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22/03/2022

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Annual event 2021, a workshop on the role of universities in Smart Specialization Strategies and regional development

The report of the workshop held as part of the NOP Research and Innovation event

Workshop 3.1

ITA | ENG

We often hear about the close relationship between higher education and the growth potential of a region but what role can universities actually play in the economic and social development of local areas? Interesting perspectives and experiences were shared at the thematic workshop entitled “The Role of Higher Education Institutions for Smart Specialization Strategies and Regional Development”, held online on 22 February 2022 as part of the NOP Research and Innovation 2014-2020 annual event organized by the Ministry of University and Research in collaboration with the European Commission’s University Business Forum.

The session was attended by experts and professors from various European countries and was moderated by Alessio Cavicchi, Professor at the University of Pisa and external expert for the Ministry of University and Research.

John Edwards, Secretary General of EURASHE, the European association of higher education institutions that offer professionally-orientated programmes and are engaged in applied research, focused on measuring the regional impact of universities. Edwards presented the UASiMAP project for universities of applied sciences, which aims to develop a self-reflection tool to measure the local engagement of universities, develop new strategies and collect good practices.

Bárbara Coelho Gabriel, Deputy-Director for Internationalization and Cooperation at the Department Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal, emphasized the value of people for universities and local development. She explained the integration between the educational programmes of the university community of which she is a member, the local professional and social needs and the Regional Smart Specialization Strategy that aims to promote innovative local platforms in the context of global challenges.
Underlining that people represent the basic source for a real synergy between institutions, Cavicchi introduced Krzysztof Klincewicz, Professor at the University of Warsaw, who
shared ideas and examples of innovative paths for higher education institutions financed by EIT Food, the European organization that aims to accelerate innovation to build a future-fit food system that produces healthy and sustainable food. Klincewicz focused on co-creation – an approach to innovation based on the involvement of users and producers in the development of new products – and gave as an example the EIT Food RIS Consumer Engagement Labs initiative, whose results include Carrubo snack, a product developed under the coordination of the University of Bari Aldo Moro. Klincewicz then talked about the possible commercial use of research infrastructures and mentioned the EIT Food RIS Research Infrastructure Network programme that also involves the University of Calabria in a project aimed at the adoption of equipment and new fermentation methods.
Adolfo Morais, Basque Government Regional Higher Education Deputy Minister, talked about the evolution of the research and innovation system in his region over the last two decades, emphasizing the contribution of policies that bring together
the various regional stakeholders and promote collaboration between universities and industries through hubs and clusters. To complete the picture, the impact, in quantitative terms, of the initiatives taken was presented.

The session ended with the presentation by Alessandro Zona, Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Camerino, of the SAFE project funded by the NOP Research and Innovation 2014-2020 under Action “Clusters” which finances industrial research and experimental development projects in the 12 Smart Specialization areas.
Starting from the rubble of the earthquake that struck Central Italy in 2016, with serious damage also to the University of Camerino, the project, of significant social and scientific value, channelled scientific energy, motivation and creativity into the creation of something innovative to ensure the safety of students and teachers: earthquake-proof and life-saving furniture for civil architecture – in particular for schools – including desks, bookcases and partition walls able to withstand the weight of collapsing structures at reasonable cost.

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