Europe, August 15, 2026
The SEEN Project and the EU-funded Mind the Gap: Linking Academic Research with Entrepreneurial Success project have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), establishing a framework for cooperation and the shared use of knowledge, technologies, and educational resources.
Through this collaboration, Mind the Gap will build upon the digital resources developed by SEEN, including the SEEN AI Platform, its AI-powered chatbot, training materials, and other relevant tools. The SEEN AI Platform uses retrieval-augmented generation technology to provide users with targeted, context-relevant support and has already been tested by more than 100 users.
In return, SEEN will use relevant knowledge and non-personal data generated through Mind the Gap’s activities to further train, validate, and improve its AI models. These inputs may include findings from needs assessments, training and acceleration activities, stakeholder engagement, and user feedback, subject to the projects’ data-governance, ethical, and legal requirements.
The cooperation will create a mutually beneficial pathway: Mind the Gap will gain access to tested technologies and resources, while SEEN will strengthen the relevance and performance of its AI solutions through new evidence and practical applications.
Mind the Gap works to bridge the divide between academic research and entrepreneurial success by strengthening collaboration, culture, capacity, and competence across universities and innovation ecosystems. Its activities support students, early-career researchers, academics, startups, and entrepreneurs in turning research results—particularly in fields such as AI, biotechnology, and robotics—into market-ready innovations.
The MoU also demonstrates how EU-funded projects can build upon one another’s results, avoid duplication, and extend the long-term value and impact of publicly funded knowledge and technologies.
By combining SEEN’s digital infrastructure with Mind the Gap’s entrepreneurship, training, and ecosystem-building activities, the two projects aim to provide researchers and innovators with more connected, accessible, and effective support—from early-stage ideas to commercialisation and market uptake.
About Mind the Gap
Mind the Gap: Linking Academic Research with Entrepreneurial Success is a 30-month Horizon Europe project funded under the call HORIZON-EIE-2024-CONNECT-02-01: Expanding Academia–Enterprise Collaborations (Grant Agreement No. 101215579). The project strengthens entrepreneurial skills, university capacity, academia–industry collaboration, and the commercialisation of research results, with particular attention to emerging innovation ecosystems and underrepresented groups.
About SEEN
The Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Network (SEEN) is a two-year Erasmus+ initiative running from 2024 to 2026. It brings together universities, business forums, and innovation labs across Europe to strengthen entrepreneurial education by combining academic expertise with advanced digital tools.
SEEN equips educators with new methods for identifying and developing students’ entrepreneurial talents. It also develops AI-driven tools that provide personalised guidance and assess startup ideas with real-world potential. Through specialised training, an AI mentorship and startup-analysis platform, innovation camps, and entrepreneurship forums, SEEN helps young entrepreneurs refine their ideas, connect with investors, and transform innovative concepts into impactful ventures.