ULAB and SMART collaborate for the modernisation of Universities

The first meeting between the ULAB and SMART projects took place with the aim of establishing a framework for joint action to improve research management schemes of the European universities.

The ULAB project, funded by the European Commission under the Science and Society program of the 7th Framework Programme, and the SMART project, led by the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research (CESAER) met in a workshop hosted by the Politecnico di Torino to prepare a common strategy for the implementation of more efficient processes and innovative strategies to foster excellence in research and innovation at European universities.

The CESAER SMART initiative was set up with the aim of identifying, developing and spreading good practices on the key issues of the modernisation of the agenda for research oriented universities. The initiative is aimed in particular at the strategic orientation and management of university based research, financing of research, and the integration of the knowledge triangle at engineering and technology universities.

This vision links with Ulab’s main goal: to tune the agendas of Universities to take advantage of the strengths and experiences of each institution. To reach this objective, Ulab will also formalize the interconnections between different Universities through pilot projects to ensure a true partnership between all units that are responsible for managing research.

During the meeting, attended by a large number of representatives of both initiatives, Javier Lopez, ULAB Project Manager, presented the first results obtained in phase 1 of the project in the areas of Research Management, Valorization, Entrepreneurship and Outreach.

Further on, the results of the SMART initiative were presented:
• University research strategy & management: Jorgen Sjoberg, Chalmers University of Technology (SE).
• Financial sustainability for university research: Christian Spranger, Vienna University of Technology (AT).
• Making the Knowledge triangle to reality: Markku Markkula, Aalto University FI

Among the conclusions of the meeting, desire of collaboration for parts of both projects should be highlighted. A strategy for the future taking advantage of the existing synergies has also been outlined.