iSTARTA Lean-Training, Innovative, Multidisciplinary DigitalEntrepreneurship Platform

NEWSLETTERN.º 1 | 2017

iSTART IN NUMBERS

IMPLEMENTATIONfrom Sept 2016 to Feb 2019

TOTAL BUDGET239.640,00 €

2 Trainer´s labs4 Digital Entrepreneurship Academies7 Multiplier Events

1st Trainers´Lab in ComoItaly

WHAT IS iSTART?

iStart: “A Lean-Training, Innovative, Multidisciplinary Digital Entrepreneurship Platform" is Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership project.(2016-1-TR01-KA203-034258)The project aims to develop an innovative, evidence-based transnational framework that will markedly improve the knowledge and skills of academic institutions to produce more market/ startup oriented Digital Entrepreneurship Practice (DEP) curricula.

TIMELINE

2016 2018Kick-off meeting in IzmirTurkey

CONTACTS & SOCIAL MEDIAwww.facebook.com/IStart-1322624397750355

www.linkedin.com/in/istart-project

Nov 2016 Apr 2017

NEXT EVENT 3-7 APRIL 2017, First Trainers Lab held in Lomazzo (Como), Italy

The Trainers´Labs consist of physical face-to-face meetings among the thematic experts of thepartners. The specific purpose of the first Trainers´Lab is to:1) Study each partner´s local training trends and needs and relevant communities aiming at facilitating entrepreneurship.2) Establish the Trainers’ Laboratories as an effective mechanism manned by quadruple helix organizations representatives.3) Create a blueprint/methology for the academies that will guide their detailed design and facilitate their deployment.

THE IMPACTOF iSTART1. For the academic institutions and their students:Enhancement of university-market collaboration and better alignment of the curriculum to fit the EU market through co-creation with the quadruple helix in an open innovation framework.Contribution to the internationalization of higher education through the transnational cooperation and course delivery mechanisms.Development of new cutting-edge DEP curriculum and course delivery mechanism (based on the latest technologies-VLE).Open access to the VLE that can be integrated as added value to coursework application for students (in relation to DEP).

2. For the quadruple helix stakeholders:Improved awareness of DEP strategies and specific application/mapping to shape the digital entrepreneurship process. Increase social cohesion and social groups at risk mitigation through enhanced DEP.Quadruple helix learner training with cutting-edge DEP practices.

3. At the local, regional, national and European level:Contribution to transforming European Higher Education & Research Institutes to Entrepreneurship Institutes.Contribution to the transformation of higher education students to European Entrepreneurs.

CONTEXTIn order for the European Union (EU) to be successful in the global markets, higher education institutions (HEI) must be able to produce independent, creative, entrepreneurial individuals, who understand inter-and multidisciplinary challenges of the socio-economic environment and as a result can contribute to open innovation in true convergence with technological growth.

EU’s success in the global competition is heavily dependent on the ability of the economy to produce digitally based innovative enterprises with high growth potential that can give stimulus to the actors of the socio-economic environment.

To this end, iSTART responds to this need by aiming to develop an innovative, evidence-based transnational framework that will markedly improve the knowledge and skills of academic institutions to produce more market/startup oriented DEP curricula, reducing the barriers in this field. The project consortium comprises key academics, investors, incubators from different sectors who will co-create the envisaged DEP curriculum and will pilot it through an open innovation and co-creation virtual learning environment (VLE). This outcome is directly pertinent to quadruple helix-academia co-operation for innovation and best practices with respect to DEP, and can also support policy reform in this area, leading to more prepared graduates ready for the startup market.

WHO ARE THE PROJECTPARTNERS?

SEERC (GREECE)www.seerc.org

SEERC is an overseas research centre of the University of Sheffield, established as a non-profit legal entity in Thessaloniki, Greece. The centre was founded by City College, the University's International Faculty, in 2003. It is conducting multidisciplinary research in the fields of Enterprise, Innovation & Development, Information & Communication Technologies, and Society & Human Development.

SEERC's mission is to support the stable and peaceful development of South-East Europe by conducting pure and applied research in and for the region. To accomplish this, SEERC will employ the existing research capacities of the University of Sheffield and CITY College by facilitating collaborations between their research staff and by developing multi-disciplinary networks of researchers from across South-East Europe.

YASAR UNIVERSITY (TURKEY - COORDINATOR)www.yasar.edu.tr/en/

Yasar University (YU) is a foundation university, located in Izmir, Turkey. It was established in 2001 by one of Turkey’s leading industry groups, namely Yasar Holding. YU offers high-caliber teaching has strong collaboration with industry and commerce, and provides its graduates with competencies necessary to operate in an international context. YU was selected as “Erasmus Success Story” in 2010 by the EC DG for Education and Culture and was also awarded the “Success Story in Erasmus Intensive Programmes Projects” in 2012.

Yasar University’s recently renewed strategic plan, puts Innovation and Entrepreneurship as one of the five key features besides Internationalization, Embeddedness, Experimental learning and Sustainability. The university has founded an incubator especially for ICT spin-off firms and invested in strengthening its Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office (KTTO), which aims to enhance collaboration and knowledge/technology exchange among the university, large industries in the sector and spinoff companies. YU has also established a Centre for Open and Distance Learning, which is committed to providing wide access to high quality education using a variety of open and distance learning methods to the development of society in both a local and global sense.

i4G - INCUBATION FOR GROWTH SA (GREECE)www.i4g.gr

Incubation for Growth SA is a societe anonyme managing the first private incubator in Greece established in 2002. The company is also engaged in the development and management of third party Business and Technology Incubators and the provision of integrated consulting services for entrepreneurship & innovation in public and private organizations.

The aim of i4G is to create an attractive “ecosystem” that brings together start-ups with anchor tenants and service providers, enhancing and facilitating at the same time entrepreneurship creation in its local community.

SVILUPPO COMO - COMONEXT SPA (ITALY)www.comonext.it

Since 1st January 2017 Sviluppo Como - ComoNExT spa is the new company - created by the fusion of ComoNExT plc with Sviluppo Como spa - which manages the Lomazzo-based Science and Technology Park (STP). The mainteined brand ComoNExT carries on information, assistance, advisory services and incubation to companies located both inside and outside the park and promotes the technology transfer from universities and external R&D centres to the businesses.

Since 2010 ComoNExT has been managing call for ideas, in 2013 our incubator and incubation model was certified by the Italian Ministry for Economics MISE. At now we have selected over 400 proposals and over 200 extra call candidates and managed 38 startups, whose support includes spaces, project management, business planning and networking with University and investors (business angels, venture capitals).

EBAN - EUROPEAN BUSINESS ANGEL NETWORK (BELGIUM)www.eban.org

Since its inception in 1999, EBAN has demonstrated commitment in developing capacity, knowledge and experience in the context of business angels, investment in start-ups and innovative companies and supporting entrepreneurship and startups growth.

Today EBAN has 166 members in 51 countries all active in the above fields. Our constituency is diverse, reaching all of the EU 28 Member States and representing a wide range of market players: business angels,business angel networks, business angel federations, early stage funds, business accelerators and electronic funding platforms.

IPN - INSTITUTO PEDRO NUNES (PORTUGAL)www.ipn.pt

Instituto Pedro Nunes is a non-profit private organization founded in 1991 and promotes innovation and technology transfer, being the main link between the University of Coimbra (UC) and the business sector. Its work is made through R&TD in partnership with enterprises, specialized training, dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge and support to start-up tech companies.