European Network of Design for Resilient Entrepreneurship

Unipi Team Leader:

Entrepreneurship has been highlighted as a key action by the European Commission as a powerful driver of economic growth, job creation and innovation. Recent communications from European Union are clear: Europe needs more entrepreneurs. However, entrepreneurs still lack the basic cultural and educational conditions to compete on a worldwide market, and more investment in entrepreneurship education is needed. To reach these goals, formal education is not enough. Ideas are put into action when learning is supported by direct experience of the economic environment.
The ENDuRE Knowledge Alliance designed innovative approach for the education of new entrepreneurs and support aimed at increasing resilience and competitiveness of European startups.
Academies and companies worked together to face the challenge of reducing probability of failure in startups, helping existing enterprises grow quickly and overcome the “Valley of Death”.
The project designed and developed a holistic framework to transform ideas into technically and economically sustainable businesses. ENDuRE mixes learning by doing, cross-border collaboration and the strategic support of new startups by successful companies in a win-win environment. Its key features include innovative solutions in technical opportunity scouting and market/technology assessment; pretotyping, conceptual design, and reinforcement of products/services and business models; IP mapping, and competitive intelligence analysis; advanced prototyping of products/services; field support through knowledge exchange and startups’ full immersion within hosting companies.
After three tests within a European network of academies and business players, a set of educational and practical tools are now available. They are aimed at guaranteeing the reproducibility of the approach. The educational and training materials are available on the project website for target stakeholders to be transferred in different programs, as well as to be used at different stages of the start-up growth.

Coordinator: UNIVERSITA DI PISA

Other participants:

CEDIT- CENTRO DIFFUSIONE IMPRENDITORIALE DELLA TOSCANA SCARL (Italy) 
POLO NAVACCHIO S.P.A. (Italy) 
BLUE OCEAN ROBOTICS APS (Denmark) 
IVERIDIS UK LTD (United Kingdom) 
SYDDANSK UNIVERSITET (Denmark)
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY (United Kingdom)

Start date: 01-11-2014

End Date: 31-01-2017 

EU grant: 695.277 €

Project website: http://www.endureproject.eu