Meeting in the middle: How can universities, creative industries and cultural organisations co-create new futures?

Introduction
This paper presents selected results from the Europe Horizon EPIC-WE research and innovation project (2023-2026). The presentation highlights the theoretical frameworks of Quadruple Helix Ecosystems (Carayannis & Campbell, 2017) and Living Labs (Brandt & Bruun, 2023; Schuurman, De Marez & Ballon, 2015).) as potential frameworks for the practice of future higher education along with their specific relevance to the DUNK theme of ‘Higher education in a time of transition’ (EUA, 2021).

Methods
The paper put forward some main implications, challenges and opportunities that are emerging from the findings of the EPIC-WE project’s Design Based Research methodology along with the project’s first major reports submitted to the European Commission: The PRISMA2020 Method State-of-the-Art report (2024) and The Quadruple Helix Cultural Ecosystems and Cultural Hubs protocol (2024).

Results
The project’s methods and results are presented to highlight how higher education can utilise the frameworks of Quadruple Helix Ecosystems and Living Labs for valuable cross-sector and trans-disciplinary transformative partnerships in a time of transition (Nørgård & Holflod, 2024). First, findings from the state-of-the-art within is introduced to point towards how future higher education might hold opportunities to address and tackle future challenges and how frameworks enable us to envision and practice in new ways. Secondly, concrete guidelines and principles for the practicing of higher education as Living Labs and Quadruple Helix Ecosystem is presented based on the protocol. Here, special attention is paid to the higher education potentials of transformative cross-sector partnerships with creative industries and cultural organisations. Finally, concrete examples of Living Labs in the form of Cultural Hubs are provided, presenting one valuable way to foster future possibilities for young people in research, learning and worklife.

Discussion
Based on the presentation of the EPIC-WE Ecosystem and Cultural Hubs framework, we discuss how current challenges
DUN Conference 2024 Higher education in a time of transition
to higher education might be addressed through new formats for higher education institutions and their practices.