Place, Knowledge, Skills: Applied universities driving regional competitiveness
EURASHE 34th Annual Conference
Amidst rising geopolitical challenges and global competition, the President of the European Commission has called for a greater focus on Europe’s economic competitiveness. The recently published report by Mario Draghi “The future of European competitiveness” underlines that in today’s global economy, competitiveness is built on a highly skilled workforce, as well as the creation and application of new knowledge. In his report “More than a Market”, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has renewed a long-standing call for a fifth freedom in the European Single Market, allowing for greater circulation of human capital and knowledge. Yet, European competitiveness should be promoted with a sustainable and inclusive approach. Increasing competitiveness in all regions will make Europe much greater than the sum of its parts, and ensure that there are no ‘left behind places’ that breed populism and nationalism.
How can Higher Education Institutions contribute to this objective within regional innovation ecosystems adapted to the local context, following the smart specialisation approach? This is the guiding question for the 34th Annual Conference of EURASHE, the European Association for the Applied Sciences in Higher Education.
10:00 – 00:00 
Portalegre, Portugal 
Konferenz