University R&D Innovation Hubs are committed to cultivating a culture of research excellence, agile thinking, and innovation, by offering  training and consulting services, in addition to establishing a collaborative atmosphere that stimulates the creation of innovative concepts and technologies. Such Hubs typically provide a broad range of services, such as finance help, market research, technology transfer, product development, and intellectual property management, while also providing access to facilities and specialised equipment, as well as multidisciplinary knowledge. All things considered, these distinctive university entities are hubs of the regional innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and can be vital drivers of innovation, economic growth, and employment creation on a local and global scale.

The four R&D Hubs established through the ASTRA project aim to enhance universities’ sustainability, by expanding available resources for funding, research and development services, through the utilization of funding from international donors and from consulting, research and development services in the private sector and NGOs.

The R&D Hubs are committed to supporting research activity, by offering a wide range of services that support the expansion and development of both internal and external stakeholders, thus boosting research capabilities and encouraging innovation. Both institutional and private fundraising are involved in these initiatives; on the one hand, it is imperative to commence the utilisation of available funds from public and commercial funding sources that are national, regional, and/or international when it comes to institutional fundraising. On the other hand, the Hubs will be acknowledged and expanded for private funding for their consulting services to the social science and ICT industries.

More precisely, the Hubs’ goals consist of:

• the provision of internal services to support the ICT and social science research portfolio of the 4 HEIs (NUOL, PSU, SKU, CMU).
• the development of a wide range of consulting services to satisfy the demands of the government, other stakeholders, and companies connected to social science and ICT.
• the creation and growth of a robust network of partners, associates, and customers.
• encouraging the development of an innovative and entrepreneurial culture by providing training and mentorship to both internal (students, faculty, staff) and external (academic staff, other organisations’ professors, businesses) stakeholders.
• the monitoring and evaluation of the Hub in terms of its ICT and social science services and make necessary adjustments to ensure that they meet the evolving needs of both internal and external stakeholders.
• the sharing of knowledge via a variety of platforms, including books, seminars, and workshops.
• the process of turning research findings into usable goods and services that boost the local economy and community.