The HEI2MARKET consortium has successfully completed the first six months of the current implementation period, marking another important milestone in the project’s mission to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation within higher education institutions across Europe.

During this period, all planned activities were implemented according to schedule, demonstrating the strong commitment and close collaboration of all consortium partners. Significant progress has been achieved across multiple work packages, particularly in strengthening university innovation ecosystems, supporting student entrepreneurship, enhancing mentoring programmes and expanding cooperation with regional innovation stakeholders.

Throughout the period, partner universities continued embedding entrepreneurship into their institutional practices by developing sustainable support structures, strengthening collaboration between academia and industry and creating new opportunities for students, researchers and academic staff to transform innovative ideas into market-oriented solutions.

Several startup competitions, mentoring programmes, innovation workshops, bootcamps and challenge-based learning activities were successfully organised across the consortium. These initiatives enabled participants to develop entrepreneurial competencies, validate business ideas, collaborate with experienced mentors and engage directly with industry representatives. At the same time, universities further strengthened partnerships with regional innovation ecosystems, ensuring long-term sustainability of project results beyond the project’s lifetime.

Communication and dissemination activities also played an important role during the reporting period. Through coordinated campaigns across institutional websites, LinkedIn, Facebook, international events and stakeholder meetings, the consortium significantly increased the visibility of HEI2MARKET and promoted its achievements to students, entrepreneurs, policy makers and the wider innovation community.

Beyond the successful delivery of planned activities, the most significant achievement has been the institutional transformation taking place within partner universities.

Rather than implementing standalone project initiatives, HEI2MARKET is enabling universities to permanently embed entrepreneurship into their educational and innovation support systems. New entrepreneurship curricula are becoming part of formal education, mentoring programmes and startup competitions are evolving into recurring institutional activities, and innovation support services are being integrated into university structures.

Students now benefit from a structured entrepreneurial journey, from education and idea generation to mentoring, validation, pitching and, in many cases, further startup development. At the same time, stronger cooperation between university leadership, academic staff, technology transfer offices, industry partners and regional innovation ecosystems is creating a lasting environment that supports innovation and entrepreneurship.

This institutional transformation represents the project’s most significant change because it ensures that the impact of HEI2MARKET will continue well beyond the project’s duration. By embedding entrepreneurship into everyday university practice, partner institutions are creating sustainable mechanisms that will continue developing entrepreneurial talent, supporting business creation and strengthening regional innovation ecosystems for years to come.

With the first six months of Phase II successfully completed, the HEI2MARKET consortium continues to build on the progress achieved, remaining fully committed to delivering the project’s objectives and creating lasting impact through innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration across Europe.

We are excited to announce that Phase 1 of the HEI2MARKET project has been successfully completed, and we are officially entering Phase 2!  Our work in Phase 1 was built on three key pillars:
• Entrepreneurial curricula development – strengthening skills and fostering innovation
• Startup support and mentoring – expert guidance for young entrepreneurs
• Institutional capacity building – empowering higher education institutions to sustainably support innovation

Phase 1 Highlights

• 102 academic and 99 non-academic staff successfully completed the pilot online Innovative Entrepreneurship Curriculum, testing and refining new training approaches for HEIs.
• 862 students successfully completed the pilot online innovative entrepreneurship curriculum programme, contributing to the validation and improvement of the curriculum across partner HEIs.
• The Mentoring Programme was designed and piloted with 97 students, 41 academic and 34 non-academic staff.
• Support was launched for 5 start-up/scale-up teams.
• 6 new structures were established to support innovation.
• 10 new strategic partnerships were formed

In the Phase 2 which officially started in January 2026. and will last until the end of the project,  April 2027. will scale up these results. The goal is to train a total of 2,400 students, mentor more than 245 participants, and support additional startups in reaching market readiness. By introducing new support structures and reinforcing strategic alignment, the project will ensure a lasting and transformative impact on the innovation capacity of all partner HEIs, positioning them as regional innovation hubs.

The international workshop of the EIT Higher Education Initiative (IVAP 2025), hosted in Krakow from November 24. to 26.,  welcomed nearly 400 educators, researchers, industry experts, and policymakers from across Europe. The event aimed to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurial capabilities of higher education institutions while addressing significant societal challenges such as climate change, food security, and the responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence.

At this event participated also partners from HEI2MARKET project – University North as a lead partner, and as a partner of the project Marmara University and Mother Theresa University .

The workshop brought together representatives of the 65 projects of the EIT’s Higher Education Initiative’s pilot phase, representatives of Cohort 4 selected projects, the full initiative management team, representatives from each EIT KIC, as well as external stakeholders. The event provided a key opportunity to connect, collaborate, and lay the foundation for the journey ahead. It was a moment to engage with peers, exchange ideas, and explore new opportunities. The objective of the fourth IVAP Workshop of the EIT’s Higher Education Initiative was twofold: to orient and welcome the new cohort of the Initiative and to bring together all cohorts, projects, and stakeholders of the Initiative to collaborate and build on our collective knowledge.

The IVAP Workshop served as the launch event for the HEI Cohort 4 Projects. As indicated in the HEI Call 4 for Proposals, attendance was required for Cohort 4 Projects with 4 attendees. The workshop fostered community among the selected Cohort 4 Projects and with previous cohorts. It was structured to create an environment in which selected projects could discuss and collaborate with each other for better project implementation. Furthermore, the activities were structured to facilitate the introduction and understanding of initiative-level frameworks and terminology. Projects were provided with supporting tools for an efficient IVAP implementation. Concluded projects from the pilot phase strengthened connections built during their projects and reflected on how their IVAPs could continue to evolve through 2030.

The program also emphasized how universities can better support innovation-driven skills development and help grow entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The IVAP Workshop is designed to provide the participants with key facts to better understand the aims and objectives of the EIT’s Higher Education Initiative. This is possible due to participation from all levels of the Initiative which fosters the opportunity to interact and discuss the future actions that HEIs will need to deliver in the coming years, to promote I&E and generate Institutional change. Following the IVAP Workshop, the policies, domains, and actions of the Initiative will provide a strong reference for new and ongoing projects to guide and implement the defined IVAPs.  The three – day program included introductory lectures, interactive workshops, and numerous networking opportunities. Special attention was given to topics such as entrepreneurship and partnerships, diversity and inclusion, DeepTech innovations, sustainability, and impact measurement.

HEI2MARKET partner, Marmara University organized and hosted IVAP- meeting of project partners of the significant HEI2MARKET project – Transforming Education into Innovation. The meeting was held in Istanbul at Marmara University, at NBUAM – Center for Nanotechnology & Biomaterials Research.

The HEI2MARKET project, with a total value of 1,340,000.00 euros, aims to transform higher education institutions into innovation centers by incorporating entrepreneurial curricula, encouraging technology transfer and supporting startups. Seven partners from six countries are participating in the project, including five higher education institutions and two business partners. HEI2MARKET is funded under the HORIZON Europe program.

University North is the project lead partner. At this meeting, representatives of the University North played a key role as coordinators and moderators of the meeting and the presentation of all activities and project goals, and on this occasion, project coordinators Martina Mak and Maja Đurđek explained in detail and presented the activities and goals of the first phase of project implementation, which lasts until the end of December 2025. In active discussions, all representatives presented their institutions and their work in more detail, and after a detailed introductory presentation of all project partners, a discussion was held on the topic of project results, goals and reporting. The key activities in this phase that all project partners within their institutions need to successfully implement are the implementation and implementation of the entrepreneurial curriculum for students, the implementation of the startup mentoring program for students and teaching/non-teaching staff, and the organization and implementation of the startup competition. In accordance with the above, the steps and activities implemented so far in terms of fulfilling these activities were discussed within the framework of this meeting, as well as further activities that need to be done in terms of fulfilling these activities.
The meeting was attended by representatives of all partner organizations who, in interactive discussions and workshops, exchanged their experiences, knowledge, previous activities and potential challenges they face in the implementation of the project.
In addition to the above, already implemented EIT HEI projects from Istanbul University and Özyeğin University were also presented with the aim of sharing lessons learned in the implementation of significant projects financed under this program, which will certainly help in the implementation of the HEI2MARKET project.

University North actively implements and coordinates this important project, which is carried out in a multicultural and multidisciplinary ecosystem.

As a reminder, the project consortium consists of the following partners – University  North, then University of Rzeszów Poland, Marmara Üniversitesi, Turkey, Oulun yliopisto Finland, Mother Teresa University in Skopje, North Macedonia, Optimizacija d.o.o., Croatia WECREATE LTD, Bulgaria.

The EIT Higher Education Initiative is a joint activity of the EIT community, which recognises higher education institutions (HEIs) as the pivotal actors in regional and European innovation ecosystems.

As the EU steps up efforts to close the innovation and talent gap, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is investing €63 million to strengthen the role of higher education in building a more innovative, resilient, and skilled Europe.

The funding, awarded under the EIT Higher Education Initiative’s Call for Proposals 2024, will support 47 cross-sector projects connecting 620 organisations in 46 countries to enhance their innovation capacity.

The EIT Higher Education Initiative is the only European instrument solely focused on boosting the innovation capacity of higher education institutions, empowering them to become the innovation leaders of tomorrow. It grants project partners access to Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem. Of the 47 EIT Higher Education Initiative projects announced, 12 will also focus on Deep Tech and will directly support the Deep Tech Talent Initiative, the EIT’s flagship programme training 1 million deep tech talents by the end of 2025.

Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness said ‘When universities, research centres and businesses team up, ideas become real-world solutions. The EIT Higher Education Initiative has helped build closer links between academia and industry, driving innovation and growth. The results of this Call for Proposals are a show of confidence in Europe’s innovation capacity. These are the investments that keep Europe strong and competitive’

Stefan Dobrev, Chairperson of the EIT Governing Board said ‘The results delivered by the EIT Higher Education Initiative since its launch four years ago are impressive. This is the only European initiative dedicated to the earliest stages of the innovation lifecycle within higher education institutions. It is core to the EITs mission of linking academic excellence to impact for society and the economy. The achievements of the first 65 projects are a testament to the power of this approach. We are pleased to welcome the new project partners, including a record number of industry partners, to Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem. We have no doubt that these new projects will deliver significant impact for Europe’

The new projects, which kicked off on 1st April 2025, bring together 620 organisations, of which 284 are HEIs, 186 are businesses, and 150 are other non-academic organisations, including research centres, public authorities, and associations. This Call introduces 193 new HEIs as full partners, raising the total number of funded HEIs to 501 since 2021, surpassing the original target of 500 participants by 2027 ahead of time.

A total of 130 consortia, bringing together 1 480 organisations from 55 countries applied to the 2024 call, which closed in December. Due to the high quality of applications, five more projects were funded than originally planned, bringing the total to 47 projects, each receiving up to €1 340 000. Each consortium includes full partners, who receive funding directly, and associated partners in a supporting role.

The strong number and quality of applications, along with the wide range of partners involved, show the growing momentum of the EIT Higher Education Initiative and its ability to connect industry and higher education institutions to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe. More details on the selected projects can be found here.

https://eit-hei.eu/eit-awards-e63-million-to-boost-innovation-capacity-in-higher-education/