between the regions to avoid duplication and learn from each other. The situation is 
complex  with  over  200  regions  in  the  European  Union  which  are  heterogeneous  in  their 
technological  and  economic  conditions.  They  have  a  variety  of  needs  in  terms  of  skills  and 
human resources. They also have varying degrees of power. 

The  INTERREG  IIIC  project  RUISNET  describes  a  number  of  examples  of  good  practice  and  puts 
forward some conclusions and recommendations. 

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The objectives of the projects were as follows:: 

–  Improve,  value  and  promote  the  recognition  of  the  importance  of  university-company 

relations within the European regional framework. 

–  Take advantage of accumulated knowledge (RIS/RITTS projects developed by the DG of 

Regional Policy of the European Commission) within the regional framework 

–  Identify the  good practices that have an impact on  regional development in  the  3  sectors 
selected  for  development:  Innovation,  SMEs  and  Territory;  Training  and  the  Labour 
Market; Entrepreneurship and technology-based companies. 

–  Create  a  forum  in  which  to  share  a  common  outlook  within  the  European  scope,  with  a 
strong  participation  and  generalised  dissemination  of  models  and  systems,  in  order  to 
exploit  the  potential  of  university-company  relations  in  regional  development,  and  create 
the  Association  required  to  ensure  the  project’s  continuity  with  a  large  number  of 
associates. 

http://www.ruisnet.net/web/en/the-project/description.htm 

Universities  and  other  higher  education  institutions  (HEIs)  can  and  do  make  a  significant 
contribution to regional economic and social development, and in a globalised economy this 
role is growing in importance. Too often, however, the potential for synergy is thwarted by 
failures  of  communication  between  regional  stakeholders  and  HEIs,  weak  or  unclear  policy 
signals, and conflicting agendas in institutions76. 

Regions  and  HEIs  are  building  partnerships  based  on  shared  interest  which  is  principally 
economic. From the perspective of agencies promoting city and regional development, HEIs 
have  become  a  key  resource.  They  can  help  serve  regional  development  most  obviously  by 
contributing  to  a  region’s  comparative  advantage  in  knowledge-based  industries  and  to  its 
human  capital  base,  but  also  for  example  by  helping  to  generate  new  businesses,  by 
contributing  to  tax  revenues  and  by  providing  content  and  audience  for  local  cultural 
programmes. From the perspective of HEIs, regional involvement has a range of benefits. The 
local area brings business to institutions in a variety of forms, including student enrolments 
and  payments  for  research,  consultancy  and  training.  At  the  same  time,  a  thriving  region 
creates  an  environment  in  which  higher  education  can  also  thrive,  helping  institutions  to 
attract and retain staff and students. 

Higher Education and Regions: Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged OECD 2007 

www.oecd.org/edu/higher/regionaldevelopment 

There  are  some  good  examples  of  universities  coming  together  at  a  regional  level  to  build 
capacity which may in turn be of interest to enterprises that want to cooperate on a wider than 
institutional  level  (some  examples  already  include  enterprise).  In  France  universities  are 

76 

Higher  Education  and  Regions:  Globally  Competitive,  Locally  Engaged  OECD  2007.  In  2004-2007, 
IMHE,  in  collaboration  with  the  OECD  Public  Governance  and  Territorial  Development  Directorate, 
conducted a comparative review of regional engagement of higher education institutions in 14 regions 
across 12 countries 

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starting  to  work  together  by  creating  regional  bodies:  PRES  (Pôle  de  Recherche  et 
d'Enseignement  Supérieur)77.  Although  research-led,  these  will  also  lead  to  benefits  of 
educational excellence across a region. In Italy, TUCEP is a regional Consortium created in 
the Umbria region of Italy. Members of the Consortium are 13 universities and 32 enterprises 
and associations, which unify their efforts for promoting and developing collaborative actions 
between  universities  and  non-formal  training  bodies  through  performance  of  research 
projects.  In  the  south  east  of  England,  UK,  the  Higher  Education  Entrepreneurship  Group 
(HEEG) is a  regional  network  of  academics, business development, knowledge  transfer and 
entrepreneurship professionals, careers services staff, senior managers and students based in 
higher education  institutions (HEIs) across South  East  England.  HEEG  aims  to  increase  the 
capacities  and  capabilities  of  Higher  Education  to  develop  more  enterprising  students  and 
more graduate business start ups through up-skilling staff and sharing best practice78.  

In Finland, wherea new law has been enacted, polytechnics are expected to form relationships 
with  SMEs,  and  in  particular  to  play  a  role  in  regional  development.  Also  in  Finland,  e-
Tampere was a project linked to Tampere’s city strategy and involved several SMEs and large 
companies  (e.g.  Nokia)  and  two  universities,  which  were  planning  and  implementing  the 
programme.  The  e-Tampere  programme  was  designed  to  support  Tampere’s  balanced  city 
strategy and vision for the year 2012. During the programme, e-Tampere’s sub-programmes 
launched  almost  400  local,  regional,  national  and  international  projects.  Extensive  co-
operation was implemented in these projects between research, business and government and 
from the perspectives of technology, economy and society. 

In  Northern  Ireland  the  role  of  the  Workforce  Development  Forum79  is  to  identify  and 
articulate the skills needs for the local economy of the area and to encourage and promote a 
strategic  response  to  those  needs  from  existing  local  public  and  private  sector  training 
providers,  within  the  existing  local  resource  allocation.  The  local  Workforce  Development 
Forum  will  also  advise  and  make  representations  to  government  and  agencies,  on  matters 
affecting the demand and supply of skills in the local area. Through its chairperson, the Forum 
contributes directly to the implementation of the Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland, Success 
through Skills and the development of a Regional Employment and Skills Action Plan. 

In Romania the National Agency for Partnership between Universities and the Economic and 
Social  Environment  operates  under  the  Ministry  of  Education,  Research  and  Youth  and  has 
regional  centres  in  Cluj  Napoca,  Galați,  Timişoara  and  Iaşi.  Through  regional  consortia 
organized at regional level and composed of social partners, pre-university schools and higher 
education institutions, 8 Regional Action Plans were elaborated in view of early anticipation 
of  vocational  training  needs  and  enhancing  the  role  of  higher  education  in  regional 
development80. 

Some universities take an institutional approach to their liaisons with regional enterprises. At 
the University of Liege –“Interface Entreprises-Université81” is a permanent body that liaises 
and promotes collaborations between the University of Liege and Enterprises. The goal is to 

77 

78 
79 
80 
81 

With the research law of April 2006, the PRES (“Pôles de recherche et de l’Enseignement supérieur”) 
have been introduced to the French system of Higher Education. 
http://www.heeg.org.uk/Heeg/home.aspx 
http://www.delni.gov.uk/index/successthroughskills/workforce-development-forums.htm 
http://nou.acpart.ro/index.php?lang=en 
http://www.interface.ulg.ac.be/english/ 

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make  the  research  activities,  competences  and  specialized  equipments  of  the  University 
known  to  local  and  international  companies  ;  help  companies  identify  opportunities  and 
synergies  from  potential  collaborations  with  University  laboratories  ;  assist  laboratories  in 
finding industrial partners ; render the University more accessible to SME. 

The 7 higher education institutions in Turku in Finland have joined forces to promote regional 
development in the four areas set out in the Strategy for Regional Development 2006 – 2012: 

•  Social  responsibility:  the  HEIs  work  together  to  improve  well-being,  social  and  cultural 

capital and the prospects for sustainable development in the region 

•  Internationality:  the  HEIs  promote  internationalisation  of  the  region  and  develop 

international cooperation. 

•  Entrepreneurship: the HEIs work together to further entrepreneurship in the region. 

•  Cooperation between HEIs: the HEIs strengthen their mutual cooperation for the benefit of 

the region. 

In  Germany,  the  Network  IAW  2010  is  an  intermediary  between  the  enterprises  and 
entrepreneurs of the region of west Saxony and universities, scientific and research facilities. 
The network makes an important contribution to the competitiveness and job creation in the 
region.  The  University  of  Wismar  adheres  to  the  Model  University  2020  –  a  cultural 
agreement with the German Government which has a target to adapt the university’s services 
to  the  needs  of  the  regional  economy.  The  university  aims  to  develop  a  market  oriented 
degree programme and generate 20% of its budget independently. Wismar has also developed 
dual  degree  programmes  and  aims  to  offer  degrees  for  retired  people,  people  with  children 
and for people who would not normally go to university. 

6.2 

Corporate Social Responsibility  

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is “a concept whereby companies integrate social and 
environmental  concerns  in  their  business  operations  and  in  their  interactions  with  their 
stakeholders on a voluntary basis.82”. In the area of University-Business Cooperation, CSR is 
often  the  hook  which  will  incite  businesses  to  invest  in  higher  education,  especially  in 
devoting  time  to  develop  curriculum  and  to  deliver  entrepreneurship  training  where  the 
benefits  are  not  short  term  for  the  businesses  involved.  There  are  more  immediate  benefits 
when the investment is in staff and lifelong learning opportunities. 

The European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) has instigated a number of education 
projects, which include a curriculum development project launched in 2005. This is a 3 year 
project  “Mainstreaming  Corporate  Responsibility  in  the  Business  School  Curriculum”  by 
INSEAD and London Business School. The aim of the project is to encourage the uptake of 
teaching  materials  (devised  by  EABIS  members  through  open  competition)  for  degree  and 
executive  learning  programmes  for  innovative  and  socially  responsible  management  style. 
EABIS has a particular interest in the promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility. 

82 

European Commission definition  

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From  the  perspective  of  higher  education,  there  is  an  obligation  to  ensure  that  future 
entrepreneurs  consider  CSR  an  integral  part  of  their  companies.  It  therefore  needs  to  be 
integrated  into  relevant  educational  courses.  Two  projects,  GILDE  (a  German  economic 
development agency) and UEAPME (the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-
sized Enterprises), developed and tested teaching modules on CSR for further education83 

6.3 

Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) 

One of the main challenges facing Europe is that so few Europeans own their own business, 
and few European SMEs are growing. The EU has placed SMEs high on the agenda within 
the Lisbon Strategy and more recently the European Commission set out the “Small Business 
Act” (SBA) for Europe. 

Small Business Act 2008 

Adopted in June 2008, the "Small Business Act" for Europe (SBA) reflects the Commission’s 
political will to recognise the central role of SMEs in the EU economy and for the first time 
puts into place a comprehensive SME policy framework for the EU and its Member States. 

It aims to improve the overall approach to entrepreneurship, to irreversibly anchor the “Think 
Small  first”  principle  in  policy  making  from  regulation  to  public  service,  and  to  promote 
SMEs’  growth  by  helping  them  tackle  the  remaining  problems  which  hamper  their 
development. 

The Small Business Act for Europe applies to all companies which are independent and have 
fewer than 250 employees: 99% of all European businesses. 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/entrepreneurship/sba_en.htm 

The  nature  of  SMEs  varies  widely,  including  crafts,  micro-enterprises  and  family-owned  or 
social  economy  enterprises.  Therefore  strategies  to  address  interaction  between  Universities 
and  SMEs  must  take  into  account  this  diversity.  According  to  the  Small  Business  Act 
Communication  “European  SMEs  grow  slower  than  their  US  counterparts;  University-
Business  cooperation  could  facilitate  this  growth  by  encouraging  employment  of  university 
leavers within SMEs. Furthermore, university cooperation with SMEs can improve innovation 
in SMEs as European SMEs do not innovate as successfully as larger businesses”84.  

6.3.1  Collaboration for innovation within SMEs 

In the early phases SMEs are often dedicated to the development of new products, whereas 
large  companies  have  the  resources  and  flexibility  to  plan  long  term,  with  greater  R&D 
capacity.  With  more  limited  resources  SMEs  focus  more  closely  on  existing  customers 
leaving  little  time  to  look  at  future  product  development,  while  larger  companies  have 
specialists who can communicate with innovators outside, such as university researchers.85 

83 

84 
85 

Supporting  enterprises  in  their  CSR  orientation  through  business  development  and  qualification 
GILDE, Germany http://www.csr-mittelstand.de/welcome 
Communication “Think Small First” A “Small Business Act” for Europe COM (2008) 394 final 
Universities  and  Business:  Partnering  for  the  Kowledge  Society  Weber,  L.E.  Duderstadt,  J.J. 
Economica (2006) 

EN 

45 

   EN 

 
                                                 
The  strategic  goal  set  by  the  Lisbon  Agenda  to  address  the  risk  of  an  “innovation  divide” 
includes the need to include more SMEs in FP7 Programmes "Cooperation", "Capacities" and 
"People".  In  the  area  of  biotechnology  a  new  method  in  managing  University/Biotech  SME 
relationships has been identified that aims to pursue: the quality of relations, mutual reliance, 
“patience”, flexibility, and be orientated to grand challenges. The initiative also includes the 
need  to  co-determine  governance  issues  by  universities  and  SMEs,  and  new  task  sharing 
concepts  in  participation  with  “horizontal”  as  well  as  “vertical”  relationships  suggesting 
universities could set up high skill departments, establishing “proxy management” models to 
participate in technology transfer initiatives.86 

In Switzerland the Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS) and Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency 
(KTI/CTI)  support  research  and  innovation  through project-based  funds.  The  CTI  promotes  national 
and  international  networks  that  offer  Swiss  companies  easy  access  to  knowledge  available  at 
universities.  CTI  activities  aim  to  meet  the  needs  of  SMEs  through  easy-to-use  innovation 
programmes.  The  EPFL  (Ecole  Polytechnique  Federal  de  Lausanne)  in  Switzerland  has  a 
comprehensive approach to innovation and relations with business, including SMEs. The Technology 
Transfer Office at EPFL has been extremely active in technology transfer over the past 15 years and 
has established a science park in 1993 which includes an incubator for entrepreneurs and early stage 
companies  with  coaching  support  by  the  KTI/CTI.  In  line  with  this  the  College  of  Management  of 
Technology  at  EPFL  established  in  2005,  to  train  engineers  in  economic  and  business  aspects  of 
technology and innovation aims to attract students with an entrepreneurial mindset. 87 

6.3.2  Collaboration for greater employment opportunities within SMEs 

Encouraging  start-ups,  and  the  growth  of  SMEs  is  essential  to  sustaining  the  European 
economy.  A  central  concept  of  the  Small  Business  Act  is  the  importance  of  society’s 
recognition  of  entrepreneurs,  and  the  creation  of  a  climate  in  which  individuals  consider 
starting  their  own  business  an  attractive  option.  Universities  can  play  a  pivotal  role  in 
promoting this option to students. The “Think Small First” principle, that rules should respect 
the  majority  of  those  who  will  use  them  (SMEs)  would  suggest  that  universities  should 
priorities  partnerships  with  SMEs.  One  main  goal  of  developing  entrepreneurship  is  that 
graduates will have the skills and confidence to start up their own companies. A key aspect to 
encouraging students is to engage SMEs with universities. 

Working  relationships  between  SMEs  and  universities  are  essential  to  ensure  that  the  skills 
requirements of SMEs are represented in curricular development, that students are exposed to 
the idea of working in SMEs, that students with entrepreneurial potential can learn about start-
ups and the needs of SMEs. SMEs should be involved in all of the mechanisms described in 
(Governance,  curriculum  development,  continued  education,  mobility, 
this  paper 
entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer). Universities need to take special measures to reach 
out to SMEs in order to include them in these processes. The additional barriers of reaching 
SMEs can be: 

–  SMEs are less visible to universities 

–  SMEs do not have the capacity to take time to build relations with universities 

86 

87 

DG Research European Commission Nanodiab workshop 2007 Nanomaterials & Diabetes: Highlights 
from the Event 
The  EPFL  approach  to  Innovation  Lebret,  H.  et  al  in  Universities  and  Business:  Partnering  for  the 
Knowledge Society Weber, L.E. Duderstadt, J.J. Economica (2006) 

EN 

46 

   EN 

 
                                                 
–  SMEs are less aware of the advantages of building relations with universities 

–  Universities prefer to engage with larger companies. 

The  University  of  Greenwich  (UK)  offers  an  MBA  in  SME  Management.  The  course  is  aimed  at 
mature students and to appeal to SME employers by providing management education relevant to the 
work  place  and  modular  options  that  allow  specialisation.  It  offers  flexible  delivery  of  learning  for 
students who may be working full time, and time-off for study is often particularly difficult to organise 
in smaller organisations. The course builds on student’s knowledge from the work environment.  

7. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  following  overall  conclusions  are  drawn  from  the  university  business  fora88.  The 
conclusions of the for a on the 6 different themes are included in the Annex. 

7.1 

Overall conclusions  

At the policy level: 

•  University-Business Cooperation, linked to the higher skills agenda, can help lead Europe 
through  the  current  economic  crisis.  The  progress  of  University-Business  Cooperation 
should not be impeded by short-term reactions in HE or businesses 

•  A  major  challenge  for  economic  recovery  will  be  the  availability  of  a  higher-skilled 

workforce especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) 

•  Innovation  resulting  from  links  between  business  and  Higher  Education  should  not  be 
limited  to  science,  technology,  engineering  and  mathematics  (STEM)  –  the  arts  and 
humanities also contribute to socio-economic development 

•  SMEs  are  an  important  area  for  development.  University-Business  Cooperation  might 
benefit  from  an  improved  understanding  of  how  better  to  link  SMEs  to  universities  and 
also  from  understanding  the  different  nature  of  innovation  in  SMEs  compared  to  big 
companies 

•  The role of the student in the transaction. University-Business Cooperation might benefit 
from  further  clarification  and  understanding  of  the  role  of  the  student  in  the  process: 
whether as client, customer, partner, ‘product’, university junior staff member etc.  

At the implementation level 

•  There is a need for dissemination of, and access to, examples of good practice and success 
stories  in  University-Business  Cooperation,  with  a  better  understanding  of  the  impact  of 
success (what is specifically achieved, how is it measured etc.) 

88 

First and Second University Business Forum, Brussels, February 2008 and 2009, Continuing Education, 
Brussels 30 June 2008, Curriculum Development, Tenerife, 30-31 October 2008, Knowledge Transfer, 
Brussels, 7 November 2008 

EN 

47 

   EN 

 
                                                 
•  It is important to be clear about the models and principles which underpin good practices 
in  their  specific  contexts  (the  mechanisms;  who  is  involved;  in  what  legal/economic 
conditions etc.) 

•  There  needs  to  be  a  change  of  mindset  in  many  cases  to  facilitate  the  alignment  of  the 

different cultures of the business and university worlds 

•  There  is  a  need  to  recognise  the  particular  value  of  individuals  and  organisations  as 

champions of change, and to provide relevant support measures for champions 

EN 

48 

   EN 

 
ANNEX A1 - PUBLICATIONS 

COMMISSION DOCUMENTS 

–  COM(2005)  152  final:  Mobilising  the  brainpower  of  Europe:  Delivering  on  the 

modernisation agenda for universities, COM(2006)298 

–  COM(2008) 800 final: Communication from the Commission to the European Council. A 

European Economic Recovery Plan 

–  COM (2005) 24 final: Working Together for Growth and Jobs: A New Start for the Lisbon 

Strategy 

–  University-Enterprise Workshop, Brussels, 17 July 2007, Brussels: Workshop Report 

–  COM  (2006)  33 
Entrepreneurial 

:  Implementing 

the  Community  Lisbon  Programme:  Fostering 

–  Mindsets through Education and Learning 

–  COM(2005)548 final: Commission proposal for a Recommendation on Key Competences 

for Lifelong Learning 

–  COM (2005) 488 :More research and Innovation, Investing for Growth and Employment: a 

common 

–  approach 

–  COM  (2007)182  :  Improving  knowledge  transfer  between  research  institutions  and 

industry across Europe” 

–  COM (2008) 394 final : Communication “Think Small First” A “Small Business Act” for 

Europe  

–  BEST procedure project: Entrepreneurship in Higher Education, especially in non-business 

studies: Final report of the expert group March 2008 

–  SEC(2008)  2101 

:  Commission  Staff  Working  Document  accompanying 

the 

Communication “Think Small First - A Small Business Act for Europe 

–  SEC(2007)449  :  Voluntary  guidelines  for  universities  and  other  research  institutions  to 

improve their links with industry across Europe” 

–  Survey of Entrepreneurship in Higher Education in Europe DG Enterprise (2008) 

–  Thematic  Forum  on  Continuing  Education  and  Lifelong  Learning  (Brussels,  30  June 

2008): Workshop Report 

–  Thematic  Forum  on  Curriculum  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (Tenerife,  30-31 

October 2008) – Workshop Report 

EN 

49 

   EN 

 
–  Future skill needs in Europe: synthesis report: Medium-term forecast: CEDEFOP – 2008 

–  The Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA – 2005 

–  Mobility of Researchers between Academia and Industry: 12 Practical Recommendations. 

DG Research 2006 

OECD 

–  OECD GDP Growth Projections: 2008-2010 

–  OECD (2002) Benchmarking Industry-Science Relationships 

–  Higher Education and Regions: Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged OECD 2007 

INTERNATIONAL/NATIONAL 

–  20th World Competitiveness Yearbook, released May 15 2008 by IMD business school 

–  The  Higher  Educational  Transformation  of  China  and  Its  Global  Implications:  NBER 

Working Paper No. 13849  

–  European Innovation Scoreboard : EIS 2007 Report 

–  Trends V: Universities shaping the EU Higher Education Area, EUA report, 2007 

–  Lambert,  R.  and  Butler,  N.  (2006)  The  Future  of  European  Universities:  Renaissance  or 

Decay? 

–  The Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration (UK) 2003 

–  Leich Review (UK) 2006 

–  White paper: The future of Higher Education: Chapter 3 HE and business: Exchanging and 

developing knowledge and skills (UK) 2003 DfES 

–  Higher Education at Work – High Skills: High Value (UK) 2008 DIUS 

–  World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England 

(UK)  2007 

DIUS 

–  Entrepreneurial  Activity  in  2007  across  the  globe  GEM  Adult  population  survey  2007 

(APS) 

–  CBI/Pertemps, “Employment Trends survey” (UK) 2006 

–  Council  for  Industry  and  Higher  Education;  Graduate  Employability:  what  do  employers 

think and want (UK) 2008  

–  Workforce  Development:  how  much  engagement  do  employers  have  with  higher 

education?(UK)  2007 CIHE  

EN 

50 

   EN 

 
–  International  Competitiveness:  Businesses  working  with  UK  Universities,  (UK)  2006 

CIHE 

–  International Competitiveness: the role of universities (UK) 2007 

CIHE 

–  Estonia: Bologna Report 2007 

–  Hungary: Bologna Report 2007 

–  Romania Bologna Report 2009 

–  University-Enterprise  Cooperation:  building  on  new  challenges  from  past  experience, 

Project Report, (DE) DAAD - 2006 

–  Universities and Business: Partnering for the Knowledge Society Weber, L.E. Duderstadt, 

J.J. Economica (2006) 

–  Higher  Education  for  the  Workforce:  Barriers  and  Facilitators  to  Employer  Engagement 
(UK) 2008  Dr Marilyn Wedgwood, Manchester Metropolitan University, DIUS Research 

–  Creative  futures:  Building  the  creative  economy  through  universities  (UK)  2008

Centre for Creative and Cultural Industries Research: Napier University 

–  Educating  Engineers  for  the  21st  Century:.  The  Industry  View  (UK)  2006  Henley 

Management College 

–  Enterprise and entrepreneurship in higher education (UK) 2007 NCGE 

–  Good practice in enterprise development in UK higher education (UK) 2007 NCGE 

–  Higher-level skills for higher value: Design blueprint (UK) 2008 

Design Council 

–  Impact  of  higher  education  institutions  on  regional  economies  (UK)  2007  University  of 

Strathclyde 

–  University-Industry  Knowledge  Exchange:  Demand  Pull,  Supply  Push  and  the  Public 
Space role of Higher Education Institutions in the UK Regions (UK) 2008  University 
of Cambridge 

–  "Universities, Business and Knowledge Exchange" (UK) 

2008  "CIHE: 

Maria 

Abreu, Vadim Grinevic, Alan Hughes, Michael Kitson and Philip Ternouth" 

–  Understanding the factors influencing graduate entrepreneurship (UK) 2007 NCGE 

–  Influence through Collaboration: Employer Demand for Higher Learning and Engagement 

with Higher Education Full Project Report (UK) 2008 CIHE 

–  Stepping Higher: Workforce development through employer-higher education partnership 

(UK) 

2008  HEFCE 

–  HEFCE  strategy  to  support  links  between  higher  education  and  employers  on  skills  and 

lifelong learning (UK) 2006 

HEFCE 

EN 

51 

   EN 

 
 
–  Higher Education: Business and Community Interaction Survey (UK) 2008 HEFCE 

–  Quality assurance and employer engagement in HE learning (UK) 2008 HEFCE 

–  Good  Practices  in  University  -  Enterprise  Partnerships-  GOODUEP  Project  (ES)  2008
Centre  for  the  Study  of  Higher  Education  Management  Universidad  Politécnica  de 

Valencia Camino de Vera  

–  'Higher  aspirations:  An  agenda  for  reforming  European  universities'  (EU)  2008  Philippe 

Aghion, Mathias Dewatripont, Caroline Hoxby, Andreu Mas-Colell and André Sapir 

–  REFLEX PUBLICATIONS 

(EU )  2007 

–  "University-Enterprise  Cooperation:  Building  on  new  challenges  from  past  experience" 

DE/EU 

DAAD  

–  Thinking across disciplines – interdisciplinarity in research and education (DK) 

–  Skills Road Map for the Digital Media Industry (IE) 

2006  Forfas 

–  A one step up approach: Irish skills strategy (IE) 2006 

–  Education and Research 2003-2008 (FI)  2004 Ministry of Education 

–  Promotiing  Enterprise  –  Higher  Education  Relationships  (IE)  2007  Forfas  and  Advisory 

Council for Science, Technology and Innovation 

EN 

52 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
Annex A2 – Forum Conclusions 

A2.1  Governance 

The  University  Business  Forum  has  demonstrated  that  changes  in  higher  education 
governance  at  national,  regional  and  institutional  level  are  core  conditions  for  the 
development of effective collaboration between university and business. 

University-Business Cooperation needs to be embedded in institutional strategies 

–  Universities have to modify their governance structures in order to enable the organisation 
and  its  staff  (professors,  researchers,  graduates,  students)  to  face  the  challenges  of  a 
changing world 

–  University-Business Cooperation has to be part of university strategy. There are still many 
universities  in  Europe  with  internal  governing  boards  which  do  not  lend  themselves  to 
supporting the modernisation agenda 

Institutional leadership  

–  Leadership is key in the implementation of relevant governance models 

–  There is a need to develop instruments to support leadership 

Representation of all the stakeholders 

–  Businesses are just one set of stakeholders that need to be present and active in institutional 
governance. Representation from staff, students and the community is equally important in 
decisions on University-Business Cooperation 

Supportive structures and services 

–  European  universities  can  learn  from  the  experience  of  their  American  counterparts, 
particularly in establishing close links with their alumni and benefiting from their expertise 
and networks. 

–  Universities are seeing a change in the organisation and remit of career services to cover 

university industry transactions in the broadest sense 

Management of Human Resources, incentives, recognition 

–  Particular  effort  is  needed  to  improve  the  management  of  human  resources,  career 

progression and incentive systems 

–  Relevant  assessment  systems  mean  that  University-Business  cooperation  is  recognised  in 

the metrics  

–  Appropriate  incentive  systems  mean  that  cooperation  with  business  is  part  of  the  criteria 

for career advancements of teaching staff (performance contracts) 

Importance of national and regional policy support 

EN 

53 

   EN 

 
–  At  national  level  changes  are  needed  relating  to  legislation  and  to  administrative  and 

funding arrangements to support incentives to institutions and staff 

–  The collaboration work and its acknowledgement, moving away from traditional academic 

merits can be supported through national and regional funding 

A2.2  Curriculum Development 

The competitiveness of economies is increasingly dependent on the availability of a qualified 
and  entrepreneurial  workforce.  This  means  that  universities  have  an  important  role  in  the 
"production"  of  this  qualified  human  capital.  As  a  consequence  it  is  imperative  that 
universities and businesses understand the value of cooperation in curriculum development.  

A better match between graduate profiles and qualifications 

–  Joint  curriculum  development  greatly 

to  find 
students/graduates that have the knowledge, skills and competences that are needed on the 
labour market 

improves  chances  for  companies 

–  Quality 

and 
demonstrated/assessed 

relevance 

(labour  market)  of 

study  programmes 

should  be 

Supportive internal structures to facilitate curriculum development  

–  Universities'  careers  services  are  already  changing  and  could  develop  into  the  point  of 

contact at universities for all companies and feed into the development of curricula 

–  Alumni are future employers and/or employees: they can provide important feedback to the 

quality and relevance of their studies 

–  More extensive dialogue with the business sector at the faculty level can be beneficial for 

the redefinition of the knowledge skills and competences required for graduates 

A common language for universities and business 

–  The focus on Learning Outcomes provides the opportunity to serve as common language 

of relevance for cooperation, understandable by all stakeholders 

Future proof 

–  There needs to be a balance between short-term and long-term skills needs in the curricula.  

–  New  concepts  are  required  to  ensure  that  the  curricula  are  innovation-supportive,  ie.  that 

graduates are equipped for the development of innovation 

A2.3  Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning 

The  concern  about  employability  is  not  only  for  those  who  enter  the  labour  market.  The 
upgrading of competences in the adult population is an even bigger challenge for Europe.  

Lifelong learning embedded in institutional strategies 

EN 

54 

   EN 

 
–  Universities  should  clearly  recognise  the  requirement  for  Lifelong  Learning  within  their 

mission, policy and strategy 

–  Strategies for Lifelong Learning should also consider the incentives to individuals from all 

stakeholders to engage in this activity including lecturers, students and employers 

Lifelong learning has to be done in partnership 

–  There  need  to  be  frameworks  allowing  business  and  university  stakeholders  to  come 
together  to  define  the  demand  for  new  skills:  There  is  great  potential  for  relevant 
intermediary  organisations  to  bridge  the  gap  between  universities  and  business,  in 
particular between universities and SMEs 

–  SMEs need particular attention; they have specific needs and require special arrangements 
as well in the definition as the delivery of a demand-driven offer. Clearly defined contact 
points  like  departments  for  continuing  education  at  universities  can  help  with  attracting 
SMEs  

Funding of Lifelong learning 

–  Strategies for Lifelong Learning  should  look into a range of sources of  funding, whether 

these include national, regional, institutional, or individual sources 

–  University/business  promoters  have  to  find  new  economic  models  and  organisational 

architecture to allow movement between learning and work 

National  and  regional  policy  support  for  Lifelong  learning  strategies  in  Higher 
Education 

–  The  inclusion  of  continuing  education  and  adult  lifelong  learning  in  strategies  hinges  on 

the provision of the right policy environment 

–  Lifelong  Learning  strategies  in  Higher  Education  can  contribute  to  regional  economic 
development, and closer relations between universities and businesses, particularly SMEs 

–  National  policies  need  to  take  into  account  the  differing  time  scales  that  universities  and 
businesses work within, and foster collaboration for Lifelong Learning with sensitivity to 
supply and demand 

New modes of learning 

–  In order to facilitate Lifelong Learning, universities need to be able to adapt to individual 
circumstances  and  offer  flexible  courses.  This  means  offering  a  wider  range  of  course 
content, more tailored to business demand, and more flexible facilities for access 

•  Recognition and accreditation 

–  To  widen  access  to  Lifelong  Learning  universities  need  to  recognise  prior  learning  and 

skills from outside of formal higher education 

–  Lifelong learning courses should be properly accredited by both universities and employers 

to be of real benefit 

EN 

55 

   EN 

 
–  Relevant quality assurance mechanisms have to be extended to LLL programmes 

–  Updating/upgrading skills has to be valued/recognised on the labour market 

A2.4  Entrepreneurship 

The low levels of entrepreneurship in the EU are a major source of concern for fostering of 
growth  and  employment.  The  challenge  for  Higher  Education  is  to  shape  the  learning 
environments that stimulate and support entrepreneurship. The approach needs to move from 
the knowledge economy to an entrepreneurial economy – from knowledge to the application 
of knowledge.  

Creating the right context 

–  Higher  Education  cannot  ‘make’  entrepreneurs  but  can  create  an  environment  that  is 
conducive  for  the  development  of  entrepreneurial  individuals  (their  attitudes,  behaviour 
and skills). 

–  There is a need for further developing institutional leadership at senior management level 
with responsibility for cultural change and achieving agreed outcomes and impact; for staff 
training and development and curricula innovation. 

–  Accompany and help graduates creating their own business through incubators, mentoring 

and tutoring. 

–  It is important to create and promote a positive image of entrepreneurs: this involves the 

university being receptive to the role of promoting and encouraging entrepreneurship. 

Development of the entrepreneurial eco-systems 

–  All types of stakeholders need to be involved in the development of entrepreneurship 

–  Staff play a key role in the development of entrepreneurial attitude among students 

–  Trust and mutual understanding needs to be created between the stakeholders and networks 

Qualifications, mechanisms and role models 

–  Too few qualified educators are available, and not enough training opportunities exist for 

interested candidates. 

–  There are not enough chairs of entrepreneurship in Europe – necessary to better understand 

the issues and for championing its development. 

–  Good  entrepreneurship  relies  on  the  flow  of  knowledge  from  university  to  business  and 

vice versa with mobility of students and staff 

Access to entrepreneurship education 

–  Entrepreneurship  education  in  Europe  is  too  focused  on  specific  subjects.  All  students, 
regardless or where and what they study (full time, part time or in LLL), should be exposed 

EN 

56 

   EN 

 
to  activities  that  contribute  to  the  development  of  entrepreneurial  activity.  Specific 
modules dedicated to entrepreneurship should be included into in each study programme. 

–  Entrepreneurship education should start as early as possible; exposure to situations where 
entrepreneurial attitude can be developed is crucial (appropriate pedagogical approaches). 

Entrepreneurship research 

–  Develop  entrepreneurial  research  in  order  to  convince  the  research  community  of  the 

importance of entrepreneurship related issues. 

Measuring and demonstrating the impact of entrepreneurial education 

–  Relevant measures and criteria need to be defined to assess the outcomes and the impact of 

entrepreneurial attitude on individual, organisational and societal level 

–  Successful mechanisms for developing entrepreneurship need to be shared 

A2.5  Mobility 

In spite of a number of success stories with student placements and collaborative project work 
the level of interaction and mobility between the two sectors remains low.  

The value of mobility 

–  The value of mobility needs to be recognised by university and business in all its different 

modalities  

–  Mobility is not an end in itself; it should have a purpose linked to career paths. 

–  Targeted actions towards SMEs are necessary to convince them of the value of internships 

Supporting academic and student mobility 

–  Legal  frameworks  for  researchers  and  students  have  to  be  flexible  (social  security, 

pensions, grants etc) 

–  For academics there needs to be accreditation and recognition of such work by universities 

–  For students: Placements should be an integral part of curriculum and accredited 

–  There should also be provision for the mobility of managerial staff 

•  Increasing use of industry funded chairs 

–  Industry chairs linked to companies should be encourage 

–  It  is  important  that  industry  chairs  are  given  time  to  maintain  their  links  to  the  external 

environment 

–  Other short term mechanisms should be explored on bringing in industry people to teach or 

to feed back on the mobility schemes between their companies and the university  

EN 

57 

   EN 

 
Mobility and the global dimension 

–  Current  mobility  initiatives  tend  to  be  rather  locally  based,  but  in  a  global  world  a 
European dimension of mobility is required. There are increasing number of international 
initiatives, such as the Marie Curie Actions, which should be encouraged. 

A2.6  Knowledge Transfer 

Innovation is the only possible answer to the main challenges facing today’s world. It is also 
key to the competitiveness of Europe and its enterprises. Knowledge transfer is about building 
lasting  strategic  alliances  between  equals.  It  needs  to  be  redefined  in  the  widest  sense.  It  is 
about  people  transferring  knowledge  between  business  and  higher  education  –  not 
mechanisms. This encompasses education, research and innovation and in that sense many of 
the existing conclusions are relevant to knowledge transfer. 

Legal and funding framework 

–  In many countries there are still legal and funding disincentives for engaging in knowledge 

transfer 

Overcoming institutional barriers 

–  In order to enhance knowledge transfer it is necessary to overcome faculty boundaries 

–  Universities (faculties) and businesses have to better understand their respective needs 

–  A  change  in  mindset  on  both  sides  is  necessary  to  facilitate  open  cooperation  :  Business 

“in” universities 

Knowledge transfer in ideas and management 

–  Knowledge  transfer  mechanisms  cannot  be  separated  into  those  which  relate  to  research 
and  those  which  relate  to  education.  A  more  joined-up  approach  to  relation  with  the 
business community will be beneficial to enhancing University-Business Cooperation 

–  The  use  of  standard  industry  management  procedures  in  university  knowledge  transfer 

mechanisms should be explored 

–  Development of joint research projects with businesses should be strengthened 

–  University-Business  Cooperation  can  facilitate  exchange  of  experience  from  traditional 

research partnerships taking place in universities to companies 

EN 

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   EN