TEFCE

TEFCE Towards a EU Framework for Community Engagement of Higher Education

By focusing on the community engagement of universities, the TEFCE project directly addresses the Modernisation Agenda’s emphasis on ensuring the societal impact of higher education, including through closer relationships with universities’ external stakeholders (businesses, local govern-ments and civil society) and by promoting innovation through a knowledge triangle of education, research and innovation. The TEFCE project, however, approaches the knowledge triangle with an empha-sis on innovation in a broader sense, in particular on the importance of universities in generating social innovation and on the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) that are currently promoted in the EU’s research policies and programmes, in terms of fostering a stronger focus on the effects of innovation on the citizen and on socially responsible and sustainable business.

Interests of the Project:

Enhancing the social impact of higher education, rather than focus just on economic development.

Developing new concepts of ‘quality’ and ‘relevance’ that encompass impact on community/society.

Expectations:

Best case: EC/EU stakeholders and HEIs express strong support for TEFCE tools and results and express interest in further developing these after end of project. Worst case: Project provides valuable tools for „enthusiasts” and contributes to agenda-setting at the European level regarding community engagement in HE

more information:www.tefce.eu/