An entrepreneurial and innovative HEI promotes a set of initiatives and funding that inspires and supports academic and professional staff, researchers, graduates and students in linking knowledge with global challenges. Higher education institutions play a pivotal role, in their local communities and the wider ecosystem in supporting and driving regional, social and community development as well as addressing global challenges. Developing solutions to global challenges that foster sustainability and address societal challenges and needs should be closely linked with the HEI’s entrepreneurial initiatives. An entrepreneurial and innovative HEI brings together researchers, staff, graduates, students and societies from the entrepreneurial ecosystem to debate priorities and challenges and foster common solutions to generate a benefit to all.

There are different ways how to implement such entrepreneurial activities, that vary from higher education institution partnerships dedicated to addressing global challenges through participating in collaborative programmes at regional, national and international levels that offer the opportunity to address global challenges to student focused activities. The latter can be organised for example by setting challenges for groups of students to develop innovative solutions - through virtual or physical collaboration means - that address a selected global challenge area (or more), by organising hackathons or offering mentoring and networking opportunities.