Case Studies

This case study examines how HOGENT, one of the largest Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts in Flanders (Belgium), built entrepreneurial capacity across the whole institution. The work drew on two things, used side by side. HEInnovate helped HOGENT read where it stood on entrepreneurship and provided a shared frame of reference for it. Design...

The KTSoftSkills Project, coordinated by the University of Bologna through an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership, addressed the need to strengthen soft and transversal competences among knowledge transfer professionals in higher education and research organisations. The initiative developed a structured training framework, self-assessment framework and...

Green HExagon is an international, primarily online pre-incubation programme for sustainable business ideas, run by university incubators in five European countries. Created within an Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership, it works at the preincubation stage, where ideas are still too early for an incubator or accelerator. Over four months, teams move...

This case study updates the 2018 HEInnovate case study of the University of Kassel and examines the evolution of its entrepreneurship, innovation and knowledge transfer ecosystem. Since 2018, the university has further strengthened its organisational capacity through the continued development of UniKasselTransfer and a portfolio of complementary...

StartLab.Brussels Academics is a pre-incubation programme developed within the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and StartLab.Brussels entrepreneurship ecosystem to support researchers in exploring entrepreneurship and translating research into societal and economic impact. Positioned within the broader StartLab.Brussels incubator, the programme...

Impronta Granada is a quadruple helix alliance between the University of Granada and the Provincial Council of Granada that connects university expertise with territorial priorities across 174 municipalities. Building on participatory Urban Agendas, it combines a digital platform organising more than 1,000 measures with a portfolio of co-creation...

ACCENT: Accessible Entrepreneurship – Empowerment for Global Futures is an Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership (2022–2025) that involved the University of Cologne, the University of Granada, and the University of Pavia. The project addressed the need for more inclusive entrepreneurship support in higher education, focusing on international and refugee...

This case study examines the Student Project Incubator within the Una Europa Alliance — an interdisciplinary learning initiative supporting student-led innovation and collaboration. It highlights that entrepreneurship and innovation extend beyond business creation, encompassing diverse student-driven initiatives. It operates as an inclusive...

This case study presents the "Playground for Entrepreneurs," an innovative, gamified, and inclusive learning tool developed in the Netherlands to support early-stage entrepreneurial exploration. The initiative addresses common barriers in entrepreneurship education, such as limited access to quality coaching and the need for experiential...

This case study presents Your Online Side Hustle International (YOSHI), an (extra)curricular entrepreneurship programme developed by Saxion University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with its European partners within the E³UDRES² alliance —USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten, JAMK University of Applied Sciences. YOSHI supports...

The University of Bayreuth pursues a clear regional transfer strategy: it sees itself as an innovation driver for the Upper Franconia region and is establishing a highly networked innovation ecosystem between the university, companies, research institutions, and societal stakeholders. The focus is on the transfer of knowledge, ideas, and technology...

This comparative case study explores how three HEIs—Hibernia College, Ludwigsburg University of Education, and PH Lucerne—advance internationalisation through virtual mobility. They use initiatives like COIL, Blended Intensive Programs, and hybrid exchanges to enable global collaboration without travel, aligning with goals such as expanding access...

Linköping University (LiU), a young higher education institution in southern Sweden, has systematically built capacity for entrepreneurship and innovation. The University’s organisation as such is deliberately interdisciplinary in order to foster innovation: twelve Departments offer research and education to all of the University’s four Faculties...

This case study provides an update on the approach to entrepreneurship and innovation taken by the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU)1, representing the status at the end of 2024. The original case study, was written in 2015. Since then, KTU has developed its entrepreneurial profile and approach further. It developed its curricular teaching of...

Entrepreneurship is part of the mission of the University of Bologna (UNIBO), and the University also seeks to develop entrepreneurship education. Until March 2024, UNIBO coordinated the project Educators for Impact, funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme. The project aimed to empower educators and students to solve societal...