The first HORIZON project at DOBA Business School: International educational programme for young people with a passion for entrepreneurship

In January, we received news of the approval of the Ecosys4you project (HORIZON 2022), which, after all the formalities have been completed, will be launched in late spring. The 36-month project will involve 4 partner institutions, two from Germany and one each from Bulgaria and Slovenia. The lead partner is Westfälische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen from Germany.

In the Ecosys4you project, we will design and implement an international educational programme for young people with a passion for entrepreneurship in three regions – Ruhr in Germany, Varna in Bulgaria and Maribor in Slovenia, the home regions and cities of the project partners from the private and public education sectors and stakeholders from three different entrepreneurial ecosystems. The project aims to mobilise the flow of innovation resources through four dimensions: education, networking, market expansion, and people. The project activities will add value to the existing entrepreneurship education of the included regional higher education institutions: we will build on our experience and expertise to develop and establish high-quality cross-ecosystem activities for future entrepreneurs. The main project activities will focus on joint lectures (training), tutoring, real-world challenges (case studies), and internships with start-ups. The programme design will be guided by the experience of founders and established entrepreneurs. These are great assets, as they will open up opportunities to enter new markets through Ecosys4you.

The programme is aimed at students and young graduates of higher education institutions, vocational schools, graduates who want to start their own business, and other young people who want to discover and live the entrepreneurial spirit. We aim to reach 200 young people, including at least 80 women, who will be involved in the two editions of the programme (2024–2025) and to stimulate the creation/realisation of approximately 5–10 start-ups and innovations. Due to the close collaboration with the lecturers and the organisational and financial measures designed in Ecosys4you, we will ensure a self-sufficient/sustainable programme which will be continued after the end of the project.