Project name: Enhancing sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem in higher education of Azerbaijan

Project acronym:  ENGAGE

Coordinator University: Mingachevir State University

Project Coordinator: Eshgin Bayramov

Project Duration:36 months (2023-2025)

General goal of the project

The ultimate goal of the project is enhancing the entrepreneurial mindset and environment in higher education by integrating the entrepreneurship in governance, management and curriculum, as well as providing environments, cultures, practices, and opportunities by Entrepreneurship and Innovation centers that will conducive to encourage and embrace staff and student entrepreneurship.

Specific Objectives:

To boost entrepreneurship capacity of staff and student by establishing or developing an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centers within 11 higher-education institutions;

To prepare benchmark reports which will include in depth analysis of entrepreneurial capacity of Azerbaijan universities towards increasing the capacity to innovate, recognize and create opportunities at national and international level

To invest into creation and sustenance of entrepreneurship-oriented universities through integration of entrepreneurship in curricula and teaching methodologies with the goal to advance understanding of entrepreneurial spirit/culture as well as to promote practical/hands-on approach that would lead to experience-based start-up and spinoff mind-set and skills

To increase the entrepreneurship activities in nationwide by enhancing the capacity of national center for entrepreneurship in education and establishing National entrepreneurial university award

To provide universities with systematic strategy and a framework in order to assess them to integrate the entrepreneurship in governance and management to assess and effectively develop the individual and institutional competences to improve entrepreneurial mind-set at national wide

Taking into consideration the development of an entrepreneurial mind-set and improved competencies and skills within the institutions are key aspects of Strand 2 the activities designed will directly support the universities to enhance the entrepreneurial competences of individuals and partner institutions. All the activities will refer to the single framework – The EntreComp Framework which is made up of 3 competence areas: ‘Ideas and opportunities’, ‘Resources’ and ‘Into action’. Each area includes 5 competences, which, together, are the building blocks of entrepreneurship as a competence.