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.
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.
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.
You can view and download case studies that showcase different institutional approaches and good practices along the eight dimensions of HEInnovate.
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.
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.
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.
Concise cards summarising practical actions aligned with each HEInnovate dimension. Use them to spark discussions and identify priorities.
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
Entrepreneurial and innovative higher education institutions need to understand the impact of the changes they bring about. The entrepreneurial HEI combines institutional self-perception, external reflection and an evidence-based approach. An HEI that monitors the impact of all activities connected to the entrepreneurial and innovative agenda...
Comparing priorities, strategies, activities and services with peers (national or international) helps identify strengths and weaknesses for the HEI’s self-improvement. Comparison exercises can be challenging as common indicators need to be in place, otherwise bespoke exercises need to be undertaken which can be costly and time consuming. The...
Key performance indicators (KPIs) and / or other assessment mechanisms help HEIs monitor and evaluate how well they are performing. An entrepreneurial and innovative institution may wish to combine institutional self-perception, external reflection and an evidence-based approach in its assessment processes. Such methods of assessment might include...
Incentives and rewards for staff, who actively support the higher education institution in advancing its entrepreneurial agenda are crucial for raising involvement and commitment. Incentives and rewards should be available at an individual level as well as for faculties/departments. Examples include: · Development sabbaticals; · Rewards beyond...
The Rovira i Virgili University (URV) was founded in 1992. It is a public university serving southern Catalonia, a region with 800,000 inhabitants. The university was founded by the Catalan Parliament to unite existing higher education faculties and schools in the Tarragona area under a joint institutional umbrella. In 2015, URV had an annual...
In 2011, the Genome Canada’s Entrepreneurship Education in Genomics (EEG) pilot programme was set up for a three-year period. The programme provides funding for genomics researchers across Canada to educate the community with respect to creating and adding value to their research and to translate research discoveries into marketable applications...
Milan Polytechnic University (Polimi) is the largest Italian technical university. Its primary purpose is to provide students with solid technical competences. Recent studies on student entrepreneurship at Polimi have shown that the technical competences of Polimi alumni frequently generate new business ideas that often lead to start-ups. Thus, the...
University of Aveiro (UA) is a young innovative university that was founded in 1973 and soon after assumed the leadership in the teaching/learning and research in technical areas. The focus is on science and technology, particularly applied research that lends itself to technology transfer into the region. The university’s strap line is "Um Campus...
An international or global perspective is a key characteristic of an entrepreneurial and innovative HEI. Most institutions have internationalisation strategies, or internationalisation is reflected in their overarching strategy. An entrepreneurial and innovative HEI will harmonise its approach to global, societal and ecological challenges with its...
Staff are a higher education institution's key resource in advancing the entrepreneurial and innovative agenda. Many areas of the entrepreneurial and innovative agenda – for example entrepreneurship education, knowledge exchange, measuring impact – are fast moving and require new skills and new knowledge to be acquired, shared and developed within...
Lund University (LU) is located close to a science park in a region with numerous incubators and start-ups in a rather densely populated area. The University uses its strategic location as a source of competitive advantage by strongly collaborating with local established companies, start-ups, student organisations, support services and incubators...
Higher education institutions can build and foster an entrepreneurial culture by recruiting and engaging staff that have strong entrepreneurial backgrounds. This can bring in important human resources (knowledge, skills), as well as financial and social resources (access to networks), which are typically not available inside a higher education...
Resource paper prepared by Ben Jongbloed (CHEPS, University of Twente) Introduction The University of Twente (UT), based in the east of the Netherlands, was established in the year of 1961. It is a medium-sized university with a strong engineering core, next to a social sciences base. The UT is very much known for its entrepreneurial character...
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...
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...