Our mission
Turn ideas into solutions
TRIANGLE’s mission is to transform the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) by integrating them into Europe’s innovation ecosystems. Through cross-border collaboration, entrepreneurial training, and AI-powered participation tools, we empower students, researchers, and professionals to co-create impactful solutions that address Europe’s societal and economic challenges.
The Challenge We Address
Europe faces a critical innovation gap that threatens its global competitiveness and economic resilience. While European universities produce world-class research, too often this knowledge remains trapped in academic silos, never reaching the market or addressing real societal needs.
🔍 Key Challenges
Disconnected Ecosystems: Higher education institutions (HEIs) operate in isolation from industry and broader innovation networks, limiting knowledge transfer and practical impact.
Regional Disparities: Innovation capacity varies dramatically across European regions, with talent and resources concentrated in established hubs while emerging regions struggle to retain researchers and entrepreneurs.
Skills Gap: Academics and researchers often lack the entrepreneurial, digital, and green skills needed to transform research into market-ready innovations and successful startups.
Limited Participation: Women, underrepresented groups, and communities in less-developed innovation regions face barriers to participating in Europe's innovation economy.
Fragmented Support: Aspiring academic entrepreneurs navigate a complex landscape of disconnected programs, lacking coordinated mentorship and resources needed to launch and scale ventures.
2030 Outlook
By 2030, TRIANGLE envisions a resilient, inclusive, and connected pan-European innovation ecosystem that offers:
Seamless Collaboration: Academia, industry, and society work together naturally, breaking down traditional silos to co-create solutions for Europe’s most pressing challenges.
Research-to-Market Pipeline: Startups and spinoffs emerge systematically from academic research, transforming cutting-edge discoveries into market-ready innovations that create jobs and economic value.
Universal Access to Skills: Digital, green, and entrepreneurial competencies are accessible to all Europeans, ensuring equal participation across regions and demographics in Europe’s innovation future.
Inclusive Innovation: Underrepresented groups, women, and less-advantaged communities are active contributors and leaders, not just participants, in shaping Europe’s innovation landscape.
Part of the EIT Ecosystem
TRIANGLE is proudly part of the EIT Higher Education Initiative, a flagship program of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) designed to strengthen innovation capacity in European higher education institutions.
Project Funding & Support
This work has been carried out within the project "TRIANGLE – Transforming Research, Industry & Academia into Networks for Growth & Leadership" (Project Agreement No 24509), which is part of the EIT Higher Education Initiative and receives funding from EIT Urban Mobility and the European Union.
Total Budget
€1,337,973
Grant Agreement
24509
Duration
25 months
EIT Urban Mobility is one of the EIT's Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), focused on creating smart, sustainable, and inclusive urban mobility solutions. Through this partnership, TRIANGLE contributes to building innovation capacity in mobility-related research and entrepreneurship.
EIT Digital provides additional support and expertise, connecting TRIANGLE participants with Europe's leading digital innovation ecosystem and fostering cross-sector collaboration in technology-driven entrepreneurship.
Work Packages
TRIANGLE's work is organized into six interconnected work packages, each with specific objectives and deliverables that contribute to the project's overall success.
📋 WP1/2: Project Management and Technical Coordination
Lead: UniBa | Duration: M1-M25 | Participants: All partners
Objectives: WP1 and WP2 are responsible for the effective administrative, financial and technical management of the project. The project coordinator (PC), along with the scientific and technical coordinator, will ensure the effective collaboration among the consortium members and WP leaders.
• Manage the project according to the EU Grant Agreement
• Develop the risk management and quality control framework
• Promote the awareness of objectives to all participating parties
• Monitor the performance and progress of the project
• Prepare and distribute all required documentation
🔬 WP3: Preparation, Design and Trial of Pilot Programme
Lead: S2X | Duration: M1-M9 | Participants: All partners
Objectives: WP3 aims to co-design, implement, and refine a comprehensive programme that bridges academia and industry to foster startup creation and growth. It involves establishing two student cohorts: a pilot trial to test methodologies and a full-fledged programme refined based on pilot insights.
The programme includes co-designed training and mentoring sprints tailored to each cohort and supported by a mentor pool to ensure effective collaboration and development. Deployment will occur in four partner countries (AL, CY, GR, ES), with the pilot evaluated to draw lessons for scaling.
🚀 WP4: Full-Fledged Programme Implementation
Lead: AUBM | Duration: M10-M25 | Participants: All partners
Objectives: WP4 aims to implement the full-fledged training and mentoring reviewed sprints, using the insights from the co-design and pilot phase. This international program will enhance the exchange of knowledge, digital, green and entrepreneurial skills, and talents between academia and innovation ecosystem actors.
Participants from around Europe, including researchers, university students (e.g., MSc, PhD), professors, company staff, etc., will learn to understand and execute effective business and innovation processes. This approach empowers them to act as entrepreneurs or future intrapreneurs and develop their viable business models.
📢 WP5/6: Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation
Lead: UniBa | Duration: M1-M25 | Participants: All partners
Objectives: The aim of WP5/6 is the dissemination, communication and exploitation activities. The main objectives are to:
• Provide a benign environment for commercialisation and exploitation activities
• Extend the understanding of the project's impacts by closely involving diverse stakeholders
• Interact with standardization bodies to ensure acceptance and sustainability after project conclusion