The EXPER project aims at supporting the institutional transformation of University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Azores University through capacity building activities and through international cooperation with the leading Universities of Rostock University (DE) and Calabria (IT). EXPER will enhance the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the partnering universities with a focus on research fields addressing challenges and opportunities offered by the blue economy and circular economy. The project specific objectives are: • To raise the excellence profile of ULPGC and UAC and increase their attractiveness towards local and international talents. • To design and plan the institutional transformation of the Widening universities. • To organize supporting and capacity building activities to learn from leading organizations on how to increase research excellence and unlock the innovation potential of Widening Universities with a focus on knowledge transfer. • To set the basis for a European University Alliance which realises an integrated cooperation between the research and innovation dimension with the education and training dimension. EXPER will deploy a community-based approach to outline a modernization strategy of the Widening Universities which involves representatives of the surrounding ecosystem. The EXPER strategy will aim at stepping up and stimulating scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the Widening universities and their role as drivers of economic and social transformation in their territories.