Become a Spanning Boundaries Agent

Join Europe’s first dedicated training programme for individuals working to break down the barriers between academia and industry

March-June 2021 (Cohort One) Online

About the programme

Spanning Boundaries is a FREE 4-month online training programme, organised in two cohorts in 2021-2022.

The dynamic programme combines international universal sessions (EU masterclasses, workshops, seminars and fireside chats), as well as national sessions, where you reflect your process together with participants from your own country.

COHORT ONE runs from March to June 2021 and COHORT TWO runs from September 2021 to January 2022.

Registration deadline: 06 March 2021

*The participation in the programme is free of charge

Apply now

How you benefit

Access to Europe’s leading experts and content on university-business cooperation

Engage in peer-learning with national and international participants

Discover tools and methods to identify and build new partnerships

Find matchmaking, joint-projects and funding opportunities

The option to accelerate your development through your own university-business cooperation project (personal application project | PAP)

Who should participate

Businesses

that recognise the importance of building links with universities, to increase their innovation capability and access talent and latest knowledge

Intermediaries

e.g. knowledge/technology transfer professionals whose job is to promote and facilitate university-business cooperation

Academics

who want to engage with society and businesses for increased impact

Whether you are newcomer to the topic of university-business cooperation (UBC), or a veteran of previous initiatives, you will meet interesting people, peer-learn with others, learn about case examples, and launch new activities in your institutions with our help.

Apply now

Two ways to participate in Cohort One

1. 10X Boundary Spanning Certificate Pathway

Attend compulsory modules (18 hours)
Complete mentoring (4 hours)
Complete Personal Application Projects*

1. 10X Accredited Boundary Spanning Agent Pathway

Attend compulsory modules (18 hours)
Complete mentoring (4 hours)
Complete Personal Application Projects*
Submit assignments

*The Personal Application Projects (PAP) is the practical aspect of our programme: these are hands-on real-life challenges, or dream projects that the participants bring with them to the programme. We will be working together with mentors and facilitators to help the participants translate their newly-gained theoretical knowledge into solving/developing Personal Application Projects through specialised “PAP monthly workshops” and additional sessions. The participants will have a chance to present their practical work in the final Gala Pitch event to a broader audience in September 2021.

Programme outline

Programme commences: 11 March 2021

Pre-programme: For those new to the topic of spanning boundaries through university-business-cooperation (UBC), we offer an introduction to the basics: Why it is relevant, what it includes and what kind of possibilities it offers?

Month 1 (March): Scanning the environment and identifying opportunities: topics for master classes, workshops and fireside chats

Basis of UBC and UBC ecosystem,
Entrepreneurial skills of the boundary-spanning agent,
The partnership approach,
How to scan your environment,
Aligning your interests from the start

Month 2 & 3 (April-May): Initiating, Implementing and Managing UBC: topics for master classes, workshops and fireside chats

Evaluate knowledge, opportunities & markets
How to acquire resources for UBC
How to initiate partnerships
Building a vision for cooperation

Month 4 (June): Improving and building the foundation for future success: topics for master classes, workshops and fireside chats

Championing a UBC culture
How to pitch your initiative
Measuring UBC outputs, outcomes and impact

Final event (September): Presentation of Personal Application Projects by the participants at the final Gala Pitch Event, open to all.

Throughout the 4 month programme, we will undertake workshops for developing participants’ Personal Application Projects, run a Hackathon and offer mentoring sessions. We will finilise the programme with the Final Gala Pitch event in September 2021, where the programme’s participants will be able to showcase their Personal Application Projects.

NB the full programme will be available in the upcoming weeks