For two days, researchers from all Ulysseus partner universities and beyond meet in Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. At this forum they will both present their papers on key research and innovation challenges in the EU and attend a series of workshops focused on enhancing their transferable and complementary skills.
Ulysseus European University continues its transformation process to becoming a European University excellence model through Research and Innovation. For this occasion, it is hosting in Helsinki the COMPASS Conference: Transferable Skills for Research & Innovation which gathers a total of 220 participants, on site and online. This event marks one of the key milestones of COMPASS: Leading Ulysseus to become a European University excellence model through Research and Innovation (R&I). This is a Horizon 2020 project and the flagship for Ulysseus R&I agenda and strategy.
The conference was organized by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences at its Pasila Campus in Helsinki and took place on October 4 and 5. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences is one of the eight partner universities of the Ulysseus alliance and the second most important university of applied sciences in Finland.
The event offered participants an unique an excellent international forum to address key research and innovation challenges that are currently faced in the EU. Additionally, it posed a great opportunity to foster cooperation and facilitate networking within the research community of Ulysseus and beyond.
Vice President of Haaga-Helia Dr. Salla Huttunen opened the Conference by presenting Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences to a broad international audience. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of transferable skills for researchers, such as ethical leadership, resilience, creativity and curiosity. She also underlined the importance of public engagement and networking for which the Compass Conference offers and excellent scenario for both young and more experienced researchers. The opening speech was followed by a presentation of the current status of Ulysseus European University and the project COMPASS by Dr. Carmen Vargas, Vicerrector of University of Seville and General Coordinator of Ulysseus. Finally, Atte Jääskeläinen, President of the Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra, did his keynote speech on “Research and Innovation during times of wicked problems”. Here, he highlighted the fact that science needs to be more transdisciplinary than ever due to the uncertainty we are currently living in.
More than 80 papers to analyze and discuss key research and innovation challenges
The COMPASS Conference was held on two days. The first day was fully dedicated to researchers presenting and sharing their papers either in person or online. A total of 86 papers were shortlisted and presented in seven paralel sessions.
All papers are affiliated to the Ulysseus European University Innovation Hub topics: sustainable energy, transport, mobility for smart cities; ageing & wellbeing; tourism, arts & heritage; sustainable entrepreneurship and impact; digitalization, robotics and cybersecurity transforming the future; applied AI for business and education and socio-ecological sustainability.
Seven workshops to enhance transferable and complementary skills
The second day of the conference was dedicated to enhancing researchers’ transferable and complementary skills through engaging workshops. These sessions covered topics such as entrepreneurship and intellectual property rights for researchers, self-management and self-leadership, EU project funding, equality in research and development, and developing transferrable skills during a PhD, among others. All workshops were taught by experts and aimed to equip participants with valuable tools, methodologies, and insights that extend beyond their specific research topics.
About COMPASS
COMPASS: Leading Ulysseus to become a European University excellence model through Research and Innovation is a Horizon 2020 project and the flagship for Ulysseus R&I agenda and strategy. This action, which is part of the Science with and for Society program of Horizon 2020 (SwafS), will facilitate Ulysseus’ transformation process towards becoming a European university through a common R&I strategy that will in turn consolidate its Innovation Ecosystem.
Participants of the COMPASS Conference in Helsinki. © Haaga-Helia
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