Ventspils University of Applied Sciences invited students, lecturers, policymakers and local entrepreneurs to share their views on current opportunities and challenges in the local business environment and enhance a joint discourse.

As part of the Erasmus+ project ENDORSE policymaker, entrepreneurship promoting agencies and institutions, members of the academia and students joined round tables to discuss students and graduates entrepreneurial intentions at the university locations. The first event took place in Östersund /Sweden in November 2022. Round tables in Krems/Austria, Lodz/Poland and Ventspils/Latvia followed, allowing the project team to gain deep knowledge on the opportunities and challenges that students and graduates face when starting their own business on rather rural and remote areas. 

The main objective of the events was to identify the university’s role in promoting local entrepreneurship and increase its participation in local and regional development. In addition to discussions on local infrastructure and incentives necessary to increase the attractiveness of remote areas for entrepreneurs, it has been emphasized that early entrepreneurial education (high school level) is necessary for reducing personal barriers (risk aversion, lack of information) for potential young entrepreneurs. In addition, all participants agreed that hands on teaching concepts that are supporting students with entrepreneurial intentions throughout the entire founding process, from the business idea to the registration of a company, will provide a good incentive for young entrepreneurs. Local and regional entrepreneurship promoting agencies and policymakers see a stronger collaboration with universities as an important opportunity to increase their reach and transparency related to different entrepreneurship programs and funding schemes.

 “The round tables as well as the ongoing talks with students, academia, local entrepreneurs and policymaker and funding agencies are crucial for the success of the project. Without their input the outcome of the project won’t be able to go beyond textbook knowledge. To have a measurable impact on local and regional development we need a hands-on approach to promoting entrepreneurship amongst young people: hands-on education and hands-on policies. Universities play a key role in facilitating not only the knowledge transfer but also the cooperation of all involved stakeholders”, says Alina Schoenberg, Professor at IMC Fachhochschule Krems and Project Lead for ENDORSE.

In the next steps the Project partners will evaluate the obtained insights and will design teaching content, as well as policy concepts while strengthening their universities’ role as regional innovation centers.

In the ERASMUS+ project ENDORSE (Enhancing development of entrepreneurial strategies at university locations affected by brain drain), running from 2022 to 2025, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences collaborates with Mid Sweden University in Sweden, Hochschule Niederrhein in Germany, Uniwersytet Lodzki in Poland, Kai Politikon Epistimon in Greece and IMC Krems in Austria as the main lead, to seek solutions for brain drain at university locations.


Please, contact: Kristiāna Balode, ENDORSE project coordinator in Latvia, kristiana.balode@venta.lv