"In an apparent context of exit from the economic crisis of 2008, unexpected and surprising economic phenomena appear, unfold and develop, new models of production, organization and exchange of goods and services that in a much more horizontal, communitarian and self-managed way, point to an evolution of the traditional economy, based on the STATE-MARKET binomial, towards a Shared Economy or Common Good. Thus, what has been named Sharing Economy is a new concept that actually houses different concepts and business models and exchange, and that extend the traditional concept of Social Solidarity Economy. These emerging economic initiatives and business models require new skills, both for their development and for their management: renewed management methods, capacities to produce functionality, goods and services focused on the use and needs of people. Evolve the training programs of the Universities to this new business and economic reality, incorporating new content to train and train students capable of developing and managing this new type of business and economic initiatives is the goal to which the INICIA project aims to contribute, through the development of a course of ""Specialization in Management of Collaborative Economic Initiatives and Social Economy"", in order to improve the skills of their human resources and prepare them to face the challenges of these new economic models.The project will be carried out with the support and collaboration of European and Argentine universities that have experience in this subject.The main products of the project will be the creation of a Specialization Course, which will be taught in a first edition to 420 students and will be replicable at a regional level."

Today, universities are tasked with many new roles. Not only they have to deal with evolving student expectations, changing labour market requirements and sustainability pressures, but also face most recent challenges in public health such as the coronavirus pandemic crisis. In this context, building capacity to address rapid change is getting crucial to the university’s ability to deliver on its expanding missions.Many European higher education systems, including those of the Strategic Partnership, face similar issues. Structural modernisation and governance reforms aimed at propelling value for society pose both challenges and opportunities for the sector, as for instance in Spain. It is therefore essential to develop support conditions for higher education institutions and their leaders to enable them to respond to key changes and crises. In Europe, too few university leaders and senior managers have profound experience needed to lead and manage transformation. This community thus requires affordable support and training to respond to change (both planned and unforeseen, such as the current COVID-19 crisis). Leadership development opportunities must encompass the national context and priorities as well as global and European challenges and change areas. They must also involve transversal and area-based knowledge and competences. This complex task can only be pursued efficiently and effectively as a joint effort at European level. In this context, Ramon Llull University and CRUE, representing Spanish universities, as well as EUA, ESCP Business School, CRASP, VLIR and the University of Iceland partnered to enhance the capacity of higher education institutions, their leaders and senior managers – in their countries and more broadly in Europe – to steer change and tackle the complex topics on the institutional transformation agenda. This goal will be achieved by designing a novel approach for effective and efficient leadership development and change/crisis management; offering support to the sector through methodological and practical guidance; promoting best practices in dealing with change in the emerging areas of university’s responsibility (e.g. social inclusion, sustainability, collaboration with business); and encouraging the exchange and adoption of innovative management in higher education. The partners seek to involve top university leadership (rectors and vice-rectors) including senior managers (directors of central services) and academic leaders at faculty level (deans) based on an inclusive vision of higher education leadership. By creating a unique setting for peer learning in institutional transformation, they aim to support both emerging and established leaders. Conceptually, NEWLEAD will go beyond the state of the art with its innovative holistic approach to institutional leadership and change/crisis management, bridging related institutional processes and capabilities. It will address a broad range of global and country-specific change areas and establish the core set of skills that university leaders need to drive change institutionally to create impact in the most pressing issues such as equity, diversity and inclusion, sustainability and public health. NEWLEAD will develop a methodological report outlining the core principles, priorities and processes of change and crisis management in higher education. Further results will include a set of innovative workbooks offering guidance on specific challenges facing universities in the partners’ countries and usable by peers from other countries. The workbooks will be shared at a series of multiplier events, providing opportunity to test the outlined methodologies with the selected university leaders. The key result of the project on its completion will be a report on leadership and institutional transformation guiding institutions in their efforts to identify and build the capacity of leaders to address change and engage in transformation from different institutional angles. The immediate outcome will be greater capacity of ca. 200 university leaders and senior managers engaged in NEWLEAD to deal with institutional change. This will involve greater awareness of the key change areas in higher education, deeper knowledge of the core leadership and change management principles and practices, and the enhanced skills in the field. The partners will also strengthen their own capacity to guide leaders from other institutions. More broadly, the improved change management practices at institutions exposed to NEWLEAD will generate more efficient and effective processes as well as better workplace environment. University students are final beneficiaries of the project, gaining from the improved educational processes and study environment.