Understand HEInnovate & the 8 Dimensions

Get an overview of the HEInnovate framework and its eight dimensions. These resources help you grasp the core principles of HEInnovate and provide clear explanations of each dimension.

Guidance notes

Each statement in the self-assessment has a corresponding guidance note. These notes explain what the statement is looking at and provide examples of how institutions can address it.

Country reviews

These reports analyse the higher education system of a specific country through the lens of the HEInnovate framework. They were conducted by the OECD in partnership with the European Commission between 2015 and 2021.

Get inspired by other HEIs

Learn from the experiences of higher education institutions across Europe. Explore case studies that showcase diverse practices and provide inspiration across the eight HEInnovate dimensions. Find testimonials that illustrate how institutions are using HEInnovate in practice. Discover real-life lessons and outcomes.

Case Studies

You can view and download case studies that showcase different institutional approaches and good practices along the eight dimensions of HEInnovate.

User Stories

Read about the different uses and experiences of higher education institutions using the HEinnovate framework. The user stories also highlight lessons learnt and results achieved.

Implement HEInnovate in your institution

Support for you and your institution to work with the HEInnovate framework in a structured, collaborative way. Workshop Guides and Training Materials help you plan, deliver, and follow up on workshops of all sizes.

Training manual

A comprehensive guide to HEInnovate. It explains the features of the website, how to set up groups, and describes three types of workshops you can run.

Workshop guides

Short chapters from the Training Manual with focused advice on how to run different types of workshops, set the agenda, and decide whom to invite.

Turn insights into action

Transform your HEInnovate results into practical next steps. These tools help institutions prioritise actions, engage teams, and move from assessment to implementation,  to ensure continuous, meaningful improvement.

Action cards

Concise cards summarising practical actions aligned with each HEInnovate dimension. Use them to spark discussions and identify priorities.

Planning templates

Visual tools and worksheets to document goals, map short- to long-term actions, and organise activities into work packages. Includes the Action Planning Board, Work Package Planning Board, and Action Sheet.

All resources

  • Guidance notes
Building new relationships and synergies are fostered by supportive institutional policies

All internal and external stakeholders have a role in supporting an HEI’s entrepreneurial and innovative agenda. An entrepreneurial and innovative HEI understands the value of engaging with multiple external stakeholders to establish synergies. Therefore, it promotes a culture of collaboration within the HEI to build synergies with its...

  • Guidance notes
Entrepreneurship and innovation are supported by the institutional culture and sustainable funding

Becoming an entrepreneurial and innovative HEI is an incremental and long-term organisational development project, which requires the development of a supportive institutional culture combined with a sustainable and diverse financial base. The ultimate aim of an entrepreneurial HEI is to embed innovation and entrepreneurship into the organisation...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI integrates research, education and knowledge exchange to build resilient communities

An innovative HEI should integrate and assimilate the knowledge generated through its activities for extending its entrepreneurial agenda. Linking research and education with industry and local communities can lead to the co-creation of knowledge, for example through the involvement of external partners in teaching and research activities. The...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI has strong links with incubators, accelerators, science parks and other external initiatives supporting the development of a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem

Knowledge intensive structures surrounding an HEI provide opportunities to exchange knowledge and ideas and promote a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem. These include incubators, science parks and other initiatives. Many knowledge intensive structures, such as incubators and science parks, may be physically close to HEIs, but proximity per se...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI is an active partner in developing and implementing local and regional entrepreneurial and innovation strategies

An entrepreneurial and innovative HEI sees the value of engaging with local, regional, national strategy development and implementation as a key stakeholder in local, regional and national socio-economic development. They are often one of the major employers in a locality and their existence will impact on the local economy and social wellbeing...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI creates effective collaboration and enhances synergies with its entrepreneurial ecosystem and networks

Effective collaboration and enhanced synergies with the ecosystem - at local, regional and national levels are crucial for an entrepreneurial and innovative HEI, as it understands the value of engaging with multiple stakeholders to establish synergies. Therefore, it supports innovation to be aligned with the local, national and global challenges...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI's entrepreneurial agenda contributes to global and social cohesion, mitigation of climate change and the HEI carbon neutrality

The internationalisation of higher education is both a response to and an enhancer of globalisation. Given their unique position as global centres of learning and research, and their key role in developing the leaders of the future, the internationalised entrepreneurial higher education institution, has a pivotal role to play in addressing the...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI engages in deep transnational cooperation with other European HEIs. The HEI places European cooperation at the core of its strategy and considers it as a driver for creativity and innovation

Transnational cooperation across an institution’s education and research activities deliveries a broad range of activities, especially if the HEI has a policy in place to mainstream innovative practices and ideas developed in alliances and projects in the whole institution. Strategic research partnerships with European HEIs provide a means to...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI pursues international engagement across all its activities: teaching, research and knowledge exchange to deliver impact at local, regional, national and international levels

Internationalisation can, especially when incorporated into the HEI’s strategy, offer students, staff and the organisation several benefits. It can advance strategic thinking leading to innovation, offer advantages in modernising pedagogy, encourage collaboration between students and staff, stimulate new approaches to learning, and new research...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI explicitly supports inclusive and sustainable forms of mobility of its staff and students

European and international mobility of staff and students, including administrative staff and doctoral students, is an important practice for entrepreneurial HEIs. These opportunities are well understood to bring about positive outcomes to all stakeholders involved, and to maximise the benefits delivered entrepreneurial and innovative higher...

  • Guidance notes
Results of entrepreneurship research are integrated into teaching and learning activities

Integrating research results in entrepreneurship training can be a crucial aspect of improving entrepreneurial teaching and learning in general. For example, an explicit demand by management to integrate research results into entrepreneurship education can increase the attractiveness of teaching activities for active researchers, as it provides...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI co-designs and delivers a curriculum with external stakeholders which responds to societal challenges

External stakeholders are an important source of expertise that can be used in the design and delivery of entrepreneurial teaching and learning. Regular engagement with external stakeholders is key in addressing future skills needs and addressing societal challenges. Guest lecturers, life case studies and interviews are some of the frequently used...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI validates and assesses entrepreneurial learning outcomes and impacts

An entrepreneurial learning experience provides opportunities to develop important skills and competences. These are essential for both graduate entrepreneurs as well as entrepreneurial graduates entering employment. An HEI that values entrepreneurial learning commits to regular review, validation, the updating of course content and learning...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI provides a wide range of informal learning opportunities and experiences to stimulate the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and competences

Extracurricular learning opportunities are an important complementary part of entrepreneurship teaching and learning provision. An entrepreneurial and innovative HEI should offer a range of informal learning opportunities to students to inspire individuals to act entrepreneurially. Supporting entrepreneurial behaviour can be challenging, as it...

  • Guidance notes
The HEI provides diverse formal learning opportunities including the use of flexible learning pathways to develop entrepreneurial mindsets and competences

Innovation and diversity in the HEI's approach to teaching and learning (including flexible learning pathways) should accompany the development of the entrepreneurial mindset and competences across all departments and programmes. This can be achieved through: Offering tailored entrepreneurship courses across all subject areas and levels of study...