Higher Education for Innovation & Growth

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Higher Education for Innovation & Growth

Partners: IREX, Virginia Tech, Integrated International, BPWA

Connecting Jordan's universities and employers to prepare talent, create pathways to jobs, and drive economic growth.

Overview

Jordan’s economy is changing rapidly, creating new possibilities for talent and applied research in priority growth sectors, including digital technology, medical manufacturing, and agri-food security. Realizing this potential requires universities with strong connections to industry that can equip young people with market-relevant skills, strengthen workforce pathways, and generate innovations that solve real-world challenges. 

Through the Higher Education for Innovation and Growth (HEIG) Activity, IREX helps Jordanian universities to meet this challenge, to become stronger partners to industry, stronger pathways to employment, and stronger contributors to economic growth.  Working across higher education, industry, and government, HEIG is strengthening institutional performance, mobilizing U.S. and Jordanian private-sector engagement and investment, and strengthening the policy environment needed for long-term growth. 

Why This Matters Now

Jordan's Economic Modernization Vision identifies digital growth and security, medical manufacturing, and agri-food security as priority growth sectors that are projected to create 150,000+ new jobs and contribute to JOD 8.5 billion ($11.9 billion) to the economy by 2033.

Meeting this opportunity requires more than graduates. It requires stronger connections between universities, employers, and policymakers to prepare the workforce, drive innovation, and respond to evolving industry needs.

Expected Impact

120+ Firms Engaged

  • Employers are helping shape workforce pathways, experiential learning opportunities, applied research, and employment connections.

$1.8M+ in Private-Sector Co-Investment

  • Employers are investing directly in higher education solutions that support workforce readiness and innovation, with an anticipated 16 model HEI-industry partnerships helping translate investment into skills development, applied research, and employment pathways.

48,000 Learners Equipped with Market-Relevant Skills

  • HEIG-supported reforms are designed for sustainable delivery and long-term reach and are projected to reach 48,000 learners over the next decade, including 4,800 by 2028.

15,000+ People Employed

  • HEIG-supported pathways are projected to support more than 15,000 people into employment over the next decade, including more than 1,100 people by 2028.

39 Universities Connected through The HEI Peer Network

  • Successful workforce and innovation models are scaled throughout Jordan's higher education system.

7+ Research-Led Innovations

  • University-industry research partnerships are generating solutions that strengthen Jordan's priority sectors.

How HEIG Works

Catalytic Collaboration Clusters (C3s)

Development of sustainable sector-led clusters bringing universities, employers, government entities, and sector leaders together to identify workforce needs, innovation opportunities, and priorities for economic growth.

Partnership Incubation Fund (PIF)

Catalytic funding that crowds in private sector co-investment and helps transform promising university-industry partnerships into practical workforce and innovation solutions.

HEI Capacity Building and Peer Learning

Supporting universities to strengthen teaching learning, research, employer engagement, and partnership management.

Strategic Pillars

1. Clearer Pathways into Employment 

HEIG is helping universities move beyond traditional classroom teaching. 

Students are gaining opportunities to: 

  • Develop market-relevant skills 
  • Participate in experiential learning 
  • Engage directly with employers 
  • Access mentoring opportunities 
  • Participate in applied research 
  • Build practical experience before graduation 

Together, these approaches help universities create stronger, institutionally sustained pathways from learning to employment. 

 

2. Employers as Partners in Workforce Development

One of HEIG's defining features is that employers are not simply advisors; they are active partners and investors. 

Through collaboration clusters and partnership investments, employers help: 

  • Inform curriculum improvements 
  • Identify workforce priorities 
  • Support experiential learning 
  • Provide mentorship opportunities 
  • Participate in applied research 
  • Create employment pathways 
  • Invest in workforce development activities 

Employer Engagement at a Glance 

Through HEIG-supported partnerships, employers collaborated with universities to: 

  • Shape curricula around priority skills 
  • Provide internships, mentorship, and applied learning 
  • Co-design research and innovation activities 
  • Contribute technology, facilities, expertise, and financing 
  • Help create clearer pathways from education to employment 

To date, private-sector partners have committed more than $663,000 to HEIG-supported workforce and innovation solutions.  

 

3. Innovation for Economic Growth 

HEIG supports applied research partnerships that generate practical solutions for Jordan's growth sectors while strengthening workforce outcomes. 

Examples include: 

  • Sustainable agriculture innovations 
  • Precision agriculture technologies 
  • Industry-driven research 
  • Digital agriculture modernization 
  • Technology-enabled workforce solutions 

Innovation is not pursued for its own sake. It is used to help students gain practical experience, support employer competitiveness, and strengthen economic growth. 

 

4. Future-Ready Higher Education 

HEIG supports the policies and systems needed to sustain workforce development and innovation. 

This includes: 

  • Collaboration with the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (AQAC) for employer-responsive policy development  
  • Responsible AI frameworks for higher education  
  • Micro- and nano-credential pathways 
  • HEI Peer Network activities

Results to Date

  • 771 learners reached through HEIG-supported higher education activities.
  • 181 faculty and staff trained.
  • 68 graduates employed.
  • 2 employer-informed employability pathways created.

HEIG is already strengthening pathways to employment by connecting partner universities and employers, supporting market-relevant skills development, mobilizing private-sector investment, and advancing workforce-responsive policy reforms.

HEIG is helping strengthen the systems that allow higher education institutions to respond more quickly to labor market needs, emerging technologies, and national economic priorities. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (AQAC)

Innovation and Partnership Spotlights

Collaborative Research for Food and Water Security

Jordanian University of Science and Technology (JUST) and Manaseer Industrial Complex

  • Developing eco-friendly fertilizer solutions while providing experiential learning opportunities for students and technical support for farmers. 

Digital Agriculture and Supply Chain Innovation

Palmera Dates Agriculture and Trading and German Jordanian University (GJU)

  • Developing smart traceability solutions for Jordan's agri-food sector while creating experiential learning opportunities for students and applied research opportunities for faculty.

Building Pathways to Employment

Virginia Tech and The University of Jordan (UJ)

  • Employment Readiness Module completed by 467 students, with approximately 300 additional students projected annually.

Future-Ready Agriculture Education

Virginia Tech and JUST

  • Enhancing Digital Agriculture curricula to strengthen alignment between higher education and labor market needs.

Growing Talent for Jordan's Agri-Food Sector

Faza'atak, GJU, and Yarmouk University (YU)

  • Creating workforce pathways through student internships, smart agriculture innovation, and sustainable fig and carob value chain development.
Applied research partnerships help universities contribute to solutions that matter for employers, communities, and Jordan's economic priorities. Innovation Partner

Partners

HEIG is implemented through a partnership model that connects U.S. and Jordanian expertise with universities, policymakers, and private-sector actors. 

Implementing Consortium 

Counterparts and Clients

Jordanian University Partners 

  • Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) 
  • University of Jordan 
  • Yarmouk University  
  • German Jordanian University  
  • Tafilah Technical University (TTU) 
  • Al Al-Bayt University (AABU) 

National Policy Partners 

  • Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (AQAC) 
  • Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MoEHRD) 

Private-Sector and Innovation Partners 

HEIG also works with private-sector and innovation partners through Partnership Incubation Fund activities and Catalytic Collaboration Clusters. Current examples include: 

  • Oula for Seeds Production
  • ECO Consult
  • Faza'atak
  • Manaseer Industrial Complex
  • Palmera Dates Agriculture and Trading LLC
  • Green Tech

 

The Higher Education for Innovation and Growth (HEIG) Activity is made possible by the generous support of the United States Government.

Through this partnership, universities and companies are working together to turn applied research into practical solutions for Jordan's growth sectors. Private-Sector Partner