The 4th Generation University Community
Working together to achieve societal and economic impact in regional innovation ecosystems
Our mission
A 4th Generation University orchestrates regional innovation ecosystems, achieving societal and economic impact through partnerships with industry, government, and civil society.
Our mission is to help like-minded institutions become 4th Generation Universities. We will do this by developing and promoting the concept, sharing expertise, and developing insightful indicators, so that universities and their ecosystems can drive socio-economic growth, solve societal challenges, and better tell their stories.
Who are we?
The 4th Generation University Community is a group of representatives from universities, university associations, corporations, and government agencies who are interested in furthering their innovation ecosystems.
It is supported by a Board with experts from the following organisations:
- Aalto University, Finland
- Aston University, UK
- Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
- Elsevier
- Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, China
- Strathclyde University, UK
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
- University of Auckland, New Zealand
The Board has set three strategic objectives for the Community:
- University members contribute to transforming their regions by orchestrating the innovation ecosystem
- Universities are recognised and celebrated for their regional impact
- Universities can sustainably build their capacity
Benefits of joining the community
The 4th Generation concept is resonating with many universities worldwide who aim to strengthen ties with innovation ecosystems and forge impactful partnerships. Universities and individuals are joining the community to help them on this journey by sharing expertise and developing insightful indicators.
We invite universities and individuals for whom the 4th Generation University concept resonates to join the community. The services available to the community will continue to grow over the coming months, including:
- Sharing best practice from world-class 4th Generation Universities on strategy development, execution and indicators
- Demonstrating success through indicators, data and benchmarks
- Understanding impact and finding opportunities to improve impact
- Building your network with similar universities globally
- Shaping together the evolution of 4th Generation University community
Join the 4th Generation University community now
Webinar recording:
Rethinking Technology Transfer in the Era of 4th Generation Universities
You can watch the recording of an engaging conversation with Dr. Barbara Schmuker, Head of Strategic Initiatives, Partnerships and Projects at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Prof. Dr. Janne Laine, Vice President of Innovation Ecosystem Services at Aalto University. Together, they delved into how Technology Transfer is being redefined in the era of 4th Generation Universities (4GUs).
Also missed our first webinar on the origins and ambitions of the 4th Generation University? Watch the Watch the webinar recording
Strathclyde’s distinctive research and innovation ecosystem has been built over the last 20 years based on a long-standing tradition of collaboration with industry partners and government. We need indicators to recognize this different kind of university.
Tim Bedford
Associate Principal Research and Innovation, University of Strathclyde