Idea to Impact

Comenius University to partner with NUI Galway and Basque Country on a new Innovation Capacity Building in Higher Education Project – Idea to Impact (i2i).

Thanks to the ENLIGHT network, Comenius University in Bratislava joined a new project on capacity building in higher education - Idea to Impact (i2i). Comenius University, NUI Galway (the project lead), the Basque Country and its associated Euskampus Fundazioa - which are all a part of ENLIGHT - together with the universities in Greece and Bulgaria have been awarded €1.2 million from the European Union’s Horizon Programme and European Institute of Technology Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education.

i2i  will train more than 800 students and 300 staff over two years to look beyond the boundaries of their own disciplines, to think innovatively and enhance the start-up ecosystem in a network of universities and colleges. The project is open to students, as well as academic, professional services and research staff, across several European institutions to develop a more entrepreneurial mind-set in the disciplines of health, technology, climate, culture and creativity. The i2i project will run for two years from July 2021 and builds on two flagship programmes at NUI Galway. ENLIGHT, a key pillar of the University’s Globalisation strategy, and the innovative Designing Futures, which is being rolled out across the University to enhance student experience as part of the Irish Government’s Human Capital Initiative.

Prof. Jozef Masarik, Vice-Rector for Science, Doctoral Studies and Projects at Comenius University outlined that "The mentorship and fellowship programmes of the i2i project and the ethos of systemic exchange of knowledge and good practice will be the source of change of mind-set of Comenius University staff and students, who will then become the carriers and disseminators of the tradition of entrepreneurial HEIs.” 

The i2i project will also include the development of a shared Innovation Vision Action Plan to identify the improvements being targeted for each higher education institution and how to address gaps through knowledge exchange, collaboration, programmes and partnership.