The 4Cs Framework to Transform Higher Education Institution into an Innovation Producing Ecosystem

Innovation and entrepreneurship have been hailed as the twice engines for the next stage of economic growth and competitive advantage in the era of Industry 4.0 in an uncertain globalized world. In facing the dynamic evolution and development of Industry 4.0, higher education institutions (HEIs) as a key supplier of quality workforce are actively seeking new strategies and approaches in education to overcome the challenges and to exploit the opportunities in Industry 4.0.  For HEIs to remain relevant in Industry 4.0, there seems to be a consensus among educators to transform and elevate existing education system into Education 4.0.

Education 4.0 relates education as ubiquitous where people, things and machines are connected to produce personalized learning. This new ecosystem transforms education institution into an innovation-producing ecosystem. HEI can transform itself into an innovation producing ecosystem by embracing the 4Cs Framework namely; Competence, Capacity, Collaboration and Culture. 

Competence relates to the development of attitude, skills and knowledge to cultivate innovation and entrepreneurship among students and faculty members. Capacity is about the creation of both internal and external enablers (such as incubations, test beds, intellectual property management etc.) to support innovation and entrepreneurship within and beyond the HEI. Capacity can be said to be the hardware of engaging stakeholders in nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship while collaboration is the software of connecting and engaging stakeholders – business/industry, government and community. To sustain the innovation-producing ecosystem, HEI needs to cultivate a sustainable culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

For the innovation-producing ecosystem to be flourishing and sustainable, the environment in the ecosystem should embrace a flourishing environment, seamless connectedness, and a holistic and integrated education system. A flourishing environment may include but not limited to laws, regulations, taxes and incentives, intellectual property protection and investments that supports innovation and entrepreneurship. Seamless connectedness is not only about digital connectivity but also about connectedness and access to regional and global economies and markets. A holistic and integrated education system is needed to complement the innovation-producing ecosystem to ensure that education is not only holistic but also integrated for development and progression from basic education to vocational and technical education and to higher education as well as the development of lifelong skills in the workforce.

Source: The 4Cs Framework to Transform Higher Education Institution into an Innovation Producing Ecosystem, Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin and Ms. Nguyen Thi My Ngoc.