Michael Ambros (BOKU) at the CASE stand
More than 400 representatives from business, higher education institutions and the European Union gathered in central Brussels in early April to share their experiences regarding University-Business cooperation in Europe. The Forum is a platform for the so far 40 Knowledge Alliance projects financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program, aiming to strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity and foster innovation in higher education, business and the broader socio-economic environment.
CASE was invited to participate in the exposition and disseminate the latest project results. With more than twenty exhibitors displaying exciting and innovative projects, there was high competition for the visitors’ attention. However, with a stand located directly at the entrance of the conference center, no visitor could overlook our exhibition and Michael and Gabriela were given ample opportunity to present CASE.
Apart from the exhibition, the topic how university-business cooperation can be intensified was intensely debated in workshops, panel discussions and key note addresses. As one of the speakers highlighted, you need not only bridges, but also places to meet and exchange ideas. It is key to understand and accept the differences between the players, build trust and be patient. As the various best practice examples showed, trusted relationships are the building blocks of successful collaborations. The conference participants were given the opportunity to build bridges at the networking dinner at the Belgian Comic Strip Center located in a beautiful Art Nouveau building, witnessing of Brussels rich history in both architecture and comic art.
