Higher Education Institutions Generating Holistic and Transformative Solutions (HEIGHTS)
Funded by: USAID
Date Range: 2021-2024
Project Lead: Pulte Institute
Contact: Tom Purekal
HEIGHTS is a two-part study: Financial Sustainability (FS) in Higher Education Institutions and Higher Education Institution Engagement in Innovation Ecosystems (IE). Both are conducted in Indonesia, Kenya, and the Philippines and lead in partnership with Resilient Africa Network (RAN), Philippine Institute for Development (PIDS), SMART CITY Universitas Indonesia (UI), and the University of Nairobi in Kenya.
ABOUT HEIGHTS IE
With the growth of knowledge-intensive economic sectors, the role of higher education in generating and deploying knowledge for economic activity has become a priority concern for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is growing evidence that higher education institutions’ (HEIs) educational role can foster absorption and adaptation of innovation in LMICs, though many of them are not providing the skills needed by industry. This study will explore how HEIs, across their many forms, can positively influence an innovation ecosystem through a variety of roles while considering limiting factors like resources, relationships, and social norms. The study will be carried out on the premise that HEIs in LMICs have the potential to contribute to innovation and that there are several areas in which HEI engagement in innovation ecosystems could be strengthened.
RESEARCH QUESTION
What lessons can be derived from analyzing the involvement of HEIs in LMICs in specific local and regional innovation ecosystems that could inform policies and strategies to enable LMIC HEIs to engage more effectively in and strengthen national and/orr subnational innovation ecosystems?
RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS
- OUTCOMES/RESULTS
- ACTORS/ROLES
- RELATIONSHIPS
- RESOURCES
- ENABLING ENVIRONMENT/RULES
METHIDS & ANALYSIS
The HEIGHTS Innovation Ecosystems study will use a mixed-methods research approach and will follow three phases.
Phase 1 involves a review of existing literature and an initial mapping of the relevant stakeholders.
Phase 2 involves a systems-thinking workshop with stakeholders.
Taken together, Phase 1 and 2 processes will tailor the study to country-specific inquiries.
Phase 3 involves further exploration of key themes that emerge from the systems thinking workshop through interviews with important innovation ecosystem stakeholders.
RESEARCH GOALS
The goal of this study is to inform USAID’s education strategic planning, activity design, and professional development in the areas of HEIs’ engagement in innovation ecosystems. In service of this goal, this study aims to produce evidence-informed strategies to strengthen HEI engagement in innovation ecosystems within USAID partner countries. The audience for the output of this study includes the following stakeholders: USAID Washington’s Center for Education, USAID Missions in Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, as well as other USAID Missions worldwide engaged in Higher Education activities, multilateral organizations funding higher education activities in LMICs, and the governments of the countries of study.
ABOUT HEIGHTS FS
Nations are continuing to struggle to put in place sustainable financing strategies for higher education institutions (HEIs), especially in the wake of COVID-19. In low- and middle-income contexts in particular, few countries have been able to reach the 1.1% of GDP that OECD public budgets invest in higher education on average annually (Salmi 2017). The low levels of investment in higher education stand in stark contrast to the evidence that higher education provides the highest returns for individual economic well-being and productivity (Montenegro and Patrinos 2014). This study aims to produce evidence-informed strategies that can facilitate financial sustainability in higher education (HE) systems, and will analyze the ways in which governments and HEIs mobilize public and private resources within a broader context of system-wide challenges and opportunities. Evidence generated from this study will be used to support USAID Washington Center for Education, USAID Missions in Kenya, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and respective government ministries on education.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- What strategies are governments and HEIs pursuing to mobilize public and private resources to strengthen the financial sustainability of higher education systems and institutions?
- What strategies are regarded to be most effective in the countries under study?
METHODS & ANALYSIS
The HEIGHTS Financial Sustainability study will collect data that will support the analysis of financing strategies by key stakeholders that engage in HE financing and can be broken down into four phases.
Phase 1: Local partners will review existing literature on HE financing and engage a selection of key stakeholders to better understand how available evidence impacts decision-making on HEI financing.
Phase 2: The SHARE team will host a systems thinking workshop with major actors in order to further specify sustainable financial strategies and barriers.
Phase 3: The SHARE team will tailor the study to be contextually relevant to partner countries and pursue selected research questions through key informant interviews (KIIs) alongside the collection and analysis of relevant financial documents.
Phase 4: Findings will be validated with key stakeholders through a stakeholder engagement workshop.
RESEARCH GOALS
The goal of this higher education study is to inform USAID’s education strategic planning, activity design, and professional development in the areas of the financial sustainability of the higher education system. In service of this goal, this study aims to produce evidence-informed strategies to strengthen HE financial practices within USAID partner countries. The audience for the output of this study includes the following stakeholders: USAID Washington’s Center for Education, USAID Missions in Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, as well as other USAID Missions worldwide engaged in Higher Education activities, multilateral organizations funding higher education activities in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), and the governments of the countries of study.
