Project name: Erasmus+ KA220-HED – Cooperation partnerships in higher education “Start-Cup Academy”
Contract number: 2023-1-LV01-KA220-HED-000160254
Duration: 04/2024-09/2026
Total project budget: 250`000,00 EUR
Project partners: Lead Partner 不良研究所 (Latvia), BURGASKI SVOBODEN UNIVERSITET (Burgas Free University) (Bulgaria), Associazione Innovalley – ProMotori di Innovazione (Italy), IDP SAS DI GIANCARLO COSTANTINO (ITALIAN DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS) (Italy), INSTITUT DE HAUTE FORMATION AUX POLITIQUES COMMUNAUTAIR ES (Belgium), SVEUCILISTE U DUBROVNIKU (Croatia), INTERNET WEB SOLUTIONS SL (Spain), University of Customs and Finance (Ukraine)
Project purpose: The project aims to promote the development of startups by providing training and support to potential startup founders in developing their business model and participating in startup competitions. The objectives include the development of a joint model with universities, business incubators and companies; the development of student-centred entrepreneurship curricula; the training of academics in innovative pedagogies; the provision of hands-on training in startup competitions; and the promotion of the entrepreneurial spirit of students at the university.
Project purpose: The aim of the project is to promote the development of start-ups by providing training and support to potential start-up founders in developing their business model and participating in start-up competitions. The objectives include developing a common model with universities, business incubators and companies; developing student-centred entrepreneurship curricula; training academics in innovative pedagogies; offering hands-on training in startup competitions; and fostering students’ entrepreneurial spirit at university.
Sasniedzamie rezult膩ti: Analiz膿s universit膩拧u atbalstu startapiem, identific膿jot tr奴kumus agr墨n膩s att墨st墨bas posm膩.
Izstr膩d膩s visaptvero拧u apm膩c墨bu programmu, kuru p膩rbaud墨s un valid膿s 180 m膿r姆a grupas.
Izveidos vadl墨nijas augst膩k膩s izgl墨t墨bas sektoram, inkubatoriem un speci膩listu apm膩c墨bu pakalpojumu sniedz膿jiem.
Izstr膩d膩s politikas dokumentu “Start Cup Academy Manifesto” ar politikas ieteikumiem.
Izveidos mode募a strukt奴ru Start Cup Academy mobilit膩tei, lai nodro拧in膩tu projekta ilgtsp膿ju.
Paredzamie rezult膩ti ietver:
- Starta kausa modelis un meh膩nisms
- Apstiprin膩ta Start Cup Akad膿mijas m膩c墨bu programma, apm膩c墨bas saturs un r墨ki
- Darb墨bas vadl墨nijas prakti姆iem un politikas veidot膩jiem
- Starta kausa mobilit膩tes modelis
Project’s web page:
The official Start-Cup Academy website is a repository of the project鈥檚 results, achievements, news and contact information. It will also serve as an Open Educational Resources (OER) platform, providing target groups with access to all relevant resources and training materials.
The Start-Cup Academy project aims to foster the development of startups by providing training and support to potential startup founders in developing their business models and participating in startup competitions. Its objectives include developing a common model together with universities, incubators and businesses; designing entrepreneurship programmes tailored to students鈥� needs; training teaching staff in the use of innovative pedagogical methods; providing practical training for startup competitions; and strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit among students at university level.
The project will analyse the support provided by universities to startups, identifying gaps in the early stages of development. A comprehensive training programme will be developed, tested and validated with 180 members of the target groups. Guidelines will be developed for the higher education sector, incubators and specialised training providers. In addition, a Start-Cup Academy Manifesto will be developed, providing recommendations for startup policy development on a broader scale. Finally, a structured Start-Cup Academy mobility model will be created to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Expected results include:
- Start-Cup model and mechanism
- Validated Start-Cup Academy training programme, training content and tools
- Operational guidelines for startup programme implementers and policymakers
The project was officially launched with the first international in-person meeting, which took place in Brussels. The meeting provided partners with an excellent opportunity to discuss the overall project implementation schedule, set deadlines and define responsibilities for the coming months. One of the first activities was the development, testing and implementation of the Open Educational Resources (OER) platform.
The Start-Cup Academy platform is one of the project鈥檚 key outputs and will serve as the main channel for publishing and ensuring the transparency of the project鈥檚 results. It is available in seven languages (EN, ES, IT, LV, BG, HR and UA), and all content is completely free of charge, with no registration or user identification required.
The Start-Cup Academy website is now available at .
Over the next two years, all major outputs and achievements of the consortium will be published and integrated into the platform. Each section of the Start-Cup Academy platform serves as a dedicated library containing the relevant project results and resources.
For more information about the Start-Cup Academy project, visit .
The Erasmus+ Start-Cup Academy project has been launched with the aim of strengthening entrepreneurship education and fostering startup development in higher education institutions across Europe.
The project brings together a diverse consortium of higher education institutions, innovation organisations and entrepreneurship support organisations to jointly develop innovative approaches that help students turn their ideas into viable business projects.
On 20 May 2024, representatives of all partner organisations gathered in Brussels, Belgium, for the first in-person international Transnational Project Meeting (TPM) of the Start-Cup Academy project. The meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the partners, review the project鈥檚 objectives and expected results, discuss planned activities and outcomes, and coordinate the implementation of the different Work Packages (WPs). This important milestone laid a solid foundation for the successful implementation of the project and continued cooperation among the consortium partners.
The aim of Start-Cup Academy is to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, equip students with practical startup development skills, and provide opportunities to develop business models, validate ideas, and participate in startup-related initiatives and competitions.
Throughout the project, the partners will develop a common methodology, innovative learning materials, digital learning resources and pilot activities designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs and strengthen startup ecosystems.
By fostering cooperation between academia, industry and innovation ecosystem stakeholders, Start-Cup Academy contributes to creating an even more supportive environment for entrepreneurship and innovation across Europe.
The Erasmus+ Start-Cup Academy project has successfully completed Work Package 2 (WP2) 鈥� Start Cup Model and Mechanism, marking an important milestone in the project and laying the foundations for the development of its innovative entrepreneurship training system.
The aim of WP2 was to gain a deeper understanding of how higher education institutions, incubators, startup ecosystems and support organisations across Europe currently promote entrepreneurship and support aspiring startup founders. To achieve this, the project partners worked together to develop a common research methodology and carry out comprehensive analyses at both national and European levels.
As part of this work, the consortium analysed:
- existing startup support mechanisms;
- entrepreneurship education practices;
- skills gaps and training needs among future startup founders;
- cooperation models between higher education institutions, businesses, incubators and innovation ecosystem stakeholders;
- examples of good practice that could be adapted and implemented elsewhere in Europe.
Under WP2, the partners produced:
- 6 country analyses;
- 1 European-level analysis;
- 6 national literature reviews;
- 1 European-level literature review;
- an Executive Summary, available in six project languages.
The research brought together the expertise of higher education institutions, startup support organisations, business development professionals and policy experts from Latvia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Ukraine. This collaborative approach ensured that the findings reflected the diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems and educational realities across Europe.
The results of WP2 provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by aspiring entrepreneurs, identified opportunities for improving entrepreneurship education, and highlighted effective approaches to supporting startup creation and growth. These findings directly contributed to the development of the Start-Cup Academy Model and Mechanism, which serves as the conceptual foundation for the project鈥檚 training programme, tools and future policy recommendations.
By establishing a strong evidence-based foundation, Start-Cup Academy is supporting higher education institutions in strengthening their role in developing entrepreneurial talent and supporting the next generation of innovative startups across Europe.
The project is now moving forward with the development and implementation of the training programme, educational resources, pilot activities and policy recommendations, all aimed at creating a more supportive environment for student entrepreneurship and startup development.
Follow the project for the latest updates and resources:
Work Package 3 (WP3) 鈥� Start-Cup Academy Training Programme, Learning Content and Tools
As part of the Erasmus+ Start-Cup Academy project, the project partners have developed a comprehensive training programme designed to strengthen the entrepreneurial competences and start-up development skills of students and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The programme has been developed in response to the growing need for practical, student-centred entrepreneurship education that helps learners transform ideas into viable business models, understand funding opportunities, manage innovation processes and communicate their value proposition effectively.
The training programme consists of eight courses grouped into four thematic areas:
Entrepreneurship and Start-ups
- Opportunity Identification and Business Modelling
- Sustainable and Ethical Entrepreneurship
Finance and Fundraising
- Financial Literacy for Entrepreneurs
- Fundraising and Investment Readiness
Project Management
- Agile Project Management for Start-ups
- Digital Tools for Managing Innovation and Growth
- Public Speaking and Presentation Skills
- Pitching and Persuasive Storytelling
- Public Speaking and Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
The learning materials combine theoretical knowledge with practical exercises, case studies, self-assessment tools and real-life examples. This approach ensures that learners not only understand key entrepreneurship concepts but are also able to apply them in practical start-up development processes.
All learning resources are being developed in digital format to ensure broad accessibility, flexible use and the long-term sustainability of the project results.
Through this training programme, Start-Cup Academy supports students and aspiring entrepreneurs in developing the knowledge, confidence and practical skills they need to succeed in today鈥檚 dynamic business environment and transform innovative ideas into sustainable entrepreneurial ventures.
Follow the project to stay up to date with the latest news and explore the available resources:
The Practitioner Guide, Policy Manifesto and Sustainability Framework are now available online 鈥� published under an open licence, freely adaptable and designed for universities, incubators, training providers and policymakers across Europe.
Within its Erasmus+ cooperation partnership, the Start Cup Academy consortium has published three final outputs, bringing to a close a 30-month programme designed to address a specific problem: capable students with good ideas were not reaching Start Cup competitions that could help them start a business. Research conducted across seven countries found that these competitions are dominated by teams that already have entrepreneurial networks, while students with promising ideas but without such contacts rarely apply.
The solution was a complete, validated preparation pathway: eight micro-credential learning modules at EQF Levels 3鈥�5, available in seven languages through the open-access Start Cup Academy digital repository and tested with more than 180 learners. The three documents published today explain how any organisation can use this work and what policymakers could change to make this easier.
| Output | What it offers | Who it is for |
| Integration Strategy Practitioner guidance | Adoption pathways, a ten-step implementation guide, implementation methods, a competency validation model and pilot insights | Universities, incubators and start-up training providers |
| Manifesto Policy recommendations | Evidence from seven country contexts and ten recommendations on entrepreneurship learning, micro-credentials, educator capacity and territorial equality | EU institutions, ministries, regional authorities, funders, higher education leadership |
| Mobility Sustainability framework | Measures to maintain the availability of the outputs and support their adoption, adaptation and replication; how to identify available Start Cup competitions | Project partners, new implementers and ecosystem stakeholders |
All three have been published as Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons licence 鈥� they can be downloaded, used, reused, adapted and shared free of charge, provided the source is acknowledged. The full texts are in English, while summaries are available in Bulgarian, Croatian, Italian, Latvian, Spanish and Ukrainian; they can be downloaded from the WP5 outputs page:
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 不良研究所 University of Applied Sciences (LV), together with Burgas Free University (BG), Associazione Innovalley and IDP (IT), IHF (BE), University of Dubrovnik (HR), Internet Web Solutions (ES) and University of Customs and Finance (UA). It has developed an analysis of entrepreneurship education in seven countries, a multilingual curriculum, an open e-learning platform and the three outputs now published.
Resources and media enquiries
WP5 outputs:
Project website and digital repository:
Start Cup Academy concludes in Pescara 鈥� and on the same day delivers its results to Ukrainian city leaders and aspiring Abruzzo entrepreneurs
On 21 September 2026, the Erasmus+ partnership held the project鈥檚 closing meeting at the Aurum venue in Pescara, combining the official project closure with two in-person dissemination events: the opening day of the UEAM Academy for Ukrainian mayors and a Start Camp session for the Start Cup Abruzzo 2026 competition.
PESCARA, ITALY 鈥� The eight Start Cup Academy partner organisations met on Monday, 21 September 2026, at Aurum 鈥� La Fabbrica delle Idee for the project鈥檚 final partner meeting, bringing to a close the 30-month Erasmus+ cooperation partnership aimed at helping university students reach Start Cup competitions that can turn an idea into a business. Delegations from Latvia, Bulgaria, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Spain and Ukraine were hosted in the Pomilio Hall by the Italian partner, IDP.
A full day dedicated to the conclusion
During the morning session, each work package was reviewed in turn. The coordinator, 不良研究所 University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), presented the overall project status and the roadmap towards completion; Internet Web Solutions (Spain) reported on the Start Cup Academy digital repository and the pilot phase, in which more than 180 students and aspiring entrepreneurs tested the curriculum; while IHF (Belgium) confirmed the completion of the three Work Package 5 outputs 鈥� the Integration Strategy, Manifesto and Mobility Framework. The official agenda concluded with sessions on communication and visibility, quality assurance led by IDP, and the final allocation of responsibilities.
Two in-person dissemination events in one day
The Pescara meeting stood out because, on the partnership鈥檚 final day, the project results were presented to two very different audiences.
UEAM Academy 鈥� Ukrainian mayors and senior officials
At midday, Dmytro Treskin of the University of Customs and Finance (Ukraine) introduced a group of Ukrainian mayors and senior government officials to Start Cup Academy and shared his experience as the Ukrainian project partner in an EU-funded project. The group took part in the opening session of the UEAM Academy 鈥� the first of ten planned cycles 鈥� held at the same venue and coordinated by IDP. Senior representatives of the Italian Government also took part in the initiative during the week, making the meeting a rare cross-sector opportunity to connect entrepreneurship education with public administration and recovery priorities.
Start Camp 鈥� Start Cup Abruzzo 2026
In the afternoon, the delegations travelled to the Pescara campus of the 鈥淕. d鈥橝nnunzio鈥� University of Chieti鈥揚escara to take part in a Start Camp session 鈥� a learning initiative held as part of the Start Cup Abruzzo 2026 competition. The partners presented the project results and methodology to local competition participants 鈥� precisely the audience for whom the Start Cup Academy curriculum was developed 鈥� thus concluding the project with the very activity it was created to support.
The results are now publicly available
All Start Cup Academy results have been published as Open Educational Resources under a Creative Commons licence and can be downloaded, used, reused, adapted and shared without permission, provided the source is acknowledged. They include an analysis of entrepreneurship education in seven countries, eight micro-credential learning modules available in seven languages through an open-access digital repository, and the three Work Package 5 outputs presented in Pescara. The full catalogue is available at:
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 不良研究所 University of Applied Sciences (LV), together with Burgas Free University (BG), Associazione Innovalley and IDP (IT), IHF (BE), University of Dubrovnik (HR), Internet Web Solutions (ES) and University of Customs and Finance (UA). The project provides universities, incubators and training providers with tools to prepare students and aspiring entrepreneurs to participate in start-up competitions.