The background of the U!Innovate project is based on the outcomes of the previous work of the U!REKA European University alliance, which aims to ensure that innovations emerging from applied research and education can be commercialised, scaled, and replicated across regions, thereby contributing concretely to Europe’s climate-neutral transition.
U!Innovate from CLIC Innovation’s Perspective
From CLIC Innovation’s point of view, U!Innovate represents a strategic opportunity to accelerate the development of transnational innovation ecosystems that integrate education, research, and business — the core of the knowledge triangle.
As a business partner and ecosystem expert, CLIC plays a key role in:
- Connecting SMEs to the U!Innovate incubator services to support the development and scaling of climate-smart solutions
- Engaging large corporations to fund and collaborate with start-ups and scale-ups emerging from the programme
- Facilitating knowledge triangle integration to ensure research-based innovations translate into sustainable market solutions
- Strengthening industry–academia collaboration across regions
Building a Joint Hybrid Inter‑Regional Incubator
A central outcome of U!Innovate is the development of a joint hybrid inter‑regional incubator, designed to connect diverse local ecosystems into a shared European support structure.
Through this incubator, U!Innovate supports the commercialisation of innovations addressing:
- Climate neutrality
- Circular economy solutions
- Citizen‑centred smart city development
CLIC contributes to this work by helping ensure that business partnerships, mentoring, and market‑driven perspectives are embedded into the incubator’s structure and services from the outset.
Phase 1 (2025): Laying the Foundations
During the Phase 1 in 2025, CLIC led its own dedicated task to build partnerships with industry. While the formal target was to set up at least two partnerships, CLIC exceeded this goal by bringing in seven industry partners from different sectors and geographical areas connected to the U!Innovate ecosystem.
CLIC also participated in shaping the mentoring programme as well as helped to “train the trainers” in HEIs in the support for commercialisation and scale-up of businesses for international market.
These activities helped develop the operational and competence foundations upon which the project now builds.
Phase 2 (2026–2027): Scaling Impact and Partnerships
In 2026 U!Innovate received the confirmation for Phase 2 and the project will continue until 2027 to build on the existing structures and platform. The goals for CLIC in phase two are twofold:
- To strengthen the already established partnerships, improve on the management structure and to tie the knowledge triangle into all the functions of the incubator.
- Bring in larger industry partnerships, with common interest in start-up and scale-up development and to create connections with funding bodies to further benefit the innovative and entrepreneurial solutions enter the European markets.
Expected impact
Overall, the project aims to support 500 climate solutions, train 1,200 students and 340 staff members, and foster new entrepreneurial ventures and business model transformation within established companies.
A Strong Strategic Fit for CLIC Innovation
For CLIC, U!Innovate aligns strongly with our mission to enable systemic innovation for sustainable cities by bridging higher education institutions, SMEs, corporations, and the public sector into a cohesive, innovation-driven European network.
Partners:
- Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Lead Partner) Finland
- Berlin Innovation Agency GmbH, Germany
- CLIC Innovation Oy, Finland
- European Association for the Applied Sciences in Higher Education (EURASHE), Belgium
- Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany
- GERMANTECH Operations GmbH, Germany
- Hogeschool Gent, Belgium
- Instituto Politecnico de Lisboa (IPL), Portugal
- Odessa National Economic University, Ukraine
- Stichting Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Netherlands
- VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Czechia
Contact
Aila Maijanen
Head of Bioeconomy, currently also Executive Officer for IBC Finland ry
Tel. +358 50 375 1182
aila.maijanen(at)clicinnovation.fi