As Europe contends with pressing societal challenges and technological disruption, universities must evolve into engines of innovation and entrepreneurship. That is the premise behind ELEVATE, a new European project led by Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) and supported by the EIT HEI Initiative. At the core of this effort is the CATÓLICA-LISBON Research Unit in Business and Economics (CUBE), contributing to core components of the ELEVATE project, aligning seamlessly with its mission to bridge academic excellence, turning knowledge into solutions with real-world impact.
Higher education institutions are under increasing pressure to produce not just knowledge, but actionable innovations. ELEVATE rises to that challenge with a clear strategic goal: to transform the entrepreneurial and innovation (E&I) capacity of universities across Europe, particularly in fields such food (bio)technology, (bio)medicine, artificial intelligence, arts, business, entrepreneurship and innovation, to generate sustainable business opportunities in an interdisciplinary environment. With an interdisciplinary approach anchored in the European EntreComp framework for entrepreneurial education, ELEVATE includes project acceleration, expert mentoring, and a range of activities designed to foster collaboration between businesses, municipalities, and research centres.
Under the guidance of René Bohnsack, Full Professor, and Margarita Oja da Silva, Research Assistant at the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab, CUBE researchers bring cutting-edge expertise in digital technologies, entrepreneurship, and AI to the forefront of the international consortia.
“Excited to support the AI and entrepreneurship component of the project Elevate. Especially looking forward to collaborating with partners from across Europe to elevate our future entrepreneurs and guide them in everything related to AI.””— René Bohnsack.
Bridging Academia and the Innovation Economy
CUBE’s role spans several core components of the project including:
- Training Programme
As part of its commitment to capacity building, CUBE is contributing to the development of a comprehensive training program designed to equip students and staff with both domain-specific and entrepreneurial competencies. At the heart of this effort is a Core Curriculum that integrates technical expertise with critical business skills, including entrepreneurship and innovation. CUBE will be actively involved in the delivery of two online modules—AI Fundamentals and AI & Entrepreneurship—scheduled from October to November 2025. In addition to content delivery, the CUBE team will provide personalized mentoring to participants, ensuring that students not only absorb knowledge but also receive practical guidance as they explore entrepreneurial pathways in AI and digital innovation.
- Ecosystem Mapping
To strengthen the foundations of regional innovation ecosystems, the consortium will lead efforts to map local actors and structures, with a focus on identifying key players across the Knowledge Triangle—academia, industry, and government. In a survey, the team will identify their real needs and existing gaps in the innovation support system, with a focus on education and training, networking and support to startups. The results will inform the creation of an Innovation Support Strategy, offering a clear, actionable roadmap for improving institutional and ecosystem-level support mechanisms. CUBE plays a key role in the local mapping effort, leading the identification of relevant actors and reporting on insights that will shape strategic recommendations at both the national and European levels.
“ELEVATE ties directly into my PhD research on how AI is reshaping entrepreneurial teams and ecosystems. It’s also a natural extension of our lab’s broader research agenda in digital innovation and tech transfer.” — Margarita da Silva.
The project aims to catalyze structural change in HEIs, improving their capacity to transfer technology, foster innovation, and enhance graduate employability. It will do so by:
- Offering an interdisciplinary core curriculum across biotechnology, AI, entrepreneurship and arts.
- Hosting three editions of the custom-designed course, two Summer Schools, and 25+ training events to students and staff across Portugal, Italy, and Denmark.
- Facilitating startup creation, investment attraction, and acceleration programs.
“ELEVATE aims to act as a catalyst for innovation in key sectors such as agri-food, health, ICT and the cultural industries, by building bridges between academic knowledge and real societal challenges. This is a unique opportunity to create an interdisciplinary ecosystem that brings together creative perspectives and expertise from diverse fields, including food, health, and the creative industries — all empowered by artificial intelligence” — João Cortez.
The Bigger Picture: Impact at Scale
By nurturing a new generation of innovation leaders, ELEVATE contributes to the emergence of knowledge-intensive startups, enhances graduate employability, and strengthens the pathways for technology transfer from academia to industry. The program actively leverages existing innovation ecosystems—such as MateraHub and Tecmafoods—while fostering robust connections among HEIs, municipalities, investors, and industry stakeholders.
Importantly, ELEVATE also promotes structural transformation within universities, supporting the development of more agile, innovation-oriented internal processes. These changes are designed to scale and adapt across six European regions, offering a replicable model for aligning education with the demands of the modern economy.
In alignment with the EIT HEI Initiative’s Strategic Objectives, ELEVATE acts as both a catalyst and benchmark for science- and tech-based entrepreneurship in Europe—equipping institutions, students, and ecosystems to meet the challenges of tomorrow with creativity, resilience, and impact.
About the Consortium
ELEVATE is coordinated by UCP (Portugal – member of the SACRU network and the Transform4Europe alliance) and includes Università degli Studi di Trieste (Italy – Transform4Europe member); Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy – SACRU network member); Aarhus University (Denmark); Food4Sustainability CoLAB (Portugal); TecmaFoods (Portugal – food sector enterprise); and MateraHub (Italy – centre for cultural and creative innovation).. At UCP, five research centres contribute to the project, including CUBE, reinforcing its commitment to science-based entrepreneurship and innovation.