How can Europe build a resilient, inclusive innovation ecosystem that reflects its values and prepares for global challenges? In the first episode of the EELISA 2.0 Podcast Series, host Johanna Hojer (FAU) is joined by Nina Walker, a PhD researcher at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Scientific Associate at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). Their conversation offers a vision behind the EELISA Innovation Ecosystem and the pivotal role that European universities play in shaping it.
Beyond Startups and Patents
While innovation is often associated with tech unicorns and disruptive change, Nina offers a broader and more grounded perspective. “Innovation isn’t just about tech. It’s not linear. In the end, it’s very bottom-up. It’s about people. It’s about relationships and also the trust in each other to make an impact on society.”
She describes the “third mission” of universities—not just teaching and research, but a responsibility to contribute to society through engagement, lifelong learning, policy involvement, and yes, innovation. Universities innovate “by collaborating, by working with the outside. So it has to work with, for example, the government, the industry and the society.”
Europe’s Unique Approach
The episode also explores what sets the European approach apart from ecosystems like Silicon Valley.
“We need to look at other places more than just Silicon Valley, maybe looking a bit more inwards on how we would like to do things [in Europe]. And I think especially in a fragmented world, alliances like EELISA can really benefit us in working together, even if there’s different opinions, and trying to find the areas where we can agree and where we can still create progress together.”
Drawing from her research and hands-on experience, Nina highlights how initiatives such as One Night to Innovate, EELISA Skill Up, and the EELISA Innovation Communities promote a collaborative model grounded in European values like democracy, equity, and sustainability.
Why Now?
At a time when the US and China dominate the digital and AI sectors, Nina and Johanna emphasize the urgency for Europe to claim its place as a key innovation player. If we want to influence how technologies like AI are developed, we need to be at the table—and for that, we need a strong, shared innovation infrastructure in Europe.
Whether you’re a student, researcher, policymaker, or entrepreneur, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone interested in Europe’s role in the innovation landscape.
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Nina Walker
Nina is a Scientific Associate in Business Innovation and the Operational Lead at the Proof of Concept Lab at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). She is also a doctoral candidate at Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), where her research focuses on innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems in Europe, with an emphasis on universities and interinstitutional collaboration.