Bringing HEInnovate to EURASHE: Strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems at Universities of Applied Sciences

📍 17 June 2026 | 35th EURASHE Annual Conference, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

HEInnovate took its message to Amsterdam, hosting a workshop at the 35th EURASHE Annual Conference, "Impact, Industry, Society: Demand-driven research and innovation for a competitive Europe". The conference brought together policymakers, academics, higher education leaders and practitioners from across the applied higher education sector, with 21 participants joining the HEInnovate session, facilitated by Luciana Grillo (PPMI) and Peter Joore (NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences and member of the HEInnovate Expert Group)

The workshop provided participants with a clear and practical introduction to the HEInnovate framework, presenting its eight self-assessment dimensions and guiding them through the user journey: Reflect, Engage, Plan and Act. Attendees were introduced to the initial steps for using the tool and invited to continue exploring it independently after the conference.

A first-hand institutional perspective

To illustrate how the framework can be applied in practice, Peter Joore shared his institution's experience of using HEInnovate.  He described how he introduced the framework at his university, transforming it from a distant tool into the institutional self-assessment used to support their application for EIT HEI funding. His contribution demonstrated the framework's practical value and encouraged participants to see HEInnovate not as a one-off exercise, but as a tool for ongoing institutional reflection and continuous improvement.

Reflecting on entrepreneurial ecosystems

In line with the conference theme, participants completed a mini self-assessment focused on the dimension "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Networks", rating their institutions against its four statements using Mentimeter. The results indicated moderate agreement across all four areas and suggested that, while participants recognised existing strengths in their institutions' engagement with entrepreneurial networks, they also saw considerable scope for further development. 

The exercise served as a starting point for small-group discussions, where participants reflected on their institutions' collaboration with local and regional partners, compared experiences, and identified opportunities to strengthen ecosystem engagement.

➡️ Stay tuned for upcoming HEInnovate events and opportunities.

🟢 Have you used HEInnovate at your institution? Share your story on social media using #BeAnHEInnovator to join the conversation.