RUNIN project

RUNIN Project

The Role of Universities in Innovation and Regional Development
 

Description
The aim of the RUNIN network program is to train researchers on how universities contribute to innovation and economic growth in their regions through research seeking to examine how universities fulfill their third mission in relation to regional industry and explore the range of university engagement with regional firms and institutions.
 
Partners
The partnership of HIGHER is shaped by University of Stavanger (Norway), as a leading partner, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), Aalborg University (Denmark), University of Lincoln (United Kingdom), Regio Twente (The Netherlands), Linköping University (Sweden), University of Aveiro (Portugal).
 
Activities
The project includes a training programme for innovative researchers. The candidates will receive solid training in research, as well as the skills needed to advance in both the industry and the public sector. A total of 14 PhD students will participate by forming part of PhD programmes offered at the member universities and in public and private organisations working on regional development. The PhD students participating will have a supervisor from one university assigned to them, as well as another supervisor from one of the other universities, and a mentor from one of the public or private organisations participating. A total of 21 supervisors and 11 mentors will be working on the project.

The UAB will welcome two PhD students, who will participate in the Doctorate in Economics, Management and Organization (DEMO) of the UAB Department of Business. They will be in charge of analysing the types of collaborations existing between university and firms, and how these collaborations affect the survival of firms in a competitive environment, under the supervision of Professor Emili Grifell-Tatjé; and they will also develop the concept of the quadruple helix, i.e., expanding the traditional triple helix (university – industry – government) to include the role of civil participants, under the direction of Professor Pilar Marquès.

Period
From September 2016 to September 2020.

Funding
RUNIN is awarded more than 3.7 million Euro by the Innovative Training Networks (ITN) scheme under the Marie Sk?odowska-Curie research programme, which is part of Horizon 2020.