PIONEER+, funded under Cohort 4 of the EIT Higher Education Initiative (EIT HEI), participated in the Sensemaking Workshop 2026, held in Valencia, Spain, on 28–30 October 2026.
The project was represented by its Coordinator, Professor Adamantia Pateli of the Department of Informatics and Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (CIE) at Ionian University, and research team member Associate Professor Naoum Mylonas of the Department of Tourism at Ionian University.
The two-day workshop focused on sharing experiences and identifying lessons for strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education institutions over the long term. Through collective storytelling, interactive group work and networking, participants reflected on their projects’ experiences, identified good practices, success stories, significant changes and common challenges, and explored strategic synergies and collective actions. The process is linked to the EIT HEI Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework.
On the sidelines of the workshop, the PIONEER+ representatives met with the project’s Project Officer from 28Digital, Mr Federico Curatolo, to discuss the project’s progress and implementation.
They also met with representatives of the LOTUS project, which is supported under the same funding framework and is also monitored by 28Digital. Building on the successful joint meeting of the two projects in Colmar, France, in July 2026, they discussed signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two projects and identified opportunities for joint activities during Phase 2 of the funding period, with the aim of exchanging expertise and enhancing their impact.
PIONEER+ strengthens European universities’ capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship through digital transformation, skills development, support for startups, and collaboration with businesses and public bodies.
More information: https://pioneerplus.eu/
The project is co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF)
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