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Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged: Higher Education and Regions

Sep 19 2007 00:00
Sep 21 2007 00:00
Etc/GMT

Valencia, Spain

Higher education institutions (HEIs) can play a key role in their regions. They are significant regional employers, they educate students and conduct basic and applied research that promotes enterprise formation and supports businesses, public services and cultural institutions. Bringing together policy makers and practitioners; public and private bodies concerned with regional development; leaders and managers of HEIs; and those responsible for community liaison and regional development at HEIs, this important conference will look at ways in how HEIs can best contribute to the region building in the knowledge-based economy.

OECD countries are now seeking to mobilise higher education to support more strongly their economic, social and cultural development. Initiatives to foster innovation and competitiveness draw on the "triple helix" cooperation between government, business and higher education institutions.

In 2004, the OECD launched a comparative review of how higher education is being mobilised to support the social, cultural and economic development of regions. The experiences from this review and the earlier OECD work on territorial reviews, carried out by the Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development (GOV) are brought together in the OECD conference entitled "Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged - Higher Education and Regions". A report under the same title will be launched at the conference.

Purpose of the conference

This conference will: 

  • Provide an opportunity for policy makers to reflect on the role of higher education institutions in regional development in the globalising knowledge-based economy. 
  • Help national and regional governments and HEIs to develop strategies for ensuring global excellence and local focus of higher education. 
  • Explore the strategic role of HEIs as drivers of regional economic, social and cultural development.  

Through case studies it will:

  • Examine successful regional engagement of higher education, in terms of: 
    • innovation and competitive advantage of the regions 
    •  human capital development
    • cultural industries and sustainable development  
  • Examine key issues in mobilising higher education for regional engagement, such as: 
    • governance and management 
    • capacity building: brokers and facilitators
    • evaluation and assessment  

 For further information contact Jaana Puukka, e-mail: [email protected]

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