# Good practices of the ILCA project presented at the IVAP workshop in Prague

> The EIT’s HEI Initiative 2023 Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP) Workshop was held on 31 May and 1 June 2023 in Prague.

## Event Overview
The EIT’s HEI Initiative 2023 Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP) Workshop took place on 31 May and 1 June 2023 in Prague. The event brought together project members from Cohorts 1, 2, and 3, members of the Initiative’s Project Management Team from 8 Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), and other key stakeholders.

The objective of the workshop was to orient and welcome the new cohort while facilitating collaboration among all cohorts to strengthen their Innovation Vision Action Plans. The ILCA project was represented by:
* Prof. Carmen Nastase, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Administration and Business, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania
* Vidmantas Bendokas, Deputy Director, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry
* Miika Kajanus, Project Coordinator, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Finland

The event hosted 240 participants from 37 countries.

## ILCA Project Successes and Consortium
The ILCA project was invited to participate in the workshop's first panel to discuss successes and strategies for navigating challenges. A key factor in the project's success has been the composition of its consortium. Through the Ukrainian Aid from the HEI Initiative, ILCA successfully expanded to include three strong Ukrainian partners:
* Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
* King Danylo University
* National Scientific Center Institute of Agriculture NAAS

Strong trust among these partners and the existing consortium—which includes Vilnius College of Technology and Design (Lithuania), University of Forestry (Bulgaria), and Natural Resources Institute Finland—enabled the team to over-achieve on all objectives during phase 1.

## Resilience and Innovation
The project has continued its successful work throughout the current year, notably through climate innovation laboratories that are preparing a climate roadmap in Ukraine, even during wartime. The project highlights the resilience of its Ukrainian partners as a potential model for other education, research, and innovation actors to adapt to a "polycrisis" future.

## Key Good Practices
Other practices highlighted by the ILCA project during the panel included:
* Engaging academic and non-academic staff through a green transition group.
* Using regional climate roadmaps as a tool to integrate knowledge triangle actors and anchor them to regional strategies.
* Institutionalization efforts through the involvement of top-level management from all partners.

## Conclusion
The event featured numerous HEI Initiative projects via posters and provided a platform for discussing lessons learned and future collaboration. 

For more information, visit the [ILCA website](https://ilca-project.eu/).