Project

The overall joint vision of RiEcoLab for 2030 is to develop a novel way R&D is being performed in universities in order to ensure immediate commercialization (spin-offs) and involvement of a large number of internal stakeholders (academic and non-academic staff, students). The new operational framework would be introduced via Ecosystem Integration Labs (EIL) to be developed and implemented by each participating university (by relying on existing infrastructures such as research support offices and technology transfer offices). The EILs will be devised in a tailored approach based on each university’s HEInnovate needs assessment and smart specialization areas that will govern the focus of the envisioned spin-offs, motivating thus each HEI to commit to their IVAP (Innovation Vision Action Plan).

The EILs & IVAPs will build upon capacity developed around the following toolkits:

• Toolkit (T1): Participatory engagement strategy for facilitating the entrepreneurial discovery process
• Toolkit (T2): Setting-up, institutionalising and operationalising the Ecosystem Integration Labs
• Toolkit (T3): Embedding responsible research and innovation in the innovation spin-off strategy of HEIs
• Toolkit (T4): Bridging public and private impact investors to support spin-offs
• Toolkit (T5): Implementation of an inclusive (operationally, environmentally, socially) performance measurement system to monitor the impact of the spin-offs
• Toolkit (T6): Effective collaboration, innovation, entrepreneurship, participatory engagement and co-creation in a digital environment

University	IVAP (Innovation Vision Action Plan)
University of Lodz (UoL, RiEcoLab Leader)	To become Poland’s leading high-tech spin-offs/startups/scale-ups hub specialised in post-industrial regional smart specialisations and embracing innovativeness and inclusiveness as  guiding principles (in particular innovative medical Industry, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; IT and telecommunications for digitalisation; creative textile industry and personalised designing; sustainable agriculture and agri-food industry.
University College Dublin (UCD)	To become Ireland’s fastest (inclusive) spin-offs/startups/scale-ups launcher on resource-efficient and socially-friendly advanced manufacturing pioneer that will trigger the Society 5.0 concept
National University of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA)	To become Eastern Europe’s most influential, inclusive, innovative and entrepreneurial university in producing spin-offs/startups/scale-ups on responsible and fair technology regulation in governance and healthcare
Yasar University (YASAR)	To become Aegean Region’s most active innovation/entrepreneurship hub fostering inclusive spin-offs/startups/scale-ups and creating and sustaining innovative networks, pioneering in the areas of digital technologies applied in the agri-food sector; hence, to achieve sustainable circular economic development meeting all the regional, environmental, cultural, and social needs, in compliance with all quadruple helix actors (industry, academia, government and civil society).

OBJ1: Develop the toolkits that will empower HEIs implement their IVAPs towards achieving the RiEcoLab EIL Infrastructure and Capacities.

OBJ2: Strengthen the entrepreneurial and innovation capacity of HEIs by facilitating capacity building and changing the mindset of academic and non-academic HEI staff towards a long-term IVAP implementation commitment. This will be achieved by infusing the vision that a commercially-oriented research-led HEI also becomes a successful entrepreneurial university where academic & non-academic staff can also better coach students towards entrepreneurship, besides engaging in their own entrepreneurial ventures.

OBJ3: Create a systemic impact and strengthen the integration of HEIs within their innovation ecosystem by making them leaders of change. This will be done by helping HEI’s transform their approach towards designing, implementing and evaluating research projects by introducing the RiEcoLab capacity building toolkits.

OBJ4: Engage in sustainable, circular and responsible regional growth and foster the creation of jobs via spin-offs/startups/scale-ups and technology transfer by actively training HEIs to transform their structures and concentrate their R&D and spin-offs/startups/scale-ups themes around the main smart specialization areas of their region. This will better facilitate the attraction of both public and private investment to support the spin-offs/startups/scale-ups while also will enable universities to rely on their own capacities/strengths and trigger impact in the region.

OBJ5: Enable inclusion (gender and groups at risk) as well as citizen science, open science, participatory engagement and responsibility during R&D phases by building upon pillars of the responsible research and innovation work programme leveraged at the territorial level to produce systemic change and impact on the nearby societies and boost the effectiveness of HEI entrepreneurialism and innovation potential.

OBJ6: Adopt a bottom-up quadruple helix approach towards innovation co-production during the EDP process to better integrate the available EIT-KIC knowledge into the envisioned RiEcoLab EILs and foster co-creation among new potential EIT-KIC members and existing ones.

WP1 – IVAP FRAMEWORK AND TRAINING MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT

Task 1.1 Integrated IVAP toolkits development

Task 1.2 IVAP specialization for each partner

Task 1.3 EIL launch

WP2: IVAP CAPACITY BUILDING

Task 2.1 – Capacity building action plan

Task 2.2 – Pre-pilot capacity building

Task 2.3 – In-pilot capacity building

Task 2.4 – Post-pilot capacity building

WP3: IVAP PILOTING

Task 3.1 – Stakeholder mapping & participant recruitment

Task 3.2 – Pilot implementation – The Challenge Stage

Task 3.3 – Pilot implementation – Design & Co-create Stage

Task 3.4 – Pilot implementation – Impact Investment Assessment Stage

Task 3.5 – Pilot implementation – Impact Measuring Stage

WP4: EXPLOITATION & SUSTAINABILITY

Task 4.1 Specialized IVAP transferability plan

Task 4.2 Post-project action plan for further IVAP institutionalization

WP5: DISSEMINATION

Task 5.1 Communication & Dissemination Plan

Task 5.2 Communication infrastructure and tools

Task 5.3 Dissemination activities

WP6: MANAGEMENT

Task 6.1 Consortium management and internal communication

Task 6.2 Managing the IPR, legal, and ethical tasks

Task 6.3 Reporting to the EIT-KIC