T-RISE

Selected under Topic 2: EIT-HEI-2025-BUILDING-SYNERGIES, T-RISE supports the Transform4Europe European University Alliance in becoming a stronger cross-border engine for sustainable and digitally enabled entrepreneurship. The project responds to a recurring challenge in European higher education: universities often have strong education, research, and regional networks, but lack harmonised structures that connect these assets into consistent research-to-market pathways across an alliance.

At the centre of T-RISE is the T4EU Joint Innovation Office. The JIO will act as a shared alliance-level hub for innovation and entrepreneurship support, connecting local TTOs, knowledge transfer units, science parks, business actors, regional stakeholders, and EIT KIC pathways. It will coordinate incubation and acceleration support, mentoring, IP advice, access to finance, matchmaking, a female entrepreneurship programme, a spin-off and start-up award, and an executive ProCEOs programme.

T-RISE will also develop Connect2Innovate, a digital ecosystem mapping and matchmaking layer for the alliance, and a portfolio of 18 micro-credentials aligned with European competence frameworks and EIT Label principles. Through cooperation with EIT Climate-KIC, 28DIGITAL, and EIT RawMaterials, the project connects green transition, digital transformation, circular economy, raw materials innovation, and university-based entrepreneurship into a practical alliance model. Its ambition is to make Transform4Europe a more integrated innovation ecosystem, able to route learners, researchers, start-ups, and regional partners into durable European innovation pathways.