UniverCity is a 36-month project to empower universities to enter into new strategic partnerships to engage with local communities, build stronger neighbourhoods, and support future employability, address the challenge of breaking down the barriers between higher education and the 'outside world' in local communities as identified within the renewed EU strategy for higher education. This will be achieved by developing 18 partnerships between universities, businesses, charities and local authorities in Bulgaria, Italy and Romania, by piloting and testing two annual cycles of Community Research Awards (CRA) per country as innovative methodology for local cooperation based on existing experience in the UK. A CRA is a competition launched among researchers to develop research projects triggered by community needs elicited by citizens and stakeholders. Following this approach we will engage 300 and reach 8,000 academia, businesses and community leaders in these local university-led alliances tackling real-life community issues. UniverCity will promote innovation, exchange of experience and know-how in education and training fields through European cooperation at both policy and practice levels and empower key stakeholders to develop and mainstream policy innovation. Recommendations and toolkits will be disseminated amongst EU universities and policy makers at local, regional, national and EU levels.
Project UniverCity defined its objectives in line with the priorities of the call. While promoting its initiative the team was aiming at: a) specific targets, namely to: - introduce the Community Research Awards (CRA) as an innovative mechanism to place higher education institutions at the heart of solving issues of social relevance, - address the mismatch between the knowledge and skills, stimulating practice-oriented and society-oriented research, - encourage young researchers and students to develop the skills to enter into partnerships with a community group, businesses and local authorities - contribute to breaking down the barriers between higher education and the 'outside world' in local communities. b) general targets, in particular to: - promote innovation in education and training through European cooperation at both policy and practice levels - facilitate the collection and analysis of evidence to substantiate innovative policies and practices and provide conclusions relevant for policy makers in education and training at all levels - facilitate key stakeholders in developing and mainstreaming policy innovation.
Universities are pivotal to the EU's growth strategy, in line with the Modernisation Agenda's key priorities: > Fostering skills of societal value > Mitigating divisions between academia, graduates, and society > Harnessing universities' potential for local innovation While academia excels in research, it often lacks direct citizen engagement. An international consortium of academia and NGOs collaborated to address this gap by piloting Community Research Awards (CRA) within the UniverCity project. CRA connects universities with stakeholders for society-oriented research, a model tested across three countries. CRA empowers universities, fosters innovation, and supports skills development. Drawing inspiration from Anglo-Saxon practices, UniverCity leveraged the University of Plymouth's expertise. The initiative encompasses training, policy recommendations, and toolkits for scaling up. UniverCity is dedicated to promoting these principles among. In summary, UniverCity's empowers universities to bridge societal gaps, align with contemporary needs, and drive innovation. It exemplifies best practices, fostering collaboration and positive change across European higher education, with room for expansion and further impact.