University of Bucharest Joins €2 Million European Project to Strengthen University Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The University of Bucharest is further strengthening its role within Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem by joining C-VENTURE – CIVIS innoVation and Entrepreneurship Network for compeTitive University Research Ecosystems as a partner. The project is funded under the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Higher Education Initiative Call 2025.

With total funding of nearly €2 million, C-VENTURE is the first project of this scale in the field of university innovation and entrepreneurship to involve the University of Bucharest as a partner. It marks an important milestone in the University’s efforts to strengthen its institutional capacity for knowledge transfer and the translation of research into real-world impact.

Coordinated by Sapienza Università di Roma (Italy), the project brings together members of CIVIS – Europe’s Civic University Alliance including the University of Bucharest,  Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Germany), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain) și Aix Marseille Université (France)– alongside public, private and non-governmental organisations. Together, the consortium aims to establish a permanent European network dedicated to academic innovation and entrepreneurship.

At the University of Bucharest, the project team is led by Professor Lucian Ciolan, Vice-Rector for Development Projects, Lifelong Learning and Educational Infrastructure. The team also includes Professor Paul Irofti from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science and Associate Professor Bianca Gălățeanu from the Faculty of Biology.

“The University of Bucharest’s participation in the C-VENTURE project represents far more than securing a major European grant. It is recognition of our University’s role as a trusted partner in shaping European policies and mechanisms for innovation and academic entrepreneurship. Through this project, we will help develop a shared model across the CIVIS Alliance, bringing together research, education and collaboration with industry to generate solutions with a tangible impact on society. At the same time, C-VENTURE provides an opportunity to strengthen the University of Bucharest’s capacity to support researchers, students and academic staff in turning ideas and research outcomes into entrepreneurial initiatives and innovation projects with European relevance,” said Professor Lucian Ciolan, Vice-Rector for Development Projects, Lifelong Learning and Educational Infrastructure and the University’s institutional coordinator for the C-VENTURE project.

The project’s main objective is to transform existing local initiatives across the partner universities into a shared, coherent and sustainable innovation ecosystem capable of accelerating the transfer of research into society and the economy. In doing so, C-VENTURE seeks to strengthen universities’ third mission by enhancing their contribution to economic and social development through modern mechanisms that support innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration with external partners.

At the European level, the project aims to provide entrepreneurship training for more than 4,000 participants while establishing new institutional structures dedicated to innovation, in line with the European Union’s priorities on the digital transition, the European Green Deal, and the development of future-oriented skills. Over the coming years, the University of Bucharest will work alongside its European partners to develop the project’s tools, training programmes and institutional mechanisms, with the goal of creating a sustainable and transferable model for supporting innovation and entrepreneurship across European higher education.

For the University of Bucharest, participation in C-VENTURE also provides an opportunity to help shape how European universities will foster research-based innovation and entrepreneurship in the years ahead. The project’s impact will extend well beyond its implementation period through the creation of institutional structures, practical tools and training programmes that can be adopted and adapted by universities across Europe, further strengthening the role of higher education in building a knowledge-based economy.