HEI-TRAIN NETWORKING
University and business collaboration
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HEI-TRAIN: From university dialogue to business practice
Alongside the Innovation & Startup Festival, Phase One of HEI-TRAIN included several working visits focused on strengthening university and business collaboration.
University cooperation
Representatives of Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University (Ukraine) held a working meeting with partners from Riga Nordic University. The discussions focused on:
• results of the international StudAI startup competition;
• quality and innovation potential of student startup ideas;
• evaluation approaches for AI-driven projects;
• opportunities to further support the most promising initiatives.
Partners also discussed next steps, including joint academic and analytical publications, student mobility, engagement in international entrepreneurship programmes, and the integration of startup competition results into entrepreneurship, digital and AI-related courses.
Business dimension
As part of HEI-TRAIN activities, the project team visited one of the key business partners — Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA (Jūrmala, Latvia), operated by BBH Investments SIA.
The visit focused on:
• the role of business partners in practice-oriented learning modules;
• integrating real digitalisation cases from the hospitality and wellness sector into education;
• transferring practical and digital expertise from business to higher education.
These visits confirmed the strong interest of universities and businesses in long-term collaboration and the joint development of an international innovation ecosystem within HEI-TRAIN.
Innovation & Startup Festival
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On 10 December, the Innovation & Startup Festival took place within the HEI-TRAIN project, marking the key milestone of Phase One. The event brought together students, universities and partners around AI-supported entrepreneurship in higher education.
At the centre of the festival were student startups, where AI was not treated as an add-on, but as an integral part of business logic and value creation.
Student teams presented startup ideas in a wide range of areas, including:
• AI-based solutions for education: personalised learning, language support, digital and professional skills development;
• digital platforms for marketing, communication and PR, using AI for content creation and audience analysis;
• creative industries projects — music, media and cultural formats supported by AI tools;
• socially oriented initiatives focused on inclusion, accessibility and support for vulnerable groups;
• data-driven services for automation, optimisation and decision support;
• community- and sustainability-oriented ideas, connecting technology with real societal needs.
The Innovation & Startup Festival created a space where student ideas received professional feedback and became part of the broader HEI-TRAIN innovation ecosystem.
The HEI-TRAIN project continues until April 2027 and will further develop AI-oriented entrepreneurship and learning formats.
HEInnovate Train-the-Trainer Workshop
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As part of the HEI-TRAIN project, our team continues to explore how European universities can make innovation and entrepreneurship part of their everyday academic life — not just as goals, but as shared practices.
One of the recent steps on this path was the HEInnovate Train-the-Trainer Workshop, which took place on 22–23 September at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. The workshop gathered educators, researchers, and university leaders from across Europe to exchange methods and tools that help higher education institutions drive change in a tangible way.
Representing HEI-TRAIN and the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) gGmbH in Bochum, Dr. Tetiana Gorokhova joined the workshop and shared insights from CAIS’s ongoing work on supporting researchers, promoting responsible innovation, and strengthening collaboration between academia and society.
“It was fascinating to see how the HEInnovate framework helps universities integrate entrepreneurship and innovation at a strategic level. I was particularly inspired by tools like the Action Cards — they make it easier to start conversations about entrepreneurial thinking in a creative and participatory way. For HEI-TRAIN, this means new impulses for supporting researchers, empowering displaced persons and women, and building sustainable ecosystems around AI-driven innovation.”
HEInnovate Train-the-Trainer Workshop
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From 24 to 26 November, Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) gGmbH representative Dr. Tetiana Gorokhova took part in the IVAP Workshop 2025, held in Krakow within the framework of the EIT Higher Education Initiative. The event marked the official launch of the new cohort of HEI projects and brought together partners from more than 60 universities and consortia across Europe.
The programme included key formats aimed at strengthening innovation capacity in higher education:
• IVAP development workshop
• Co-creation workshops
• Sensemaking workshop
• Masterclass on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• KIC Discovery Day
• Poster session and thematic discussions
As a CAIS representative in the HEITrain consortium,
Dr. Tetiana Gorokhova contributed to:
• analysing the logic and life cycle of submitted projects;
• identifying stakeholders and areas of impact;
• assessing project decisions through the sensemaking approach;
• discussing challenges and opportunities for teams in the new cohort.
The team also presented the results of the first phase of the HEITrain project, receiving valuable recommendations from experts and partners of the EIT HEI Initiative for further development.
Participation in the IVAP Workshop provided an important opportunity to strengthen partnerships, exchange experience and refine the next strategic steps within our broader work on enhancing the innovation potential of higher education institutions.
We thank the organisers for a well-structured programme and for creating a meaningful space for collaboration.
HEI-TRAIN Conference at CAIS
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From 5 to 7 November 2025, the HEI-TRAIN Conference took place at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum. The event brought together representatives of universities, research institutes and business partners from Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine and Germany.
The conference focused on the role of higher education institutions in building innovation ecosystems, integrating artificial intelligence into education, strengthening entrepreneurial competencies, and fostering inclusive learning environments. Over three days, participants shared project updates, research perspectives and practical examples of collaboration between academia, business and research.
A strong emphasis was placed on international cooperation and the Ukrainian experience. Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainian partner institutions continue to develop educational programs, research initiatives and innovation projects. Their contributions highlighted resilience, adaptability and the importance of cross-border collaboration.
The conference also addressed ethical and social dimensions of AI, gender perspectives in technology development, medical and engineering innovation, and new models of skills development. Discussions were complemented by working sessions, informal exchanges and joint planning of next project steps.
As the hosting institution, CAIS provided an open and collaborative setting that enabled meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange and networking. The conference marked an important milestone for the HEI-TRAIN project and reinforced the shared commitment to building a connected, innovation-driven and future-oriented European education landscape.
How our students’ Startups are progressing in HEI-TRAIN
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In October, students from partner universities in Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine began their studies within the AI-Powered Entrepreneurship and Innovations program — a core component of the international HEI-TRAIN project.
The learning track includes weekly online lectures on entrepreneurship, innovation thinking, market analysis, and teamwork — with a strong focus on integrating artificial intelligence into business solutions.
In November, the teams entered the mentorship phase: identifying user problems, testing ideas, collecting data, and building their first AI prototypes.
In mid-December, students will deliver their first presentations — showcasing what they have been working on throughout the autumn: early business concepts, MVPs, and AI-driven solutions developed within HEI-TRAIN.
Startup development is a central part of HEI-TRAIN’s approach to strengthening universities’ innovation capacity. This process complements the work of the International Freelanc School for Women (IFS), educator training programs, and the growing partner network — all of which will continue until April 2027.
We are looking forward to the first outcomes — and to seeing how students apply artificial intelligence to real-world challenges across Digital, Health, Food, Culture & Creativity sectors.
This post also includes a video testimonial from one of our participants — Albina Moskalenko, a 4th-year Marketing student at TSATU.
Albina already holds significant achievements: third place in the national research competition and recognition in a youth talent contest. Now she is developing her own startup within HEI-TRAIN — and you can hear her story in the video.