["Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Volume 117, Issue 2, Page 271-288, April 2026. ", "\nAbstract\nThe article examines the influence of higher education institutions' (HEIs) participation in European collaborative consortium projects on territorial innovation ecosystems. The analysis focuses on three policy instruments: the Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances, the European Universities Alliances initiative and the HEI Initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Four dimensions of impact are considered: educational outcomes, the responsiveness to local challenges and needs, the strengthening of collaboration with territorial stakeholders and the institutional role of participating HEIs. The findings suggest that HEI engagement in these initiatives generates measurable effects across these dimensions, though such impact remains limited and varies substantially according to the nature of the projects and the profile of the participants.\n"]