Understand HEInnovate & the 8 Dimensions
Get an overview of the HEInnovate framework and its eight dimensions. These resources help you grasp the core principles of HEInnovate and provide clear explanations of each dimension.
Each statement in the self-assessment has a corresponding guidance note. These notes explain what the statement is looking at and provide examples of how institutions can address it.
These reports analyse the higher education system of a specific country through the lens of the HEInnovate framework. They were conducted by the OECD in partnership with the European Commission between 2015 and 2021.
Get inspired by other HEIs
Learn from the experiences of higher education institutions across Europe. Explore case studies that showcase diverse practices and provide inspiration across the eight HEInnovate dimensions. Find testimonials that illustrate how institutions are using HEInnovate in practice. Discover real-life lessons and outcomes.
You can view and download case studies that showcase different institutional approaches and good practices along the eight dimensions of HEInnovate.
Read about the different uses and experiences of higher education institutions using the HEinnovate framework. The user stories also highlight lessons learnt and results achieved.
Implement HEInnovate in your institution
Support for you and your institution to work with the HEInnovate framework in a structured, collaborative way. Workshop Guides and Training Materials help you plan, deliver, and follow up on workshops of all sizes.
A comprehensive guide to HEInnovate. It explains the features of the website, how to set up groups, and describes three types of workshops you can run.
Short chapters from the Training Manual with focused advice on how to run different types of workshops, set the agenda, and decide whom to invite.
Turn insights into action
Transform your HEInnovate results into practical next steps. These tools help institutions prioritise actions, engage teams, and move from assessment to implementation, to ensure continuous, meaningful improvement.
Concise cards summarising practical actions aligned with each HEInnovate dimension. Use them to spark discussions and identify priorities.
Visual tools and worksheets to document goals, map short- to long-term actions, and organise activities into work packages. Includes the Action Planning Board, Work Package Planning Board, and Action Sheet.
All resources
The Autonomous University of Barcelona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, UAB), founded in 1968, is one of seven higher education institutions located in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. It is centred in the heart of Catalonia, one of Spain’s most dynamic and entrepreneurial regions. UAB is one of the top three universities in Spain. Within the...
At Comenius University Bratislava (CU), the Department of Strategy and Entrepreneurship offers the course “Development of Entrepreneurial Skills in Cross Generation Teams”. It is a semester-long course where seniors and undergraduate students work together in teams on real-life businesses. The idea is not only to provide instructions but to...
This introductory chapter provides an update on the Leuphana University of Lüneburg’s approach to entrepreneurship, representing the status at the end of 2023. The original case study, comprising the ensuing chapters 12.1 – 12.6, which remain unchanged, was written in 2015. Since then, Leuphana has developed its entrepreneurial profile further. It...
Aalborg University (AAU), established in 1974, emphasises entrepreneurship as a core strategy, offering extensive support and resources to students. The institution is renowned for its problem-based learning approach, fostering independent, real-life problem-solving skills aligned with entrepreneurial competencies. Internationalisation is a...
A Junior Enterprise (JE) is a non-profit organisation formed and managed exclusively by university students. Junior Enterprises operate at the local level and are associated with a university. Students in JEs provide services for businesses, institutions and individuals. They are knowledge labs within academic institutions where the latest...
Encouraging and rewarding entrepreneurial behaviour in all staff reinforces the commitment to developing as an entrepreneurial and innovative HEI. There are many ways to provide incentives and rewards for staff, who actively support the higher education institution in advancing its entrepreneurial and innovative agenda. Incentives and rewards...
Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) is an Alliance emerging from a European Commission initiative to provide examples of what a European University should look like. YUFE has been active since 2019 and currently consists of nine young universities in Europe and two non-academic partners. They have a strong interest in promoting...
From 2019 to 2024, the University of Cologne has been receiving considerable state funding for establishing a Gateway Excellence Start-up Centre. A key approach is establishing nine new professorships. Seven of them are “start-up-oriented”, meaning that they deal with business foundation in their teaching, research, and student support activities...
Gamification plays a special role in entrepreneurship teaching at Aarhus University and in the EIT Food Master’s programme in Food Systems. Digital & physical games are a speciality of an entrepreneurship professor from Aarhus University. In several courses he has been using both physical and digital games for targeted purposes. Three games played...
In February 2022, the Free University of Bolzano, in cooperation with NOI Techpark of Bolzano, offered an extra-curricular entrepreneurial programme named “Students & Company Sprint”. It was a five-day event where three companies presented an innovation challenge that student teams had to solve, mentored by experts and scientists. The student teams...
Since 2015, life science students from Vilnius University (VU) have participated very successfully in the iGEM innovation competition. At iGEM, an annual event in Boston, US, selected student teams from universities around the world compete with innovative solutions in synthetic biology. The main driver for participation was a renowned professor...
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” offers several study programmes at different degree levels that combine sustainability and entrepreneurship: A bachelor’s programme in Biomanagement and Sustainable Development, a master’s programme in Sustainable and Responsible Governance, and a continued education programme in sustainable leadership. The...
The University of Iceland offers a Master’s programme in Innovation and Business Development which is run by the Faculty of Business Administration in cooperation with the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science (IEMECS). Six of the programme’s courses are available as modules for other students from other...
Aalto University’s profile and entrepreneurial approach Aalto University is a national Finnish project. According to the University President’s foreword in the institution’s strategy paper, Aalto has “a national mission to strengthen the innovative capacity of Finland through first-class research, art and education”. [1] Further to its societal...
ESSEC Business School (French: École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales) was founded in 1907 and is recognised as one of the leading business schools in the world. ESSEC has two campuses in Paris, France (Cergy-Pontoise and La Défense), as well as one each in Singapore and Rabat in Morocco. ESSEC has approximately 7,400 students...