The development of a knowledge-based society has presented higher education with a number of significant challenges and expectations, linked primarily to economic growth, urban development, job creation and support for local communities. In the face of the expansion of higher education and the growing economic role of knowledge production, universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their relevance and social utility.

The main aim of our project is to determine how cities (particularly non-metropolitan centres) benefit from the presence of higher education institutions, which will provide a better understanding of how universities can (potentially) transform their regions by contributing to the creation of liveable, crisis-resilient and stable communities.

The civic engagement of universities also has a key impact on local communities; as such, these institutions bear a particular social responsibility for sustainable development. They are responsible for fostering the need and desire to create innovative solutions to become more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable places – which in turn contributes to building resilience, better living conditions and the stability of urban areas.

Accordingly, the aim of HERG is to lay the foundations for an interdisciplinary research team in the field of Higher Education Studies, which aspires to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the true role of universities in regional development. Researchers from four different fields will be involved in this project: (a) those interested in regional (urban) development, (b) politics and electoral behaviour, (c) entrepreneurship and innovation, and (d) research, education and social capital.