A journey to create an education-fuelled ecosystem in a nascent sector.
EIT Higher Education Initiative (HEI) supported by EIT RawMaterials
Dr Birgit Thoben – Managing Director of Future. Solutions GmbH and Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham, UK – believes that strong collaboration between universities and companies is essential in achieving excellence in education. Thoben took part in an EU-funded project to design advanced training in entrepreneurship.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Through competitive calls for proposals, the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Higher Education Initiative (HEI), supported by EIT RawMaterials, offers grants to higher education institutions and their partners to boost capacity in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Thoben was approached by a consortium to help develop entrepreneurship curricula for the emerging hydrogen sector workforce. The task was a natural fit for her because her consulting firm is uniquely positioned at the intersection of hydrogen technologies and innovation methodologies. Her approach is to equip engineers with knowledge in areas such as ideation, intellectual property, financial management, and investment strategies. Thoben’s first step in the HEI project was to develop a train-the-trainer programme for professors, enabling them in turn to train their students. This multiplier effect is important, given the urgency of preparing for a market that is still in its infancy in Europe.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The “KICstartH2” project (2022–2024) was awarded €1.2 million to accelerate hydrogen uptake throughout Europe through education and innovation targeted at students and industry professionals. A consortium of 9 higher education institutions, 2 research institutes, and 1 SME developed online hydrogen and business innovation modules, using flipped learning methodologies. Close to 250 students were trained on innovation and entrepreneurship and 50 students were mentored.
“Through the EIT Higher Education Initiative, I gained access to a network of partners with whom I was able to test innovative, field-applicable methods. This would not have been available to me otherwise, and thanks to the funding support, there was minimal risk for my company.”
EIT HEI — ADDED VALUE
Working on the KICstartH2 project enabled Thoben to interact with universities, and to build collaborations. This led to valuable knowledge exchange and ultimately to new projects being funded. Thoben gained recognition as word of her expertise spread, opening up a broader network with access to new markets and different customers.
The 100% funding rate for companies helped derisk some of the innovation that was brought into the course designs. The courses are now certified, with their quality recognised as meeting university standards. It was on this basis that Thoben was appointed Associate Prof. at the University of Birmingham.
Thoben’s courses have also found their way into the training catalogues of the EIT, in particular in the context of the Deep Tech Talent Initiative. This enables her to be part of a trainer community, receive ongoing training, and be invited to contribute to other training opportunities.
PERSON & COMPANY
Thoben is an engineer with a doctorate in fuel cells, linking fuel cells with innovation and entrepreneurship. She spent 14 years at Bosch in R&D and technology scouting, co-invented 20 patents, and then served as Global Innovation Manager before founding Future.Solutions GmbH for consulting, education, and training.
As a long-standing expert reviewer of proposals in the fields of hydrogen and innovation for the European Commission, she is well-versed in EU funding mechanisms. Despite this thorough knowledge, she still contacts Euresearch to keep abreast of the latest developments, such as eligibility criteria, EU submission platform and administrative aspects.
“If you want to make a difference in the field of higher education training, then you should take part in the EIT Higher Education Initiative.”
EURESEARCH
Euresearch is a Swiss information and advisory service on the European Research and Innovation Framework Programmes. It has offices in all the Swiss regions and a Network Office in Bern. Euresearch is a non-profit organisation funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.
For transparency:
This article is published in multiple languages. The German and French versions are based on an automated translation of the original English text.