Politehnica University Timișoara hosted the annual international meeting of the Ent-r-e-novators project – an opportunity for promoting research, open science, and innovation in education through strategic partnerships
Ent-r-e-novators
From March 6-8, 2024, Politehnica University Timișoara organized the General Assembly of the European project Ent-r-e-novators, aiming to strengthen the research and innovation capacity of partner higher education institutions and their associated ecosystems.
The Ent-r-e-novators project brings together the six initial partners of the Alliance of European Universities E³UDRES² consortium to jointly create a more specific common strategy for research and innovation, dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusive education.
The project is funded by the European Commission and managed by the Research Executive Agency (REA), through the Horizon Europe program, as part of its section on scientific excellence (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-05).
As a HORIZON EUROPE project, the topics addressed are also related to European priorities such as Open Science, Open Innovation, Open Education, and Open Resources, emphasizing the opportunities for open access they provide and their integration into all forms of research and education, be it the development of skills or knowledge in the workplace or as support for university and post-university education.
Held in a hybrid format at the UPT Conference Center, the event on March 7, 2024, began with a welcome address from the university's management, followed by participant introductions and an introduction of the EEAB – External Evaluators and Advisory Board members.
Ent-r-e-novators meetings continued with discussions and general presentations about the implementation of Work Packages (WP). These work packages coordinate the achievement of the project's expected results, including the joint development of strategies associated with five different transformation modules, as well as the execution of respective pilot programs, to "unlock the potential for excellence in research and innovation, to accelerate the transformation into a European multi-institutional research and innovation center for smart and sustainable regions."
To carry out the project, the working team was divided into 6 Work Packages (WP):
- WP1 – Management and Dissemination | Leader: Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal (IPS), Portugal;
- WP2 – Research and Innovation Strategy | Leader: Fachhochschule St. Pölten GMBH (STPUAS), Austria;
- WP3 – Sharing Research Infrastructures | Leader: Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem (MATE), Hungary;
- WP4 – Use of Open Science, Open Innovation, and Open Education | Leader: Politehnica University Timișoara (UPT), Romania;
- WP5 – Creating Communities, Engaging Citizens, and Society | Leader: UC Limburg (UCLL), Belgium;
- WP6 – Human Resources and Research-Innovation Ecosystem | Leader: Vidzemes Augstskola (ViA), Latvia.
https://www.entrenovators.eu/what-we-do/work-packages
The discussions on work packages and progress made in the Ent-r-e-novators project were concluded with a feedback session on technical implementation and the viability of the proposed solutions.
The event also included an artistic moment, "Come and be delighted: A musical gift for Women's Day," offered by the Timișoara National Opera and the choir of Politehnica University Timișoara, in celebration of International Women's Day, held in the UPT Auditorium.
The implementation of the Ent-r-e-novators project brings significant gains to the academic environment, consolidating the universities' capacity to offer quality research and education programs, contributing to the economic and social progress of the region.
Open Education & Science Workshop
Following the theme of Open Science and Education, the Ent-r-e-novators event was followed on March 8, 2024, by a workshop dedicated to these areas, organized by Politehnica University Timișoara, through the ID/IFR and Digital Education Department, together with the Alliance of European Universities E³UDRES² and the Ent-r-e-novators project, with the support of IEEE Romania, as part of the Open Education Week 2024.
Politehnica University Timișoara celebrated the first century of university education in Timișoara in 2020, having been established by Royal Decree by King Ferdinand on November 11, 1920. Politehnica University Timișoara, an advanced research and education institution, is today one of the Romanian schools with a rich tradition, recognized nationally and internationally, both through the activity of generations of teaching staff and the exceptional work of prestigious academics. The university's 10 faculties offer study programs for approximately 13,500 students. Over 800 teaching staff members are active in the 27 departments, and the administrative and auxiliary personnel number around 1000 individuals.
Ent-r-e-novators is a European project that brings together six universities from Central and Eastern Europe. The project aims to create a European alliance of universities that promotes entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusive education. The project began in October 2022, is funded by the European Commission, and is managed by the Research Executive Agency (REA) through the Horizon Europe program, scientific excellence section (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-05). This program focuses on strengthening the research and innovation capacity of higher education institutions, countries, and their ecosystems.
