ABD calls in Brussels for social entities to be recognised as key players in the European innovation ecosystem

The director of the ABD group’s International Area, Mireia Munté, and the entity’s manager, Àngels Guiteras, participated in a high-level ECIU conference and in the meeting of its board of directors

The ABD Group has participated as a stakeholder, representing the entities of the social sector, in the high-level conference of the ECIU Universities in Brussels with the title A competitive future with European universities. In particular, ABD contributed to the role of civil society organisations in European university alliances.

In the round table, the director of the International Area, Mireia Munté, put on the table a central idea: the European social model is not a complement to the competitiveness agenda, but is the basis.

Munté has shown how the entity has been demonstrating this idea with events that are transferred in projects such as those developed with the University of ECIU: a work with UAB students on food safety in El Prat de Llobregat that transformed the way of working of ABD and two microcredentials designed with the UAB and other ECIU member universities – one for ABD professionals and another open to third sector entities to access European financing on equal terms. In addition, it is observed with other European projects that work on social and labour inclusion such as POWGEN.

These examples reflect what ABD brings to an ecosystem like ECIU: forty years of direct observation of social reality, presence in the territories where people live the real challenges and the ability to convert day-to-day knowledge into innovation.

Thus, Munté has demanded that organizations such as ABD be recognized as full actors of the European innovation ecosystem, not as beneficiaries but as partners.

Magda De Carli, director of Unit A.2 (ERA, Excellence and Research Careers) within the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, also participated in the round table, highlighting the crucial role that universities and alliances play in strengthening European research ecosystems; together with Stefan Zotti, deputy head of the Higher Education Unit of the European Commission, who highlighted the potential of European university alliances to boost Europe’s competitiveness.

Board meeting

On the same day, march 25th, the CEO of the ABD Group, Àngels Guiteras, took part of the ECIU Board meeting, from which she is a member.

The European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) unites research-focused institutions to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. Connects Researchers, companies and policy makers to promote impact collaboration.

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