Dennis Jensen’s Post

Applications are now open for the Technology Readiness Level-Up (TRL) program, a four-month, funded commercialization experience for student innovators across Canada.  ✅ $10,000 stipend ✅ Mentorship from industry + tech transfer experts ✅ Hands-on training in applied research labs ✅ National peer cohort Open to current college, undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows at Canadian post-secondary institutions, as well as recent graduates (college and undergraduate within two years; Master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral within five years)  🔎 TRL is open to innovators across all sectors. This year, teams developing technologies in AI, defence or dual-use, and energy transition may also benefit from additional, sector-informed expertise within the program.  Apply now: https://bit.ly/49Vvbp2 Deadline: April 6, 2026 Humber Polytechnic has been designated as the Ontario Hub lead for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded National Labs4 program, which brings together 22 colleges, 16 universities, 24 Technology Access Centers (TACs), 610 business mentors, and over 2,100 applied research and industry specialists to support researcher-entrepreneurs in advancing their solutions toward commercialization. #Labs4Canada #InnovationInAction #ResearchImpact #InclusiveInnovation #NSERC #Mitacs

The XIII Unite! Dialogue took place in Politecnico di Torino with over 300 participants. The international meeting is organized by Unite! University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering! - a European alliance formed by nine partner universities, of which University of Lisbon is a member - and focused on the future of the Alliance, both in terms of competitiveness and long-term sustainability. In his speech, Manuel Heitor emphasized the importance of learning to take #risks - as failure is a step towards success - and also highlighted the importance of intensifying #cooperation and strengthening relations with other countries beyond Europe's borders, particularly Latin America, Africa and China. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eyA2qbnZ

Across my years working on strategy and innovation at Duke University and Franklin & Marshall College, building Duke Kunshan University in China, collaborating with Arizona State University and Georgetown University , launching the Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University, and working globally with Minerva Project I’ve seen extraordinary ideas emerge -- but also the limits of asking individual institutions to tackle transformation on their own. That’s why we created the Future Universities Alliance: to give universities a shared platform to experiment, learn from one another, and adapt solutions to their own contexts. Here's our latest post on the theory underlying our practice. Dan Porterfield Matthew Rascoff Yakut Gazi Sarah Hall Darcie Slanker Milazzo Ann Kirschner Ash Kaluarachchi ASU Georgetown Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership Randall Bass Institute for Global Higher Education James Genone Ted Mitchell Joshua Brown AIEA - Association of International Education Administrators American Council on Education #FutureUniversities #HigherEdInnovation #GlobalEducation

Profound! “A PhD should therefore not be judged by pages produced, but by knowledge created, systems changed, and new possibilities unlocked... whether the output is a paper, a model, a technology, a policy framework, or an entire industry shift. The future doctorate is no less academic; it is more honest about what knowledge is for.” - Dr Farai Mlambo (PhD, Mathematical Statistics)

Beyond Rankings: Measuring What Really Matters The return of investment (ROI) Universities are increasingly being called to prove their worth not just through research papers and league tables, but through something far more tangible: territorial impact. Rethinking how higher education institutions measure success. Here's what that looks like: Map the real challenges facing your region, depopulation, digital transformation of local commerce, sustainability gaps. These become your anchors. Create cross-faculty task forces dedicated to each challenge. Break down silos. Put your collective expertise to work where it matters most. Measure differently. Yes, academic publications still count. But so do startups launched, public policies influenced, and community problems actually solved. The university of the future isn't the one with the prettiest campus—it's the one recognized as an indispensable partner in its region's development. Research stops being an end in itself and becomes a lever for real change. Through initiatives like Liveseeding, EU DUT ECLETIC, RHYTHM, and AGRIFLEX, we're proving that impact isn't just measurable—it's essential. Because when you invest in higher education, you're not just funding research. You're funding futures What does territorial impact look like in your region? #HigherEducation #TerritorialImpact #CommunityEngagement #Innovation #RegionalDevelopment

🎓Higher Ed doesn’t have a discovery problem. It has a learning problem. We launched the Future Universities Alliance to trackle a critical issue: the higher education sector generates so many brilliant inventions, and yet institutions around the world struggle to turn promising ideas into durable, systemic change. In our latest two-part essay, Noah Pickus and Scott Benson break down: • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅: Why vocabulary spreads easily while institutional architecture doesn't • 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗽: Why we need innovation architectures to move from isolated experiments to widespread adoption and adaptation • 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: The difference between designing from scratch and re-architecting legacy systems (and why we need both). Higher education drives abundant invention, but the pace and complexity of emerging challenges demand both continued creativity and the architecture that helps ideas mature and move. Our argument is that invention is necessary but not sufficient; it must be matched with the infrastructure that enables cumulative learning and diffusion across the ecosystem. Give it a read and let us know what you think! https://lnkd.in/egY5wngd

🚨 This shift has major implications for higher education institutions. Last week’s discussions hosted by European University Association, MEP Eszter Lakos and Universities UK International highlight a clear shift from funding individual projects to building long-term, collaborative ecosystems that drive strategic impact. As more discussions like these unfold, a broader message is emerging: 👉 Innovation today depends on collaboration that is international, long-term, and systemic. Research can no longer remain competitive if it’s siloed or nationally contained. As the EUA and others have highlighted, cross-border collaboration is fundamental - not optional. At the same time, EU policy is placing greater emphasis on competitiveness and real-world impact. Short-term, project-based approaches won’t be enough. To thrive in this landscape, innovation ecosystems will need: ✅ Time and predictability to mature ✅ Institutional capacity, not just strong individual projects ✅ Trusted partnerships that last across funding cycles 🎓 This is where higher education institutions play a pivotal role. Universities are more than research performers. They’re ecosystem builders, connecting talent, ideas, and long-term collaboration. The EIT Higher Education Initiative is already helping institutions move in this direction — supporting the kind of systemic, cross-border collaboration that FP10 will increasingly demand. To lead, institutions must: 🔹 Treat partnerships as strategic assets 🔹 Build capacity for cross-border collaboration 🔹 Design for long-term, structural impact — not just project delivery In this sense, FP10 isn’t a reinvention. It’s a recognition of what was already true: ➡️ The future of innovation belongs to those who build strong, collaborative ecosystems. #HEIPowered #FP10 #InnovationPolicy #HigherEducation #EUResearch #HorizonEurope

"[A] broader message is emerging: 👉 Innovation today depends on collaboration that is international, long-term, and systemic. Research can no longer remain competitive if it’s siloed or nationally contained. As the EUA and others have highlighted, cross-border collaboration is fundamental - not optional."

Transforming higher education STI ecosystem through research, innovation, and AI is no longer a future vision—It is starting and happening now!! The RITMO initiative ( Strengthening Research and Innovation based Teaching and Learning for the Transformation of HE institutions through standardized Management and digital Operation initiative) brings together 12 institutions from Europe and Latin America to drive bold change across teaching, research, and digital transformation. Through the Research & Innovation-Based Teaching and Learning (RIBTL) model, universities enhance learning by connecting students directly with real challenges, applied research, and innovation ecosystems. RITMO also strengthens the valorization of research, turning scientific results into societal and economic impact through shared methodologies, entrepreneurship programs, and regional–global collaboration. A key enabler is RIMS‑AI, a new AI‑supported system that modernizes how institutions manage, analyze, and govern their R&D+i activities—boosting decision‑making, interoperability, and institutional maturity. This alliance benefits every partner: • European institutions share proven practices and expand cooperation networks. • Latin American and Caribbean universities accelerate digital transformation, innovation capacity, and international visibility. Together, we build a stronger EU–LAC bridge that empowers students, elevates research impact, and strengthens the competitiveness of all universities and of course countries involved. A shared commitment, a shared future—moving in RITMO.!! Our sincere appreciation goes to all institutions, teams, and individuals whose dedication, expertise, and collaborative spirit made the development of this proposal for the EU’s CBHE program call possible. This collective effort reflects our shared commitment to advancing innovative, inclusive, and transformative higher education. #HigherEducation #Innovation #Research #RIBTL #DigitalTransformation #ArtificialIntelligence #TechnologyTransfer #ResearchValorization #EULAC #InternationalCooperation #RITMO Eder Guillermo Herrera Pérez, Juan José Moreno-Navarro, Ernestina Menasalvas, Pierre Trémenbert, Nuria Lloret Romero, Carolina Vizcaíno, Diana Granados-Falla, Ph.D. Ricardo A. Ramirez-Mendoza, Diana Cabra-Ballesteros, Julián Camilo Peña Bermúdez, Sandra Patricia Figueroa Chávez, Sandra Liliana Olaya Barbosa, María José Brito, Marcela Valle, Scarlett Quezada Saldías, Ricardo Cadena González, Fernando, ... …and all those whom I unintentionally fail to mention!!

Aligning institutional purpose, sustainable funding and effective leadership are essential for European Universities alliances – as well as other cooperation formats – to become stable and durable components of Europe’s higher education landscape. As the focus of the alliances debate has recently shifted from the challenges of implementation to their long-term financial sustainability, there is growing awareness across the sector that alliances cannot remain dependent on short-term project grants. They need to gain a clearer understanding of costs, value and funding responsibilities. 💶 This briefing analyses survey evidence and develops a conceptual framework that can support a structured and strategic discussion about the future of alliances. 📄 It puts forward a comprehensive model for the financial sustainability of alliances, building on EUA’s broader work on funding principles, leadership, governance and institutional transformation. 🏛️ This framework highlights institutional purpose and added value as the foundation of sustainable cooperation. It also identifies four key pillars that shape the financial and organisational viability of alliances: 💰 A clear understanding of the full costs, ⚙️ Efficiency and effectiveness ↔️ Income diversification, and 🧭 Leadership and governance. Moreover, as the financial sustainability of alliances cannot be understood in isolation from the structural conditions of higher education funding in Europe, this briefing situates European Universities alliances within the wider public funding landscape – for a more structured reflection on how responsibilities should be shared across national and European levels. 🌐 🔗 Read the briefing, entitled “Strategies for the financial sustainability of European Universities alliances” through the link in the comment section below. FOREU4ALL, EuroTech Universities Alliance, Una Europa, Aurora Universities, ATHENA European University, Unite! University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering Future4Alliances