University of Liège: VentureLab—Establishing an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem at a University

Abstract

EE at the University of Liège (ULg) is initiated, driven and implemented by the University’s management school HEC (École des Hautes Études Commerciales). At the heart of EE at ULg is the VentureLab, a non-profit entity linked to HEC-ULg. It maintains an ecosystem of EE to, firstly, encourage students to become engaged in entrepreneurial activities and, secondly, support students who are developing an entrepreneurial project. The principal elements of EE at ULg are the Master level programme HEC-ULg Entrepreneurs and an incubator. Further important elements include entrepreneurs in residence, a special university status for student entrepreneurs, a system of vouchers to consult experts, events like “the corner of opportunities”, a club of student entrepreneurs, the “student entrepreneurial passport”, the showcase for entrepreneurial projects, and a Master programme in creativity. The status of a student entrepreneur may be particularly innovative: It provides students—who are seeking to start a new enterprise—with specific advantages and support in their pursuit of a study programme. While fully supported from the university’s top, EE at ULg takes a bottom-up approach. It is initiated by a group of enthusiastic people around the Chair of Entrepreneurship, and from there spreading throughout the university. HEC-ULg considers its approach as easily transferrable to other universities.