OVGU as a driving force for regional innovation in the European network
Anne Herbik coordinates international cooperation and strengthens exchange between universities, business and politics on regional development
Dr Anne Herbik, coordinator of EU GREEN at OVGU, was elected chair of the thematic group "Regional Innovation Ecosystems" in ForEU4ALL. She spoke to Alexandra Reilly about ForEU4ALL, the "Regional Innovation Ecosystems" group, her duties as chair of the group and the development of recommendations.
Congratulations on your election. Please explain to our readers what FOREU4ALL is.
FOREU4ALL is an association of all European university alliances within the framework of the European Universities Initiative. The aim of this network is to promote exchange between university alliances and to address common challenges in a structured manner. This includes questions such as: How can leadership structures be designed? How can these alliances be anchored regionally and how do they promote innovation? Discussions on sustainable financing are also part of this. FOREU4ALL sees itself as the joint voice of the university alliances vis-à-vis the European Commission and other – especially political – actors.
How does the thematic group "Regional Innovation Ecosystems" specifically support the alliances?
In this thematic group, more than 50 university alliances exchange ideas on how they can further develop and strengthen their regional role in a targeted manner. The focus is on cooperation between universities and local businesses, authorities and civil society in order to address social challenges more effectively and collaboratively. The group's work is guided by regional smart specialisation strategies and key European priorities such as cooperation, digitalisation and green transformation. Ideas from the regions that have already proven successful are systematically taken up, jointly reflected upon and made usable for other contexts.
Where does the OVGU fit in?
This position enables the OVGU to help shape strategies and initiatives to promote regional innovation that meet both EU priorities and regional needs.
We can learn a lot from the active exchange of knowledge and best practices between participating universities and regional stakeholders, including businesses, public authorities and community organisations. This collaboration supports OVGU's commitment within EU GREEN to address societal challenges through innovation, contribute to regional economic development and enhance Europe's overall competitiveness.
What are your responsibilities as chair of the Regional Innovation Ecosystems" group?
As chair, I coordinate the work of the thematic group with three other international colleagues. In addition to setting content priorities and moderating joint meetings, this also includes classic organisational work, such as scheduling appointments. In addition, we want to make the results of the group's work visible in FOREU4ALL and to political decision-makers.
What are your plans for your term of office?
It is important to me that cooperation within the group creates real added value and synergies – both for the participating institutions and for the regions in which they operate. We don't all have to reinvent the wheel. I want to take successful models and strategies that work well in one region and adapt them so that they can be applied and adapted in other regions. In this way, we can maximise the impact of our work.
Another key focus of my work will be to intensify the exchange between science, business, civil society and politics. I believe that stronger dialogue and closer cooperation between these areas can lead to the development of innovative solutions to regional challenges.
What does knowledge exchange look like in practice in the community of practice?
Knowledge exchange takes place within the framework of a reflective community of practice, in which representatives of the university alliances and external guests (e.g. political decision-makers) systematically share their experiences. This includes case studies from the regions, thematic webinars and regular working meetings in which concrete cooperation models, challenges and solutions are discussed. The key is to learn from each other.
How do political advocacy and the development of recommendations work?
Based on the joint work results, the group formulates recommendations on framework conditions for regional innovation ecosystems in the European higher education context. These are to be incorporated into position papers, consultations or dialogue formats with the European Commission and other stakeholders. In this way, the experiences of the higher education alliances are systematically incorporated into political decision-making processes. In addition, we develop proposals for conference and workshop contributions.
Thank you very much for talking to us.