Workshop dedicated to institutional transformation policies within the Accelerate Future HEI project

The end of 2023 was marked by two major events for the Accelerate Future HEI project, whose consortium includes the Politehnica University of Timișoara, along with 11 other organizations and universities from Europe. In December, the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN, project coordinator) organized the first of a series of four workshops dedicated to institutional transformation policy recommendations (Policy Recommendation Workshop). One of the objectives of the workshop was to identify possible actions that can contribute to the agenda of the European Research Area Policy, an ambitious EU initiative to create a single European market for research, innovation and technology. Moreover, in the light of the first year of project implementation, a discussion was initiated on the implications, difficulties and opportunities for collaboration of the 12 partners of the Accelerate Future HEI consortium.

Also, within the same project, a workshop was organized in November 2023 dedicated to establishing the direction of action regarding the institutional transformation and digitization of the Politehnica University of Timișoara (Roadmap Workshop) through the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship. UIIN experts coordinated a series of interactive activities attended by representatives of the university directly involved in its digital transformation.

The workshop had as its starting point the results obtained in a study based on a questionnaire in which 111 respondents from the university (teaching staff, students and administrative staff) participated. The study was part of the second work package of the Accelerate Future HEI project. According to the results of the study, the transformation of Politehnica Timișoara University into an entrepreneurial and innovative higher education institution must be focused around three key elements: innovation and entrepreneurship, active role in the ecosystem and support mechanisms.

Last but not least, in July 2023, UIIN organized a focus group exclusively dedicated to the Politehnica University of Timișoara, to outline the future image of its institutional transformation. Thus, the conclusion of the focus group was that The Politehnica University of Timișoara is ”a university that increases engagement in responsible research and digital transformation initiatives to expand the boundaries of knowledge and create closer connections with the community". Additional details on the project are available at www.acceleratefuturehei.eu