Universities Driving Global Innovation Ecosystems | Cisco's Higher Education Study Tour to Germany and the UK - The Cisco News Network

Universities Driving Global Innovation Ecosystems

Cisco’s Higher Education Study Tour to Germany and the UK

Just a few years ago the term `digital disruption in higher education’ tended to be synonymous with flipped classrooms and Massive Online Open Courseware (MOOCs). However, in 2019 disruption is much broader than universities’ own operations and practices; it’s impacting every industry that institutions supply its graduates to. Digital Technology is no longer just a tool for campus efficiency and improved student engagement, it’s an enabler for disrupting business models, operating models and reputation across all industries.

The 2019 higher education study tour – Cisco’s ninth – focused on better understanding the intersection between universities and industry, and the important role that universities play in the innovation ecosystem. Australian University executives joined the tour and visited Berlin and London – two of the world’s most recognised major cities for innovation. There were five major themes that emerged from the study tour;

1. Students that learn to innovate will be more likely to succeed in a digitised economy

2. Changing models of university- industry collaboration and new ecosystems

3. The profound impact of digital is creating research and teaching challenges

4. The need to activate campuses by making them more intuitive

5. The importance of a strong cyber security platform and a resilient university.

These themes are captured in the report in more detail.

The last two themes were particularly insightful. Some of the world’s leading research and teaching universities are realising that it’s no longer enough to be `expert’ in digital, cyber security, data or analytics. Universities need to lead by example and embrace digital technologies in their own institutions to deliver efficiencies and improved student engagement. In the case of cyber security, the argument is even stronger given a recent report commissioned by Cisco which highlighted that most institutions are not cyber-prepared even when those same institutions were positioning themselves as cyber security centres of excellence from a teaching and research perspective.

As always, we hope the study tour report provokes thought, encourages debate and most importantly helps universities be better prepared for the challenges and opportunities presented by digitisation.