Become a Spanning Boundaries Agent
Join Europe’s first dedicated training programme for individuals working to break down the barriers between academia and industry
September 2021 – January 2022 (Cohort Two) Online
Registration for Autumn Cohort 2021 is closed
About the programme
Spanning Boundaries is a 5-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.
FULL registration deadline: August 20, 2021
*Currently registration is only open for applicants from Finland, France, Ireland, Germany, Spain or Turkey.
*The programme will be carried out in English
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)
Downloadables
Programme Brochure
Train the Trainer session recorded
Spanning Boundaries
Training Programme Toolkit
Who should participate
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. *Undergraduate students are not eligible to participate
Three ways to participate in Cohort Two
1. 10X Spanning Boundaries Basic Pathway
- Attend compulsory modules (6 sessions)
- Attend optional modules of your choosing (4 sessions)
2. 10X Spanning Boundaries Participation Pathway
- Attend compulsory modules (18 hours)
- Complete mentoring (4 hours)
- Complete Personal Application Projects*
3. 10X Spanning Boundaries Accreditation Pathway
- Attend compulsory modules (18 hours)
- Complete mentoring (4 hours)
- Complete Personal Application Projects*
- Submit assignments
| Basic Pathway | Participation Pathway | Accreditation Pathway | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completing Self-Assessment | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Attendance at compulsory sessions | Yes (6 sessions) | Yes | Yes |
| Completing a Personal Application Project | No | Yes | Yes |
| Participation in mentoring sessions | No | Yes | Yes |
| Participation in hackathon | No | No | Yes |
| Participation in staff exchange | No | No | Yes |
| Submission of assignments for each module | No | No | Yes |
| Recognition of participation | Certificate of attendance | Certificate of recognition | An accreditation from UIIN |
* PAPs (personal application projects) are central to the Spanning Boundaries Educational Framework, and are required for all participants who wish to receive certification. In the Autumn Pilot of the programme, all participants who have opted for the Accreditation pathway or the Participation pathway will be required to complete a PAP.
For participants, the total number of hours scheduled in the Spanning Boundaries programme is about 10 hours (including presence during the PAP presentations of other participants). This does not include time required to advance projects outside of scheduled activities.
Each participant will be guided through the process of completing a PAP. Throughout the Programme, each participant will provide details about their PAP, which they will present in the final month of the Programme.
PAP example
Profile
Director of Businesses Incubator and Technology Transfer Center for a University
Specific Objectives
- Licensing of at least 3 university technologies to the industry
- Creating 1 or 2 university start-ups or spin-offs using their own patented technologies
Programme outline
Programme commences in the week from September 13 to 17, 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?
Part 1: 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
Parts 2 & 3: 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
Part 4: 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 Pitching Event: Presentation of Personal Application Projects by the participants at the Final Pitching Event, open to all.
Throughout the 5 month programme, we will undertake workshops for developing participants’ Personal Application Projects, run a Hackathon and offer mentoring sessions. We will finalise the programme with the Final Pitching Event, 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
REGISTRATION PROCESS (CLOSED)
The registration process for the Autumn Cohort of the Spanning Boundaries Training Programme consists of two steps:
- Step 1: Registering your interest by filling in the form below.
- Step 2 (Only applicable if you opt for the Participation or Accreditation pathway): Submitting your Personal Application Project (PAP) information (If you want to know more about PAPs, you can find some details above, in the section Three ways to participate in Cohort Two).
Step 1
Register your interest to participate:
Step 2
(Only if you have chosen Participation or Accreditation pathway) Complete your PAP information:
To participate in the programme you will have to complete the PAP form where you will be describing the project that you want to undertake for (at least) the duration of the programme. This Personal Application Project can take any form as long as it is practical and based on engagement between university and industry.
After registering your interest you will receive an email with the instructions and link to the submission portal.
The full registration process will be closed on August 20, 2021.
Organisers and national contact points
The Spanning Boundaries program unites ten partners from higher education institutes, businesses and networks from eight countries in Europe
