In this project the three HEIs, University of Cologne (UoC), University of Pavia (Unipv) and Universidad de Granada (UGR) have been exchanging their best practices regarding the development and implementation of international entrepreneurial university and female empowerment strategies. The aim was to support the early internationalization of start-ups, as well as to increase the number of international and female potential entrepreneurs founding a start-up with a sound, coherent program. The project contributes at unfolding the whole creative potential of the European common market to contribute to global change.
Entrepreneurial university strategies are key elements for the future development of Higher Education Institutions (HEI), as they help create innovative solutions for the challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, digitalization, migration, and gender equality. However, what framework does an HEI have to deliver to support the launch of European “born global” start-ups? We identified three fields and focus groups of entrepreneurial HEI strategies that are not sufficiently addressed by current strategies. Improvements in these fields could allow to develop more innovative ideas dealing with major challenges of our time. ACCENT aimed to identify successful strategies for developing and implementing international entrepreneurial universities and supporting programs for international, refugee, and female students, all underrepresented in current strategies. The ultimate goal is to create a training program that supports the early internationalization of start-ups and increases the number of international and female entrepreneurs.