Ventspils University of Applied Sciences participates in a major European research project that will seek solutions to prevent brain drain from university-related areas. The goal is to develop concepts that increase students’ ability to become entrepreneurs.
 
In the ERASMUS+-project ENDORSE (Enhancing development of entrepreneurial strategies at university locations affected by brain drain), Ventspils University of Applied Sciences collaborates with universities in Austria, Germany, Poland, Greece and Sweden. The project starts in 2022 and runs until 2025.

− We want to strengthen the link between universities, businesses and municipalities, which is essential for the creation of regional innovation networks. Areas affected by brain drain must ensure that cooperation between universities and local stakeholders works to create an entrepreneurial environment for students, entrepreneurs and academics to work in. Increased knowledge and regionally adapted models for such collaborations will improve the conditions for students to remain, says Alina Schoenberg, Professor at IMC Fachhochschule Krems and Project Manager for ENDORSE.

The project will classify areas affected by brain drain as well as the type of business models that can be successful for each type of area and develop study material and courses to strengthen students’ entrepreneurial potential. In particular, researchers will study the conditions of women and immigrants.

− In order to be able to live where you want to live and work, you need to be able to make a living and there the ability for entrepreneurship can be crucial, both for the individual and for society. We will develop digital and flexible training modules, oriented towards different professional categories that help build the right skills of the individual based on the needs and conditions of the region where the individual operates, says Gvido Grīnbergs Head of Technology transfer and innovation center at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and project coordinator in Latvia for ENDORSE.

Researchers will also develop recommendations for policy makers to address strategies to increase the strategic role of universities in shaping the local business environment.

− Another benefit of the project is, of course, that we are creating a transnational network that strengthens international cooperation. The importance of working together across borders to learn from each other and first similarities and differences between countries’ circumstances cannot be emphasized enough in these times, says Gvido Grīnbergs.

Participating Universities: IMC Fachhochschule in Austria, Mid Sweden University in Sweden, Hochschule Niederrhein in Germany, Uniwersytet Lodzki in Poland, Kai Politikon Epistimon in Greece and Ventpils University of Applied Sciences in Latvia.
 
Please, contact: Gvido Grīnbergs Head of Technology transfer and innovation center at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and project coordinator in Latvia for ENDORSE, +371 2880 7779, gvido.grinbergs@venta.lv