How To Develop A University-Business Cooperation

Transcription

1 EURASHE & EMCOSU Valorisation Workshop Report 26 February 2015 EURASHE secretariat, Ravensteingalerij 27/3, 1000 Brussels, Belgium EURASHE & EMCOSU Valorisation Workshop Report An event organised by EURASHE and the EMCOSU project.

2 Contents Organising team... 3 EURASHE... 3 EMCOSU... 3 Biographies Keynote Speakers... 4 Thorsten Kliewe CEO at University Industry Innovation Network... 4 Samo Pavlin EMCOSU Coordinator, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)... 4 Mieczysław Bąk Deputy General Secretary at the Polish Chamber of Commerce (Poland)... 5 Robert Wagenaar General TUNING Coordinator, University of Groningen (The Netherlands)... 5 Introduction... 6 Keynote speeches... 7 Thorsten Kliewe Evidence-based UBC development: key results from surveys and directions to move forward... 7 Samo Pavlin Key Findings of the EMCOSU project: considerations for higher education institutions and employers... 8 Mieczysław Bąk Perspectives of chambers of commerce on university-business cooperation... 9 Robert Wagenaar Policy Implications of University-Business Cooperation in Europe: the TUNING perspective Conclusion Round Table... 11

3 Organising team European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE) 1 EURASHE is the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education that offer professionally orientated programmes and are engaged in applied and profession-related research within the Bologna cycles. Members of EURASHE are national associations of higher education institutions and individual institutions, such as universities, (university) colleges and universities of applied sciences, as well as other professional associations and stakeholder organisations active in the field of higher education. Emerging Modes of Cooperation between Private Sector Organisations and Universities (EMCOSU) 2 The EMCOSU programme reinforces the link between education activities and HE graduates employability needs and the promotion of cooperation with HE tools in particular. Current major national and international mechanisms providing indications to contribute to this aim are closely related to cooperation between higher education institutions and enterprises which represents the main focus of the EMCOSU project Page 3 of 12

4 Biographies Keynote Speakers Thorsten Kliewe CEO at University Industry Innovation Network Thorsten Kliewe, MA is Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of the University Industry Innovation Network. At UIIN, he leads the organisation s activities that aim to connect university and business representatives, either through events, in projects or in the network in general. Thorsten is also affiliated with the Science-to-Business Marketing Research Centre at Münster University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) in Germany, where he researches, lectures and conducts industry projects at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship and marketing. Through UIIN and MUAS, he is well experienced in projects on EU (e.g. Knowledge Alliance, EU Tender, Erasmus+) and German level (e.g. BMBF, FH Extra, ProfUnt), primary looking after how to optimise the interaction between university research and education, and business/society. His prior work experience includes Deloitte Australia s Innovation Acceleration Team, the Institute for Innovation and Knowledge Management (INGENIO) at the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain, the Centre of Marketing Management at Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland as well as the earchitecture Lab at Constance University of Applied Sciences in Germany. Thorsten holds a Master of Arts in International Management as well as a German Diploma in Business Administration, both from MUAS. Samo Pavlin EMCOSU Coordinator, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) Dr Samo Pavlin is researcher in the area of Education and Employment at the University of Ljubljana. He is also Principal of National Research programme Sociological aspects of sustainable socio-spatial and manpower development of Slovenia in Europe at the University of Ljubljana. Recently he supervised and participated in several international projects on education and employment. He was a principle researcher in the transversal project 7EU VET [short for Detailed Methodological Approach to Understanding the VET Educational System in 7 European Countries]. He was also involved in several other studies of the OECD and Slovenian Government (Recognition and Certification of Non Formal Learning, Implementation of the National Qualifications Framework, ). As a coordinator he completed the international HEGESCO project [short for Higher Education as a Generator of Strategic Competencies] that was as a successor of the REFLEX project (6FP project) nominated as a success story of ERASMUS research related projects in As coordinator he also participated in the international DEHEMS project [short for Development of Higher Education Management Systems] and in the EMCOSU project [short for Emerging Modes of Cooperation between Private Sector Organisations and Universities]. He has authored and co-authored more than 33 articles, book chapters and monographs in Slovenia and internationally. Page 4 of 12

5 Mieczysław Bąk Deputy General Secretary at the Polish Chamber of Commerce (Poland) Mieczysław Bak works as CEO at the Institute for Private Enterprise and Democracy (IPED) and as Director of Advocacy Department of the Polish Chamber of Commerce. During last 25 years Mr Bak activities were focused on innovative economy, cooperation between Universities and businesses, advocacy of SMEs, development of the standards in Human Resources management, elaboration of protection measures for disadvantageous groups, scaling down corruption in business, development of the civic society, promotion of business ethics and SME s development Elaborated recommendations were implemented into Polish legislation, including tax laws, labor code, custom laws, business register. Policy reports and issues brief were used by the Polish Chamber of Commerce and by regional chambers in their advocacy programs. Mr Bak assists also regional and national authorities in elaboration of the SMEs development strategies in the area of SME financing, development of Hi-Tech businesses and SMEs related services. Mr Bak work with regional business associations, assisting in public policy issues and in developing members services. He advice also the Ministry of Economy on SMEs development issues, participating in drafting national business development strategies. As an instructor Mr Bak was executing the training programs for business association and NGOs in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Asia, Kosovo, Russia, Croatia and Poland. Graduate of the Warsaw University Social Science Department and PhD at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Robert Wagenaar General TUNING Coordinator, University of Groningen (The Netherlands) Robert Wagenaar is Director of the International Tuning Academy of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Until recently he was director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen, being responsible for 15 bachelor and some 35 master programmes. He is also coordinator and director of the Erasmus Mundus Master Course of Excellence Euroculture: Europe in the Wider World. Furthermore, he is a member of the Dutch group of experts for the development of the European Higher Education Area. Since 2000 he has coordinated together with Julia Gonzalez (University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain) Tuning Educational Structures, which started as a project to develop international reference points or benchmarks for subject areas as well as an innovative methodology for (re)designing, delivery and enhancing (trans)national student centred degree programmes in the framework of the European Higher Education Area, which has developed into a global process during the last decade. Page 5 of 12

6 Introduction Emerging Modes of Cooperation between Private Sector Organisations and Higher Education Institutions University-business cooperation (UBC) is currently one of the key strategic challenges facing higher education in Europe. It holds implications for support for graduates career success, international mobility, modernisation of curricula and the more practical orientation of higher education in general. In a survey among 700 enterprises and enterprise associations in several EU countries, the EMCOSU consortium sought answers to three interrelated questions: Which are the most relevant modes and results of cooperation? What determines cooperation? Which are the future developmental needs? While at the moment many countries are developing UBC policies there is still room for improvement in terms of more efficient communication, legal support and better integration of various stakeholders. Although some economic sectors, such as information and communication technology, already have a long established tradition of cooperation with universities, others are still lagging behind due to national and disciplinary limitations. Page 6 of 12

7 Keynote speeches Thorsten Kliewe Evidence-based UBC development: key results from surveys and directions to move forward Thorsten Kliewe, the Chairman and CEO of the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) presented the key findings of several UBC, followed by his critical remarks on these outcomes. Mr. Kliewe is advocate for critical evidence-based UBC development in the future. This is the reason why Mr Kliewe created the UIIN, it s created for making UBC better and there is strong focus on the practice. This has become a necessity as universities are evolving, the next generation universities should aim to be entrepreneurial universities in which the collaborations between universities and businesses are well elaborated. As the education market is a two-sided market and the need of both sides being developed at the same time, marketing for both is needed. As the State of European UBC Study showed, is the situation of UBC very different in every country. Not every European country is as strong, as weak in the development of the UBC types, this depends on different influencing factors. To begin with academics and HEIs have to overcome barriers in developing the UBC types. In general the biggest barriers are: bureaucracy and a lack of internal and external funding. The second influencing factor is what drives academics and HEIS. Among the biggest drivers you will find: the existence of mutual trust and commitment and having a shared goal. There are some supporting mechanisms for an evidence based UBC development with strategies being the first one. The least implemented strategies are the most needed ones for making the entrepreneurial university work (with sufficient funding as an example). Furthermore there are several structure & approaches, activities and policy conditions as supporting mechanisms. This evidence based development takes into account what the market really needs and this differs in every country. There is already a lot developing in Europe. The European Commission pushes more and more for the so-called entrepreneurial universities. With the management of these universities being professionalised (through ex. certification) and the focus on long term partnerships. The bottom-line is that a university should be considered as a proper company. There is no formula to make a company work, so everyone needs to develop his own approach towards UBC. And above all it is about people and relationships, it s not a one-man show. Page 7 of 12

8 Samo Pavlin Key Findings of the EMCOSU project: considerations for higher education institutions and employers There were already two other projects who formed in some extent a basis for the EMCOSU project. The first project is the HEGESCO project, it served information about Higher Education and the transition to the labour market. The second project is the DEHEMS project focused on the aspects that determine early career success. The EMCOSU project tried to find out the most relevant modes of UBC and the reason why, the current characteristics of cooperation/ the future needs and the key developmental drivers and motives on cooperation. Some sectors have higher UBC potential than others, among the sectors with high potential are: information and communication technologies, agriculture and food industry, electrical energy and electrical industry and natural sciences (such as biotechnology, medicine,etc) Some selected conclusion out of 60 EMCOSU interviews are: Common goals: cooperation based on mutual benefits, commitment: good partnership depends on the right people, communication: establishment of an ongoing dialogue and context: UBC is different in every country. The strength of UBC development depends on drivers and barriers (they can make it stronger or weaker). The biggest drivers are: mutual trust, shared motives and a prior relationship with HEI. The biggest barriers are: Bureaucracy, different time horizons and different motivations and values. The following was Mr Pavlin s conclusion: There is no such thing as one UBC, it exists in very diverse forms. Furthermore should the bureaucratic obstacles be removed because this is the biggest barrier for companies. The development of competencies being the key outcome versus the performance of business the least important one. Companies believe research should be integrated within their business and last but least can employers associations become stronger promoters of UBC. Page 8 of 12

9 Mieczysław Bąk Perspectives of chambers of commerce on university-business cooperation Mr Bąk started his speech by naming the challenges that the chambers of commerce are facing at the moment. To begin with it s about the quality of the products and services provided. Secondly the chambers of commerce have to attract members and respond to their needs. A chamber of commerce can help companies by: providing them qualitative services, increasing the visibility of their members, helping them to build a relationship with the community, informing them what other members are doing. The Polish Chamber of Commerce was a partner in the EMCOSU project to find what the businesses expectations are and also to find out what the current UBC status is. The most frequent mode of UBC now is adult education (LLL) and research and development. Another thing the study showed is that companies are starting to recognise the importance of cooperation with universities. That s why universities will need to offer more practice oriented courses, do more applied research and cooperate even more with businesses. Mr Bąk also spoke about the influencing factors for UBC. The barriers for UBC are: different time horizons and bureaucracy (administrative obligations, management,etc). The most important drivers for UBC are: existence of mutual trust and existence of shared motives. There are different manners for scaling these identified barriers down: promotion of practical orientations in education, promotion of effective models, administrative support for UBC, identification of mutual expectations. By doing this barriers will become drivers. UBC has benefits for students, universities and companies. University Business is crucial for responding to the challenges universities and companies are facing. UBC can help to build a more competitive economy (by using and applying new technologies, innovative spin-off companies). To make UBC really work universities should get a more active role. A first task is to identify the companies for cooperation and the entrepreneurs who are willing to share their knowledge with students. The second task is to change the universities attitudes, more assistance for entrepreneurs is needed. Page 9 of 12

10 Robert Wagenaar Policy Implications of University-Business Cooperation in Europe: the TUNING perspective TUNING is an initiative for and by academics to reform the Higher Education Area throughout the world. TUNING is with its high-quality, cost-effective state-of-the-art programme relevant to society. TUNING offers to both Higher Education Institutions and students attractive learner-centred degrees. While focussing on the students, soft skills are developed because it s not only about the hard skills. When looking a job alumni should stop with focussing only on their hard skills, the skills they learned in school. Because where you find a job might differ a lot from the degree you obtained. Your job can be very different of the academic field you studied because of your employment profile and competence circle. This is where the importance of soft skills is shown. TUNING focuses on fitness of purposes (whether expectations are met) and on fitness for purposes (whether aims are met). By focusing on this TUNING examines which skills are most important for society. The main findings of the EMCOSU project in the TUNING perspective can be divided into two parts: things that are crucial for cooperation such as mutual trust and commitment, benefits for both parties and then secondly there are the challenges such as bureaucracy and different perspectives. Most important are the skills of students that are relevant to the labour market (time efficiency, performing under pressure, mastery in their field of discipline). Therefore employers believe universities should develop strategic cooperation with businesses regarding the practical orientation of teaching and enhance traineeships and internships. Page 10 of 12

11 Conclusion Round Table University and Business cooperation is needed for a better preparation of student to the labour market. With this cooperation a few things have to be taken into account. The first is the fact that the effect of UBC can become stronger or weaker throught influencing factors. These factors are sepertated into barriers (which make the effect less stronger) and drivers (which make the effect stronger). Barriers are: bureaucracy, different time horizons and different motivations and values. There are different manners for scaling these identified barriers down: promotion of practical orientations in education, promotion of effective models, administrative support for UBC, identification of mutual expectations. In case the barriers are scaled down, they can be turned into drivers too. Examples of drivers are: mutual trust, shared motives and a prior relationship with HEI. Knowing these barriers and drivers, it is possible to develop a strategy for better UBC. The general remark is that the UBC situation is different in every country throughout Europe, so there is no UBCformula. Each region has its own needs and approach. Another finding is the fact that a university should be seen as proper company/service provider. This implies the need for some real marketing (as done for regular companies. In this strategy should not lie on the institutions but on the students. Because it is about people and relationships, it is not a oneman show. Page 11 of 12

12 EURASHE secretariat Ravensteingalerij 27/ Brussels Belgium [T] [F] [@] eurashe@eurashe.eu [w]