Collaboration in Higher Education for Digital Transformation in European Business

Collaboration in Higher Education for Digital Transformation in European Business - CHEDTEB
An Erasmus Plus Strategic Partnership project.

Partners: Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences/D, Brno University of Technology/CZ, University of Tartu/EST

Idea of this project
Digitization is fast becoming a powerful driver of change in business and public life. Whilst the technologies in themselves are a major challenge for most European businesses, the underlying changes in company organisations, processes, skills requirements and business models are still, for most businesses, something of a white spot on the roadmap to the digital enterprise.
The focus of this project is on assisting business and industry in addressing this specific challenge.

The role of universities
Universities are not the only, but an important stakeholder in this change in society and the economy.
The following processes that they run in this context will serve digital change:
Process 1: Universities drive and transfer innovation and reach out to society in this.
Process 2: Universities design and deliver education and skills.
Process 3: Universities reform themselves to increase their effectiveness

Objectives of the project
This project shared by the three partner universities Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences/D, University of Technology Brno/CZ and University of Tartu/EST aims to provide the framework for a future joint master's degree on Digital Transformation of Corporate Business.
Key outputs that will provide the foundations of this future degree will be:
- Benefit analyses, guidelines, implementation scenarios and tools focusing on core fields of digitization: finance, use of big data across sectors and company functions, new processes and change, new skill sets.
- A curriculum reflecting the skills needs of industry, business and society at large
- A blueprint for starting digital change at universities themselves
These outputs are of a transferable nature and go beyond the specific need of the future master's degree. They are designed to support European companies in their efforts to actively approach digital transformation, thus increasing their competitiveness.

Activities
Working groups will produce, in co-operation with external partners from business and industry, NGOs and special interest groups, materials and tools that will be showcased at international conferences, fairs and other events. From early stage on, sharing results and campaigning over the project website, social media and internet platforms will disseminate results and generate feedback.
In order to test and enrich the outputs produced, the consortium will run training courses on aspects of digitization (blockchain, big data, skills and curriculum design and digital university administration and marketing).

Methodology
The consortium will run a number of mixed working groups that will draw on diverse competences brought in by three universities and external partners. An open innovation approach will be taken in the production of outputs by enabling and encouraging working groups to communicate beyond their institutions with peers and interested groups.

Exploitation of results and impact
All results are open-access items and will be made publicly available, with reservations applying to strictly corporate intellectual property. The project will prepare the implementation of a master's degree open to excellent students from Europe and beyond. The corporate and other partners that support this preparation phase will continue to be involved in the delivery of the degree.
The ambition of the project is to not only produce single-case materials but also to help activating the opportunities that lie in digital transformation for European businesses and society in general.

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