Start-cup Academy

A practitioner handbook, a policy manifesto and a sustainability framework are now online — openly licensed, free to adapt, and addressed to universities, incubators, training providers and policymakers across Europe. The Start Cup Academy consortium has published the three final results of its Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership, closing a 30-month programme aimed at a specific problem: capable students with good ideas were not reaching the start-up competitions — the Start Cups — that could launch them. Research across seven countries found these competitions dominated by teams who already have entrepreneurial networks, while students with a strong idea and no contacts rarely apply at all. The answer was a complete, validated preparation pathway: eight micro-credential training modules at EQF levels 3–5, available in seven languages through the open-access Start Cup Academy Digital Warehouse and tested with more than 180 learners. The three documents published today explain how any organisation can use that work — and what policymakers could change to make it easier. Result What it offers Who it is for Mainstreaming Strategy Guidelines for practitioners Adoption pathways, a ten-step implementation guide, delivery methods, a competence validation model and lessons from the pilot Universities, incubators and start-up training providers Manifesto Policy recommendations Evidence from seven national contexts and ten recommendations on entrepreneurial learning, micro-credentials, educator capacity and territorial equity EU institutions, ministries, regional authorities, funders, HEI leadership Mobility A sustainable framework Measures for keeping the results available and for adopting, adapting and replicating them; how to identify accessible Start Cups Project partners, new adopters and ecosystem stakeholders All three are published as Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons licence — free to download, use, reuse, adapt and share, provided the source is acknowledged. Full texts are in English, with executive summaries in Bulgarian, Croatian, Italian, Latvian, Spanish and Ukrainian, and can be downloaded from the WP5 results page at www.startcupacademy.eu/manifesto.php?lang=EN . About Start Cup Academy Start Cup Academy is an Erasmus+ KA220-HED Cooperation Partnership (2023-1-LV01-KA220-HED-000160254), running from April 2024 to September 2026 and coordinated by RISEBA University of Applied Sciences (LV) with Burgas Free University (BG), Associazione Innovalley and IDP (IT), IHF (BE), the University of Dubrovnik (HR), Internet Web Solutions (ES) and the University of Customs and Finance (UA). It has produced an analysis of entrepreneurship education in seven countries, a multilingual curriculum, an open e-learning platform and the three results published now. Resources and media enquiries WP5 results: www.startcupacademy.eu/manifesto.php?lang=EN Project website and Digital Warehouse: www.startcupacademy.eu

The Erasmus+ partnership held its final project meeting at the Aurum in Pescara on 21 September 2026, combining the formal closure of the project with two live dissemination moments: the opening day of the UEAM Academy for Ukrainian mayors, and a Start Camp session of the Start Cup Abruzzo 2026 competition. PESCARA, ITALY — The eight partner organisations of Start Cup Academy met at the Aurum – La Fabbrica delle Idee on Monday 21 September 2026 for the project’s Final Project Partner Meeting, bringing to a close a 30-month Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership that set out to help university students reach the start-up competitions — the Start Cups — that can turn an idea into a company. Delegations from Latvia, Bulgaria, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Spain and Ukraine were hosted by the Italian partner IDP in the Pomilio Room. A full day of closure The morning session reviewed every work package in turn. Coordinator RISEBA University of Applied Sciences (Latvia) presented the overall project status and the roadmap to closure; Internet Web Solutions (Spain) reported on the Start Cup Academy Digital Warehouse and the pilot delivery that tested the curriculum with more than 180 students and prospective founders; and IHF (Belgium) confirmed the finalisation of the three Work Package 5 results — the Mainstreaming Strategy, the Manifesto and the Mobility framework. Sessions on communication and visibility, quality assurance led by IDP, and the allocation of final responsibilities completed the formal agenda. Two live dissemination moments in a single day What distinguished the Pescara meeting was that the project’s results were put in front of two very different audiences on the day the partnership closed. UEAM Academy — Ukrainian mayors and senior officials At midday, Mr. Dmytro Treskin of the University of Customs and Finance (Ukraine) presented Start Cup Academy and his experience as a Ukrainian partner in an EU-funded project to a cohort of Ukrainian mayors and senior public officials attending the inaugural session of the UEAM Academy — the first of ten planned editions — running in the same venue and coordinated by IDP. Senior Italian government figures were also involved in the initiative during the week, making the encounter a rare cross-sector opportunity to connect entrepreneurial education with public administration and reconstruction priorities. Start Camp — Start Cup Abruzzo 2026 In the afternoon the delegations moved to the “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti–Pescara, Pescara Campus, to attend a session of Start Camp, the training initiative running within the Start Cup Abruzzo 2026 competition. Partners presented the project’s results and methodology directly to local contestants — precisely the audience the Start Cup Academy curriculum was designed for — closing the project with the same activity it was built to support. The results are now public All Start Cup Academy outputs are published as Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons licence and may be downloaded, used, reused, adapted and shared without seeking permission, provided the source is acknowledged. They include an analysis of entrepreneurship education in seven countries, eight micro-credential training modules available in seven languages through the open-access Digital Warehouse, and the three Work Package 5 results presented in Pescara. The full catalogue is at www.startcupacademy.eu. About Start Cup Academy Start Cup Academy is an Erasmus+ KA220-HED Cooperation Partnership (2023-1-LV01-KA220-HED-000160254), running from April 2024 to September 2026 and coordinated by RISEBA University of Applied Sciences (LV) with Burgas Free University (BG), Associazione Innovalley and IDP (IT), IHF (BE), the University of Dubrovnik (HR), Internet Web Solutions (ES) and the University of Customs and Finance (UA). The project equips universities, incubators and training providers with the tools to prepare students and prospective founders for participation in start-up competitions.  

Workshops organised with Arrabal-AID presented the project’s progress, training resources and practical tools to young learners, jobseekers, future entrepreneurs and education stakeholders. Málaga, Spain, 3 August 2026 – Internet Web Solutions (IWS) has successfully organised a series of local workshops and multiplier activities in Málaga at different milestones of the European START CUP ACADEMY project. Delivered in collaboration with Arrabal-AID, an associated partner of the project, the events involved a total of 50 participants and helped bring the project’s progress and results directly to local learners, future entrepreneurs, VET professionals and other relevant stakeholders. The activities were designed to raise awareness of START CUP ACADEMY while gathering feedback from people who may directly benefit from its entrepreneurship training, digital resources and practical startup-support tools. Participants were introduced to the project’s objectives, European partnership, completed research, training programme and resources developed to support the creation and growth of student-led and early-stage startups. The first two workshops took place on 6 October 2025 and involved a combined total of 26 participants. The first session was held at Galerías Goya, Plaza de Uncibay 3, Málaga, with 12 young adults participating in Arrabal-AID’s vocational training course. The workshop introduced the START CUP ACADEMY initiative and highlighted how entrepreneurial, digital and project-management skills can strengthen participants’ employability and help them explore alternative professional pathways, including self-employment and business creation. A second workshop was held on the same day at Calle Dos Aceras 23, Málaga. It brought together 14 young adults participating in the Multipurpose Virtual Monitor training course, including one participant from Ukraine. The session focused on the role of digital tools, innovation and entrepreneurial competences in developing new professional opportunities and transforming ideas into viable projects. A further START CUP ACADEMY Multiplier Event was held on 18 May 2026 at the Arrabal-AID premises at Calle Muro de San Julián 33, Málaga. The event involved 24 young people not in employment, education or training who completing preparatory training before undertaking professional placements in Italy, Poland and Portugal. During this event, IWS presented the progress achieved by the European consortium and the practical resources developed by START CUP ACADEMY. Particular attention was given to the project’s entrepreneurship training programme, digital learning environment, case studies and tools supporting opportunity recognition, business modelling, financial literacy, access to funding, project management, digital innovation and pitching. The session also encouraged participants to consider entrepreneurship as a realistic pathway for professional development and social inclusion. Through practical discussion and exchanges with learners, trainers and stakeholders, the event demonstrated how entrepreneurial competences can help young people become more proactive, adaptable and confident when entering the labour market or developing their own initiatives. The collaboration with Arrabal-AID made it possible to reach a diverse local audience comprising young students, jobseekers, aspiring entrepreneurs, VET operators and professionals working in employment, training and social inclusion. Their participation helped connect the project’s European-level results with the real needs and experiences of learners and support organisations in Málaga.