25 Feb 2026
EC report analyses role of universities in innovation ecosystems
The European Commission's Education and Culture Executive Agency (EECEA) has published a report on 'Universities in innovation ecosystems and the role of the European Universities alliances'. The report explores explore universities’ embeddedness in innovation ecosystems (specifically through research collaboration and equipping students with entrepreneurial skills), using data from the European Higher Education Sector Observatory (EHESO) and the European Higher Education Sector Scoreboard (EHESS).
The report finds that there is no single way in which universities are embedded in innovation ecosystems; but that there are different national profiles. No single country leads across all forms of measured partnership. For example, Cyprus records the highest levels amongst the countries observed in universities and industry securing EU-FP funding together. Finland demonstrates higher values of university-industry collaboration, and smaller economies like Liechtenstein show comparatively higher values in universities and industry producing joint research publications.
Domestic internships are generally more common than international traineeships. Nations like Estonia and Lithuania stand out by demonstrating high performance in providing both widespread domestic internships and high rates of Erasmus+ traineeships. Graduate outcomes also vary, reflecting different national labour markets. Entrepreneurial activity is generally low, but Estonia is a leader in company creation while Southern European countries like Portugal and Greece show higher rates of self-employment.
These findings highlight that university-industry collaboration is a cornerstone of vibrant innovation ecosystems, which in turn serve as the foundational units of effective national innovation systems. Countries that have stronger institutional-level university-industry collaboration, also show better student outcomes, such as completed internships. Universities in European Universities alliances (EUA) outperform their peers in three specific areas: participation in the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, co-publishing with industry partners, and Erasmus+ traineeships for doctoral students.