Entrepreneur is a project to support European universities in becoming more entrepreneurial and innovative. By fostering competences of the future, it will secure a new generation of student entrepreneurs and innovators. The project will bring radical change by creating student-centred, non-elitist, open and inclusive universities based on collaboration between higher education institutions, public and private sectors, and citizens.

The consortium consists of five partner universities, one of which is a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) partners, the first Teaching Factory Competence Centre in Greece, and GrantXpert Consulting − a company specialised in communication.

The shared vision for 2030 is that the consortium will connect innovation ecosystems across Europe and resource hundreds of students, future entrepreneurs and innovators, who will generate breakthrough solutions to meet local and global challenges.

The consortium presents an ambitious but achievable Innovation Vision Action Plan to bring its long-term vision to life. This plan is based on the HEInnovate self-assessment, recommendations from the reports of Europe’s most progressive universities and companies, lessons learned from the European university project Transform4Europe, and participation in the Regional Innovation Scheme network.

The consortium aims to diagnose and remove barriers to student entrepreneurship and strengthen the role of universities as launching points towards entrepreneurial career paths. Over two phases, the consortium will support 400 entrepreneurial students and 80 academics and other professionals from universities, and create sustainable partnerships with at least three EIT KICs and 10 ecosystem stakeholders.

This will be implemented through the following activities:

• enhancing the scale and scope of students’ engagement activities, and improving student support offices to advise on entrepreneurship and innovation;
  • integrating existing education resources on innovation;
• professionalising technology transfer offices;
• exchanging good practice through improved networking and mutual learning;
• collaborating with EIT KICs (e.g. through peer-to-peer collaboration);
  • cooperating within the EIT: Health, Digital and RawMaterials),
  • strengthening integration within and between innovation ecosystems;
• developing structures and conditions for people to create or develop their businesses and start-ups;
  • identifying ideas/opportunities/business models and start-up challenges,
  • supporting emerging innovative projects/initiatives;
• developing innovation and entrepreneurial training programmes and mentoring schemes for staff and students;
  • training camp and courses,
  • innovation and entrepreneurship clubs,
  • seminars and workshops.

Overall, the consortium will create a scalable model for an academic entrepreneurship development approach. This approach will support the innovation and entrepreneurship potential of students, staff and innovators from the consortium, EIT ecosystems and beyond even after the project period.

Project coordinator

Jacek Nowak, Head of Industry Cooperation Office, University of Silesia in Katowice (contact)

Project website

entrepreneurproject.eu