News

Wednesday 25 November 2009

University set to encourage entrepreneurship across Europe

Nottingham Business School will help to develop entrepreneurial aspirations

Nottingham Business School, part of Nottingham Trent University, is taking part in a project to develop entrepreneurial aspirations in young people across Europe.

Dr Kostas Galanakis, programme leader for executive education at Nottingham Business School, submitted a successful bid to contribute to the STARTENT project, which brings together 10 partners from eight European Union Member States, including universities, foundations, a Business Innovation Centre, a Chamber of Commerce and a European SME Association. 

The project is part of the Entrepreneurial Culture of Young People and Entrepreneurship Education grant programme 2009, from the European Commission, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General.

It is hoped that over 1,500 young people, 100 practicing entrepreneurs and 40 Professors from across the continent will be directly involved, along with many other entrepreneurship educators.

A range of activities run through STARTENT, such as awards and evening events, will aim to make young people more aware of their entrepreneurial attributes and skills and encourage them to see entrepreneurship as an option for professional life. They will also learn about other individuals who have recently started a business and will receive training on how to set up and run a successful company.

Entrepreneurs involved in the project will benefit from additional support to advance their own careers and develop their businesses, while academic educators will be introduced to more interactive teaching methods and new approaches to entrepreneurship education.

An additional feature of STARTENT will be the creation of an online platform where educators and practitioners can exchange opinions and views and access teaching material developed by the project.

Dr Kostas Galanakis said: "Entrepreneurial spirit is extremely important among young people as they will be responsible for the world economy in the future. STARTENT will involve entrepreneurs in the education process, provide professors and educators with practical insights to entrepreneurship and make entrepreneurship courses more attractive to aspiring business people."

The project was launched this month (November) and is expected to last for 15 months.