Engaging entrepreneurial ecosystems for the youth / Ecosys4you
The Ecosys4you project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon programme. The project partnership is committed to improve the flow of innovation resources between entrepreneurial ecosystems of the regions Ruhr in Germany, Varna in Bulgaria, and Maribor in Slovenia. It develops an entrepreneurial education programme by establishing innovative interlinkages between the actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystems. Private, public and educational actors are in the consortium and represent the three entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Ecosys4you mobilises innovation resources in four dimensions: education, networking, market expansion, and people. Private, public and educational actors co-create the programme. The main activities are joint classes, mentoring, real-world challenges and internships at start-ups. Experience of founders and established entrepreneurs drive the programme’s design. Their benefit is the opportunity to enter new markets opened up by Ecosys4you. The programme is open to students and young alumni from higher education institutions, professional schools, graduates who wish to found a company, and other young people who want to discover entrepreneurial spirit.
Ecosys4you develops a new and complementary understanding of entrepreneurship education by viewing ecosystems as collective educational actors essential to “raise” a start-up, and by empowering students to be an integral active part of ecosystems.
The main objectives are:
- To establish improved flows of innovation resources between the entrepreneurial ecosystems of the Ruhr, Varna and Maribor regions. Business experts of the private sector significantly contribute their expertise to increase innovation potential and to establish and sustain the flow of resources.
- To strengthen the innovation potential of the entrepreneurial ecosystems by stimulating and supporting people, especially the youth, to create new businesses and increase the flow of skilled employees to start-ups and young companies. A focus will be on improving digital competencies, for example, by raising awareness for cyber security as a fundamental part of business development in the digital era.
- To foster entrepreneurial thinking and practical knowledge by interlinking higher education institutions, entrepreneurs, and intermediaries inside and across the ecosystems. Students are empowered to be part of it as entrepreneurs.
The project (06/2023 – 05/2026) is coordinated by the Institute for Work and Technology, Westphalian University of Applied Sciences. Project partners are AWARE7 GmbH https://aware7.com/, the Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations Varna https://www.rapiv.org/en/, and DOBA Business School (https://www.dobabusiness-school.eu/