STARS EU brings together the broad research excellence of nine European universities. The goal is to contribute to the development and growth of individuals, regions and countries.The quality of our research is increased by the principles of collaboration and co-creation with partners outside academia. We want our knowledge and research to have an impact on society. Therefore, we actively and constantly look for ways to disseminate our research and make it available to sectors other than the academy. Through our knowledge-creation teams known as Thematic Interest Groups (TIGs), we aim for a systematic and structural interaction and collaboration with all types of regional stakeholders. This facilitates the delivery of a green and digital transition in the regions where we are located. It also naturally integrates research and education at universities into the joint responsibility of regional development.

What is the Challenge Lab?

The research infrastructure within STARS EU is developed and monitored by the Knowledge Creation and Challenge Lab, known simply as the Challenge Lab. It aims to deliver a research solutions agenda needed for societal development and to foster innovative research communities, while at the same time supporting an entrepreneurial approach. The Challenge Lab conceptualizes our multi- and cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and inter-university knowledge creation model. Together with students, businesses, industry, regional actors and civil society actors, STARS EU researchers address societal challenges in a multi- and cross-disciplinary approach, developing innovative solutions adaptable to different regions in Europe. The Challenge Lab will also develop the STARS EU Intellectual Property Rights Policy to ensure that data, research results and innovation are efficiently transformed into sustainable and innovative products, processes and services that are of socioeconomic value and benefit to society. The work conducted by the Challenge Lab in order to develop research within STARS EU is focused on four main areas.

1. The STARS EU Agenda for Research Solutions

To successfully meet future demands and needs in different areas at both regional and EU level, we will develop and implement the STARS EU Agenda for Research Solutions for sectors and industries in transition. The Agenda outlines how and with whom STARS EU does research, as well as models for maximizing impact and dissemination of new knowledge. In fact, the Agenda will be developed in close cooperation with students and regional partners.

2. Foster STARS EU research and innovation capacity

To enable future graduates to actively contribute to knowledge development in the STARS EU Priority Areas, special attention will be paid to learning from a research and innovation perspective in curricula. In addition, a common approach is needed for fostering researchers’ entrepreneurial skills in the frame of green and digital transition. We will identify needs for research and innovation-oriented training by collecting best practices and strategies within and beyond STARS EU regarding research and innovation-oriented training and curricula in bachelor’s and master’s degrees. We want to establish institutional support for researchers and PhD students in developing their entrepreneurial mindsets, especially in the fields of green and digital transition. We also strive to collaborate with, and use offers by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). We prioritize to involve students from research and innovation-oriented curricula, as well as PhD students.

3. Develop and maintain the STARS EU Knowledge & Technology Transfer Office

The STARS EU Knowledge & Technology Transfer Office (TTO) is a service in form of a database cataloguing the various fields of research excellence of the nine universities of the alliance. Through the K&TTO, partners outside the academy can easily find and contact researchers who can help them address issues vital to their organisation. Partners from business and industry can locate specific competences that they need to develop their products or services. And partners from the public sectors and civil society can find STARS EU researchers that can help them tackle different societal challenges like unemployment, integration, sustainability or skills development.

4. Support the STARS EU research communities

The task aims at developing a support system for researchers. One focus will be placed on developing a STARS EU Mentoring Programme within the STARS EU Alliance. But other activities for contact, inspiration and knowledge transfer will also be used. Like the open STARS Talk where experience and research in the alliance is shared by webinars. These and other activities are complementary to, and will assist in strengthening, the work done in the Thematic Interest Groups.

Our contribution to the European Research Area (ERA)

TARS EU contributes to the development of the European Research Area. STARS EU knowledge-creating teams collaborate to address societal challenges, supporting green and digital transition in the identified STARS EU Priority Areas.STARS EU researchers play a key role in knowledge creation and its translation into innovative products as well as public and private services. This is a process that will engage researchers, scientists and technologists, professors, students, local entrepreneurs and civil society leaders around the topics of our Thematic Interest Groups (TIG’s):
  1. Circular Economy
  2. Energy Transition
  3. Digital Transformation
  4. Arts and Creative Industries
  5. Healthy Ageing
  6. Living Spaces
  7. Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
  8. Sustainable Industry
  9. Inclusion and Social Justice

Open Education and Open Science

Open science is a key element of EU policy, which improves dissemination, knowledge transfer to industry and society, and the transparency and reproducibility of research. STARS EU will strive to implement FAIR principles and progressively join the European Open Science Data Cloud (OSDC) initiative. In particular, the relevant STARS EU personnel will be trained in research data management and good practices in open access. The STARS EU Alliance ensures that project outcomes and findings are publicly available on the STARS EU website, can be read on-line, downloaded and printed. STARS EU research projects will progressively include data management plans, and we will have a dedicated repository on our website, compliant with the FAIR principles, where all our research data will be available.

Leader

Gunnar(gunnar.peterson@hv.se)

Co-Leader

Rodrigo Trujillo(rotrujil@ull.edu.es)