The project

INCORE boosts innovation and entrepreneurial capacity in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from Europe’s Outermost Regions (ORs) by seizing region-specific contextual and business opportunities. INCORE’s Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP) will be articulated and relentlessly driven towards expanding the ability of HEIs to innovate and better integrate with their regional innovation ecosystems. INCORE has a specific focus on Europe’s ORs, and its mission is to trigger a fundamental transformation of the region’s entrepreneurial and innovation capacity on the most systemic level.

Central to the INCORE IVAP is the identified need to substantially improve the framework conditions for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs, in particular high-tech start-ups) and HEIs to co-create new value, businesses, products and services. A key objective of the INCORE IVAP is to fundamentally transform the ways start-ups/SMEs and HEIs interact with each other via cooperation and co-creation. Our aim is to quickly pass beyond the comfort zone of studies, exchange of best practices and policy-assessments and introduce a new set of sweeping measures and actions that will substantially increase entrepreneurial capacity of the participating HEIs at the institutional level. The pathway laid out by the INCORE IVAP will trigger systemic, transformational change, strengthening the integration and contribution of higher education institutions to the entire innovation ecosystem of their regions. We aim to introduce a complementary set of concrete measures and actions, based on real-life needs, creating a new foundation of an entrepreneurial environment mutually beneficial for universities and entrepreneurs alike.

A set of auxiliary goals will support the design and the execution of activities, increasing the impact of the action. The pathways outlined in the INCORE IVAP will allow the development of new high-tech businesses and commercialisation capacity via rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept validation and small-scale manufacturing for the mutual benefit of HEIs and SMEs.

The work plan within INCORE is divided in four Domains:

DOMAIN 1 – FOSTERING INSTITUTIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND CHANGE:

• Develop inter and multi-disciplinary support structures, test-beds and other structures to foster innovations
• Set up or improve technology transfer offices

DOMAIN 2 – STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS (KNOWLEDGE TRIANGLE INTEGRATION)

• Establish new and enhancing the nature, content and type of collaborations with external partners, including businesses, research organisations, governmental bodies, NGOs and other societal partners

DOMAIN 3 – CONTRIBUTION TO DEVELOPING INNOVATIONS AND BUSINESSES

• Develop structures and conditions for people to create or develop their businesses and startups.
• Utilise testbeds and other types of platforms

DOMAIN 4 – ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION

• Develop innovation and entrepreneurial training programmes and mentoring schemes for staff and students