Creation of CoVEs in the ICT sector and a platform for cooperation

With this article, we start a series of presentations on the goals and implementation activities of the INVESTech project, which was generated to support transnational cooperation between new Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) that are to be established in the field of ICT in five European countries.

Let's first focus on the activity package called "Creating COVEs in the IT sector and developing a platform for collaboration".This package is actually also a work program aiming to prepare the basis for the development of national centers of excellence in the ICT sector (CoVEs) and to develop a model and a virtual platform for cooperation between them.

The centers (CoVEs) will promote the innovation culture and support their participation in the implementation of the regional strategies for smart specialization with an emphasis on sustainable development, by applying the framework (model) of the quintuple innovation helix (Q2IH). It is a model that includes the connections and interactions between academia, industry, the public sector, civil society and the natural environment.

Here are the main activities that are included in this work package to achieve the defined objective:

1) First of all, an analysis of the regional characteristics and potential for innovation in the planned five countries where the five Regional Centers of Excellence (CoVEs) will be developed and implemented. An analysis of the five regional economies, society and innovation infrastructure is to be carried out, on the basis of which an assessment will be made of their existing assets and the prospects for their future development. The analysis should cover: regional assets and technological infrastructures, the interconnections between these regions within the common European economy and the characteristics and dynamics of the existing entrepreneurial environment in individual countries.

2) Secondly, the participation of the interested parties from each individual country must be ensured in this process. In co-creating the "new" skills ecosystem, it will be necessary to develop and implement a model of co-ownership and participation.The creation of a country's CoVEs will need to ensure synergy at the local and national level, involving the most important stakeholders that cover the 5 dimensions of the innovation spiral: education, industry, public sector, social actors and environmental actors.

3) Thirdly, it is intended to develop a clear and shared vision for the future of the five CoVEs among partners and stakeholders. At the core will lie the design of a new communication platform for cooperation and a common road map for the creation of a transnational network of the five centers (CoVEs). Here, a decisive role for the sustainability of the results of this project will be played by the development of a strategic plan for the development of this network over time, which will be agreed upon by all participants in the project and their partners.

To be continued......