Framework for Innovation Competencies Development and Assessment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Framework for Innovation Competencies Development and Assessment

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Knowledge Alliances for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Recognition, transparency, certification

Project Summary

EU’s Innovation Union Initiative underlines the importance of innovations in all sectors of the economy. For creating new innovations we need individuals that are capable to participate in diverse everyday innovation processes. One main problem is that universities don’t have proper tools to measure the development of the students’ innovation competencies during their studies. Therefore, we don’t actually know which teaching and learning methods are effective. Also companies are lacking tools and knowledge to assess these competencies in various settings: in recruitment processes and internal development activities. Unawareness of innovation competencies causes great economic losses for employers annually. The FINCODA project, with a significant number of universities and innovation-intensive companies from 5 countries, aims at providing solutions for a solid path for forthcoming innovators from university to companies. We shall test new forms of enhancing innovation competencies in university-company cooperation. Real-life learning environments bring added value for all stakeholders and lower the students’ threshold to enter the working life. As a main tangible output of the project we are creating and validating a Software Application tool for innovation competencies assessment. It will be available as an OER. We shall also illustrate that – especially when speaking about innovation competencies – well-organized and structured behaviour assessment can be at the same time cost-effective, reliable, valid and value adding, compared to traditional written tests. European-wide challenges demand multinational solutions. Investments to innovation competencies development gain positive impacts to the competitiveness of European companies. Joint European processes in assessment of learning outcomes are also one key aspect in the creation of a well-functioning European Higher Education Area. Main tangible outputs of the project, namely FINCODA Barometer Innovation Assessment Tool, the Software Application for online use of the FINCODA Barometer and the Online Rater Training Toolkit, are in the end of the project serving the purposes of Universities and companies in assessing students’ and staff members’ innovation capacity. These outputs are already used by the partners of the FINCODA project but – thanks to successful promotion – also by several organizations in Europe and even in other continents. It is foreseen that these outputs, which are also after the project available as Open Educational Resources, will gain added value for hundreds or thousands of organizations globally. FINCODA achieved a major class impact by influencing to the European Commission Higher Education policies. Several joint Innovation Competences workshops with EC officials reached its climax on May 2017 in Commission Staff Working Document to the Renewed EU Agenda for Higher Education; FINCODA Barometer was acknowledged as a promising approach in promoting entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation skills.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 991859 Eur

Project Coordinator

TURUN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY & Country: FI

Project Partners

• THE MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
• UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA
• CHAMBERLINK LIMITED
• ECDL NEDERLAND NV
• LACTOPROT DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
• JOHN CAUNT SCIENTIFIC LIMITED
• CARTER & CORSON PARTNERSHIP LIMITED