ECIU will take part in a European research project on improving community engagement in higher education. The project will receive a € 500,000 funding from the Erasmus+ programme, an EU funding scheme supporting education, training, youth and sport.
In line with the vision of the ECIU, the project ‘Towards a European framework for community engagement of higher education’ (TEFCE) aims to contribute to social innovation by improving the level of community engagement undertaken by higher educational institutions.
The members of the ECIU are mostly universities that are located in regions where major industries have declined. They have a wealth of experience in community building, having already been actively involved in the regeneration of their region over the past decades.
The project strives to promote social innovation through a knowledge triangle comprised of education, research and innovation. A toolbox will be developed, with innovative means for policymakers and stakeholders to monitor, measure and promote community engagement by universities that will be transferable at a European policy level.
ECIU will contribute to the TEFCE project with expertise in related projects, as well as their international network of over 330,000 students and 50,000 staff members involved in the dissemination and exploitation of the results in Europe. The consortium for the collaboration consists of 13 partners from across Europe and is coordinated by the Technical University of Dresden.
