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Innotal Project

About the project INNOTAL

The project “Integrating Talent Development into Innovation Ecosystems in Higher Education - INNOTAL” is implemented in the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme, KA2 Capacity Building in Higher Education. The duration of the project is 36 months, starting from 10/2017 and ending in 10/2020.

INNOTAL project Objectives

The project seeks to build the capacity of the participating Universities to ensure graduates' employability and develop students’ talent by encouraging collaboration with external organizations (industry, public sector and community) and by providing opportunities for students to actively participate in such cooperation.

Erasmus+ is the European Union Programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for 2014 - 2020. The action “Capacity Building in Higher Education” contributes to the modernization and internationalization of higher education in the Partner Countries.

What results are expected from the INNOTAL project?

  • Analysis of the conditions and determinants of graduates’ employability in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines
  • Analysis of the current capacities of the participating universities to promote students’ employability and develop students’ talent
  • Setting the agenda and formulating strategies for promoting students’ employability skills through teaching, research and innovation in the participating universities
  • Developing and implementing university policies and structures for promoting student participation in innovation and stakeholder contribution to talent development
  • Developing tools and resources for building employability skills
  • Improvement of the good-practice and evidence base for designing and delivering education that supports the employability skills of the students
  • An online platform for structured cooperation between Partner Universities and key external organizations
  • Strengthened knowledge flows between the participating universities and stakeholders from the economy and society
  • Talent Co-Creation Labs and Community Service and Volunteering Centres at the participating universities from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, where students can participate in live innovation projects and cooperate with industry, business and NGOs

                            What are the INNOTAL Project activities that can benefit external organizations?

Activity 1: Improved strategy for ensuring student employability The participating universities will draft coherent strategies for improving graduates’ employability and making the education they provide more relevant to the needs of society and industry.
Activity 2: Talent Co-Creation Labs at each participating university – a shared space bringing together the University and external organizations The Labs will be fully equipped and their work will be coordinated by University staff. Students will be able to participate in the implemented innovation projects and trainings together with faculty.
Activity 3: Student Community Service and Volunteering Center at each participating university The Centers will collaborate with non-profit and community organizations in order to create opportunities for student volunteering.
Activity 4: Online innovation management platform dedicated to university cooperation with the external environment (OpenResearch E-Lab) This platform will provide information and give access to new proposals and initiatives for collaboration.

 


What have we achieved so far?

  • Reports on the current institutional capacities of the participating Asian partner universities, focused on entrepreneurship education, innovation and capacity to attract, develop and retain student talent
  • Background reports on the conditions and determinants of graduates’ employability in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines 
  • Priority Setting reports developed by each Asian partner university indicating the main research and education priorities of the University  
  • Discussion panels are being currently held within each partner University from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines in order to develop a coherent strategy for improving graduates’ employability

Meetings with external stakeholders are currently being held within each partner University from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines in order to collect external organizations’ views and opinions on a future effective strategy for improving graduates’ employability and increasing Universities’ contribution to innovation, development, and wellbeing


First INNOTAL Collaboration Workshop in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines s March 19-21, 2018

The first INNOTAL project meeting was hosted by Benguet State University, Philippines, and was attended by over 40 representatives from the 15 partner organizations. The partners discussed the planned project activities and deliverables, the work program and the schedule. Rules and procedures for project management were clarified. During the meeting, a collaboration workshop focused on the main trends and challenges in higher education in the partner countries, policies and support structures for innovation, entrepreneurship and graduates’ employability, and good practices of promoting graduates’ employability and strengthening entrepreneurship and innovation capacity. Focus groups worked together to review the current capacity of the Asian partner universities in the areas relevant to the project.

Second INNOTAL Collaboration Workshop in Pokhara, Nepal October 29-31, 2018

The second INNOTAL meeting was hosted by Pokhara University, Nepal. On the first day of the workshop, EU partners presented their experience in strengthening links with business and mainstreaming entrepreneurship and innovation training across various fields of study. Good European practices for introducing open innovation and stakeholder co-creation in innovation in the higher education sector and good European practices for promoting talent development and graduates’ employability were presented and discussed. During the second workshop day, the following activities were organized: discussion of ways of involving students in research and innovation activities; brainstorming sessions on viable designs and activities of Talent Co-creation Labs; development of draft frameworks for embedding employability in university operations through mainstreaming entrepreneurship education and innovation training across disciplines. On the closing day of the workshop, the partnership discussed the next steps in the project. 

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