Page 130 - A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers: Reinforcing the Innovation-Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean

130 REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 131
universities tended to be implicit. The quality of
teaching and learning was maintained principally
by reliance on the shared norms and disciplinary
traditions of the academic staff . However,
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Capacity Development with the changing role of academia, higher
and Continuous Change education institutions and their governance
bodies have been strengthening their strategic
and operational processes evolving into learning
organisations. Exchange among universities in a
region is a well-recognised form of institutional
leaning. In Morocco, for instance, the Euromed
University of Fes is a new regional centre of
Universities are learning organisations. They are dedicated to excellence promoting dialogue, intercultural
learning – they create and acquire knowledge. At the same time, exchange, sharing of knowledge and cooperation
higher education institutions are complex structures and therefore in the fields of higher education, research and
innovation. A different model can be seen in
approaching change and organisational learning is not simple nor Téthys, which extends academic partnerships
obvious. Yet, fast-changing external conditions and pressures, to a network, opening institutional boundaries
such as the Covid-19 crisis, have forced universities to strengthen to large-scale international cooperation which
can facilitate many forms of exchange, such as
their strategic and operational capacity, enhance their scholarship shared programmes for staff and students, that
and teaching, improve relevance, develop coherent practices, can strengthen a university’s efforts in developing
and fulfil their so-called ‘third mission’. As a result, academic capacity. Téthys is supported by Aix-Marseille
University and brings together more than 70
institutions and their governance bodies have been investing in universities from 19 countries including the main
organisational learning by developing a shared vision, aligning universities of the Maghreb, the Mashriq and
institutional strategies, adapting governance and engaging the countries of southern Europe. A place for a
higher education institution to begin the process
academic and administrative staff in the continuous improvement of evaluating its current capacity for change
of research, teaching, student services and other topics linked to could be through the HEInnovate initiative, which
the expanded role of the contemporary university. Organisational offers an assessment tool, open and available to
all institutions regardless of geographical area.
learning has therefore become a key factor for long-term success. Details about HEInnovate can be found at the end
In support of this trend, Erasmus+ has expanded their funding of this chapter.
offer. Their 2021-2027 programme offers numerous opportunities Higher education capacity development
for a wide range of organisations, including universities, research and Erasmus+ project funding
organisations, education and training providers, think-tanks, and
private businesses. The European Union's Erasmus+ programme
offers numerous opportunities for universities
and research institutes – but also think-tanks
and business organisations – to engage in higher
In academia, change and organisational learning can be very education capacity development. All countries
complex tasks. Universities are ‘knowing organisations’ , INSTITUTIONAL LOGICS around the Mediterranean basin have access
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which can make it challenging to transform them into ‘learning Institutional logics are systems of to the programme. The aim of the Erasmus+
organisations’. The motivations behind the actions taken by cultural elements (values, beliefs, programme is to support eligible partner
individuals inside higher education institutions are not always and normative expectations) by which countries to
clear. Depending on the national system and the organisation, people, groups, and organisations • Modernise, internationalise, and increase
hierarchies and governance structures can be rather ambiguous . make sense of and evaluate their access to higher education
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Moreover, the various disciplines inside the same academic everyday activities, and organise • Address the challenges facing their higher
institution often have diverging institutional logics . In the past, the those activities in time and space 57 education institutions and systems
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traditional way of assuring academic quality and relevance within • Increase cooperation with the EU
• Voluntarily converge with EU development in
higher education
• Promote people to people contacts, intercultural
awareness, and understanding
Special emphasis is put on progression towards
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as
higher education and research plays a unique
role in producing new knowledge and innovation
to address global challenges, especially SDGs 4,
8, 9, and 17.
The Erasmus+ programme is mainly made up of
three so-called ‘Key Actions’ (KA): (a) Learning
Mobility of Individuals, (b) Cooperation for
Innovation and Good Practice, and (c) Support
to Policy Reforms. In terms of organisational
capacity development, the actions under KA2
(Cooperation for Innovation and Good Practice)
make it possible for organisations from different
participating countries to work together, to
develop, share and transfer best practices and
innovative approaches in the fields of education,
training and youth.
KA2 is related to the European Universities
initiative which allows an inter-university campus
through long-term structural and strategic
cooperation between existing universities,
developing a regional identity. This type of
cooperation could be an inspiration for similar
South-South structures. There are two Erasmus+
theme areas under KA2 that are of particular
interest to universities and research institutes:
• Knowledge Alliances to foster innovation
in and through higher education together
with businesses, and beyond, contributing
to new approaches to teaching and learning,
entrepreneurship in education, and the
modernisation of higher education systems
• Capacity-building projects in the field of
higher education to support the modernisation,
accessibility, and internationalisation of higher
education in Partner Countries
As part of a project, organisations may engage in
development and networking activities, including
strategic improvement of the professional skills
of their staff, organisational capacity building, and
creating transnational cooperative partnerships
with organisations from other countries in order
to produce innovative outputs or exchange best