Comillas leads a European project on Innovation Entrepreneurship

The Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Comillas Pontifical University, through the Entrepreneurship Unit and the International Relations Service, is one of the six universities which, together with two leading companies in technology transfer, is leading the European EcoAction project, one of the 26 projects selected within the 2nd HEI Initiative call of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a program which has a budget of more than 30 million euros from European Union funds.

The university will work on this project on innovative ecosystems and entrepreneurship together with the universities of Fachhochschule Voralberg (Austria), Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University Pforzheim (Germany), University Óbuda (Hungary) and UBI BS Executive Business School (Portugal), as well as the business association PBN - Pannon Business Network Association (Hungary). EcoAction will strengthen the entrepreneurial capacities of the participating universities, which are working to transfer their knowledge and research to hundreds of small, medium and large enterprises.

The students and staff of the different universities, including Comillas, will also benefit from the programme through training courses, conferences, field work and practical meetings with the participating SMEs. Comillas thus joins this international network to which 270 organisations from all over Europe already belong.

This second call of the HEI (Higher Education Institution) Initiative seeks to validate the success of the first one and support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with experience and advice, funding and access to the innovation ecosystem of the EIT, the largest innovation ecosystem in Europe. The aim of the initiative is to create systemic impact, and to involve universities in fostering sustainable growth and skilled job creation across Europe.

The EIT is an EU body set up in 2008 with the aim of strengthening the innovation capacity of European Union countries. The Institute is part of Horizon Europe, the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.