DEEPINVENTHEI aims to set up an international network of regional innovation valleys which contribute to attracting and retaining talent in Europe, by training deep tech talents and supporting deep tech academic spin-offs and start-ups. DEEPINVENTHEI builds on the results of an ongoing (HEI Initiative Cohort 1) Project, INVENTHEI, and the Business and Innovation Network (BIN@).

DEEPINVENTHEI is proposed by a consortium of 18 participants, 11 partners, and 7 associated partners, and will implement an IVAP structured around the 3 EIT pillars: education (learning and mentoring activities), innovation (research-based learning activities) and business (collaboration and internship activities).

The IVAP will include the six Actions coming from the four Domains identified in the call for proposals:

• Enhance the scale and scope of student engagement activities with research and business (Domain 1, Learning and mentoring pillar);
• Develop inter- and multi-disciplinary support structures, testbeds and other structures to foster innovation (Domain 1, Research-based Learning pillar);
• Establish new collaborations and enhance the nature, content and types of collaborations with external partners, including businesses, research organisations, governmental bodies, NGOs and other societal partners (Domain 2, Collaboration and Internships pillar);
• Create structures and conditions for innovation-driven research (Domain 3, Research-based Learning pillar);
• Develop innovation and entrepreneurial training programmes and mentoring schemes for staff and students (Domain 4, Learning and Mentoring pillar);
• Organise internships in business (Domain 4, Collaboration and Internships pillar).

To address these Actions, DEEPINVENTHEI will implement activities related to:

• learning and mentoring of students and staff with training courses on challenge-based learning and innovation-driven research, entrepreneurship training, deep tech (for non-STEM students), and the setup of innovation and entrepreneurship student hubs;
• research-based learning with research testbeds open to students and industry, and the organisation of co-creation labs involving students, staff and start-ups for setting up joint projects;
• collaboration and internships, with the search for new collaboration arrangements and with the promotion of intersectoral and international mobility.

These activities will leverage existing platforms (like skills.move, ECOA, and INVETHEI’s website and LinkedIn page) to create and nurture a community around the DEEPINVENTHNEI partners.

The planned activities will have a direct impact on more than 1 500 people (students, academic and non-academic staff, and industry) and directly engage more than 60 institutions (universities, research centres, companies, associations and local authorities) across Europe and in Brazil.

DEEPINVENTHEI will sign and promote a pledge for I&E education in HEIs.

Project coordinator

Gil Gonçalves, Assistant Professor, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto (contact)