.jpg)
Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece, has secured two new European collaborative research projects following its successful participation in highly competitive European Union funding calls under the Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ programs.
The INTERLINK-CAREERS and IMPACT ALLIES projects, with a total duration of 36 and 24 months, respectively, bring Alba into collaboration with leading European universities, entrepreneurship and innovation organizations, investors, and technology companies. At the same time, they strengthen Alba’s international research presence and its contribution to addressing major challenges that are shaping the future of the European economy and society.
INTERLINK-CAREERS: Artificial Intelligence for the Future of Research Careers
The 36-month INTERLINK-CAREERS project is funded by the Horizon Europe program and focuses on the development and utilization of research talent in Europe.
Although more than half of European researchers work in the private sector, their career paths and mobility between the academic and business sectors remain largely undocumented. The project aims to fill this gap by leveraging Artificial Intelligence and big data to better understand and predict research careers and knowledge flows between different sectors.
As part of the project, a pan-European data ecosystem will be created, as well as a Living Lab that will connect universities, businesses, and policymakers. Key outcomes will include a Career Interoperability Framework, a Knowledge Flow Index, and digital twins simulation environments, which will enable evidence-based decision-making and the development of more effective policies for research careers.
The research consortium is coordinated by Harokopio University, and participants include, in addition to Alba Graduate Business School, Durham University (United Kingdom) and technology companies from Germany, Austria, Lithuania, and Turkey.
IMPACT ALLIES: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Investments with a Positive Impact
The 24-month IMPACT ALLIES project is funded by the Erasmus+ program and aims to connect higher education with entrepreneurship ecosystems and investments that have a social and environmental impact.
The project develops an innovative, challenge-based educational model that combines Smart Specialization Strategies (S3), impact entrepreneurship, and investment readiness. At the same time, it utilizes hybrid forms of education and the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) framework, with the aim of fostering adaptive and conscientious leadership.
As Gerasimos Kouvaras, Academic Director of IMPACT ALLIES, notes: “It’s not enough to train people to create financially successful businesses. We need to redefine what we mean by success, but also to work with those who decide which ideas are worth funding. For me, this is a particularly interesting aspect of IMPACT ALLIES: It educates both tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and potential investors, bringing them together in a shared dialogue centered on a fundamental question: What is worth creating and funding?”
Through a Triangle Mentorship Model, enterprise-led learning labs, and a reverse investment-readiness program, the project will build new bridges between students, entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors.
By the time it is completed, the model is expected to have been tested by more than 160 adult learners, to have supported 36 startup initiatives, and to have mobilized 100 impact investors, while also helping to strengthen the capacity of European higher education institutions for innovation.
The research consortium is coordinated by the European organization Impact Hub Network and includes, in addition to Alba Graduate Business School, the Politecnico di Milano (Italy), the Universidad Pontificia Comillas (Spain), and the University of Primorska (Slovenia).
Strengthening Alba’s European research and educational impact
Securing these two projects represents significant recognition of Alba’s research and academic activities and strengthens its participation in international collaborations that link research, education, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Through these two new projects, Alba is helping to develop practical solutions for key European challenges, ranging from the future of research careers and the application of Artificial Intelligence to sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and impact investing.
As Danae Manika, Executive Dean of Alba Graduate Business School, states: “Alba’s participation in two new European projects reaffirms our commitment to research with international reach and meaningful impact. Through strong European partnerships, we aim to actively contribute to the knowledge and solutions that will shape the future of work, entrepreneurship, and innovation.”
