The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is the public research university of the Basque Country. Its mission is to “nurture an enlightened population by providing quality education and training based on knowledge, innovation and equity”. It is fully committed to its culture, to addressing societal challenges and to sustainable development through education, training, research, knowledge transfer and global alliances in all fields of knowledge. Involving more than 50,000 people (45,000 students and 5,600 academics) it is responsible for 70% of the research carried out in the Basque Country. It has generated so far 300,000 graduates in the most diverse fields of knowledge.
The University of the Basque Country is one of the 10 research-intensive universities that are members of the ENLIGHT University Alliance. ENLIGHT was established in 2020 with the ambition to become and impact-oriented and transformative alliance. More specifically, it aims to conduct an impact-driven and challenge-based transformation of European higher education to empower learners as globally engaged citizens with state-of-the-art knowledge and skills, while synergising its R&I potential with and for its societal partners.
In the context of ENLIGHT, UPV/EHU leads the impact-related activities and the tasks leading to the launch of Alliance-wide knowledge creation teams. In alignment with its mission to promote a culture of impact in and beyond the Alliance, it has launched a Repository of Good Practices on Research Impact, designed the ENLIGHT Methodology for Impact Assessment, and developed a programme for Research Impact Training. Likewise, it is supporting the launch and running of bottom-up interdisciplinary academic networks for developing joint challenge-based activities in education, research, and outreach in key flagship areas.
UPV/EHU counts on the strong support of the Euskampus Foundation, a private-public inter-institutional initiative to drive Basque R&D&I and its internationalisation, with a clear vocation of social responsibility and integration with its territory. The mission of Euskampus Fundazioa is to undertake, catalyse and lead processes of connection and co-creation that generate dynamics and innovative cooperative programs of higher education, research and knowledge transfer in order to bring out and promote joint responses to scientific, technological and cultural challenges with a high social impact.
Our role in the project
Leveraging its strong research capacity, the ENLIGHT Alliance reach, and Euskampus Foundation support, the UPV/EHU is playing a key role in the ReSkillSpan project. It is leading the Work Package Mapping and Investigation with the objectives of (1) identifying, collecting and exchanging best practices between Higher Education Institutions, research institutions, and other training providers on the improvement of research and transversal skills training; (2) Identifying transversal skill areas where frameworks, methodologies and approaches, developed to facilitate work in an industry setting may be transferred to an academic research context; and (3) Identifying areas where the current training offerings fall short in addressing researchers’ skills needs. This investigation phase will set the groundwork for proceeding in the next with the parallel design, development and testing of initiatives within the partner Higher Education Institutions.