The Community for Educational Innovation (CEI) hosted its second thematic webinar on 19 May 2025: “Support Services for Student Entrepreneurship in Higher Education.” Around 100 participants from across Europe explored how higher education institutions (HEIs) can effectively nurture student entrepreneurship through tailored support systems that go beyond the traditional classroom—such as incubators, mentorship programmes, challenge-based learning, and access to funding. To learn more about the session, you can access the following resources:

📄Session Summary
📤Presentation Slides
📘Background Note

Three Expert Perspectives

The webinar featured diverse perspectives on building ecosystems that support students in turning ideas into ventures:

• Prof. Sara Proença (Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Portugal) presented the institutional strategy of PUC through the INOPOL Entrepreneurship Academy, highlighting a university-wide model offering incubation, mentoring, and innovation training. INOPOL has supported over 140 projects and raised €2.6 million in funding.
• Rita Dias (President, Erasmus Student Network) brought the student voice to the forefront, stressing the need for inclusive and challenge-based entrepreneurship education. She introduced two flagship ESN initiatives—ETI Labs and Erasmus Careers—which bridge academia with real-world innovation and labour market needs.
• Prof. Thomas Crispeels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) showcased StartLab.Brussels, a university-led incubator that has helped launch 185 startups and supported nearly 1,000 entrepreneurs. The programme offers ideation-to-launch support, including a tailored track for researchers.

What’s Next?

The CEI continues its work with several follow-up initiatives:

• Call for Good Practices: Share examples of effective support services for student entrepreneurship to inform future CEI reports.
• Next Webinar (26 June 2025): Focus on cultivating entrepreneurial skills and competences throughout life. Register here.
• Study Visit (18–19 June 2025, Barcelona): Hosted by CFI-Barcelona, this visit will explore entrepreneurial mindsets and research-driven innovation.

Stay connected with the Community for Educational Innovation for more events, resources, and opportunities to shape the future of entrepreneurial education.

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