UAS network UAS4EUROPE brings female founders before the curtain: "It takes someone to believe in us!"

Universities of Applied Sciences show Europe how applied research can promote entrepreneurial spirit and start-up expertise

 At Switzerland's mission to the European Union on Monday, representatives of the EU Commission, the European Parliament and universities of applied sciences met with female founders to show why entrepreneurship is promoted at universities of applied sciences in particular and what female founders in particular need to realise their ideas. Viewing the degree programme as a field of experimentation in which various start-up scenarios can be played out in the form of practical teaching methods can encourage students to actually put their own ideas into practice. In addition, good mentoring and coaching from the teaching and research staff at the university of applied sciences is essential, as is networking with other entrepreneurs during their studies. Female role models can encourage women in particular to stick to their start-up ideas and put them into practice.

Support came from Ingrid Rigler from the EU Commission (Debuty Head of Unit Innovation/EIT), who believes it is essential to promote start-ups and provide incubator services as part of funding programmes such as the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC). Lina Gálvez Muños, Member of the European Parliament (Vice-Chair, ITRE/Member STOA) also emphasised that it is important to finally leverage the existing innovation potential in Europe. In her view, all measures that promote this would be very much to be supported.

Andreas Altmann (Rector, MCI, The Entrepreneureal School, Innsbruck) finally brought the perspective of the universities of applied sciences into the discussion and emphasised that, above all, a willingness to take risks is needed to promote start-ups. MCI has this willingness, but it also needs funding that allows this access and provides targeted support. This is because students and graduates with the relevant potential generally have no venture capital. A "culture of failure" also needs to be established in Europe. There is definitely some catching up to do here and there needs to be a fundamental rethink on the part of funding organisations.

"We are delighted that the universities of applied sciences in Europe are recognised as strong pioneers in the teaching of start-up skills," says FHK Secretary General Kurt Koleznik. "In Austria, more than 70 innovative start-ups and spin-offs are created at universities of applied sciences every year. Our founders need someone who "believes in them" and shares the risk with them in case things don't work out. Universities of applied sciences therefore support their students and graduates in exactly this way. Europe and Austria need to realise even more innovation potential in this area, which is why we need more targeted funding that addresses precisely this."

 

About UAS4EUROPE

UAS4EUROPE is a joint initiative of swissuniversities, Hochschule Bayern e.V., EURASHE, University Colleges Denmark, Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (ARENE), Hochschulen für Angewandte Wissenschaften Baden-Württemberg e.V., Hochschulallianz für den Mittelstand and Österreichische Fachhochschul-Konferenz (FHK). The initiative is committed to strengthening and increasing the visibility of universities of applied sciences (UAS) in the European research landscape. UAS4EUROPE represents 2.3 million students, more than 60,000 researchers and more than 450 universities in 24 European countries.