The conference provided inspiring entrepreneurial role models and practical advice for setting-up a business. The students also got more insights on the EIT and KICsʼ entrepreneurship and education activities.
Can Entrepreneurship be taught?
EIT ICT Labs PhD student in Computer Science Khalid Latif, gave testimony on how he had come to embrace entrepreneurship through his combined MBA studies at Turku School of Economics, Finland . Satu Jääskeläinen, Turku and Aalto University, also gave insights into what can be gained from combined studies in business skills and ICT.
Hannu Tenhunen, EIT ICT Labs Education Director focused on the dreams of students and how EIT ICT Labs facilitate in making it possible for students to realise them through our education programs, through extra curriculum activities in the CLC’s and through our business networking activities.
- We bring people together, we create partnerships and trust as well as develop processes that are scalable and systematic. In order to make dreams come true some hard work is required.
Learning by doing and failing
That is what Entrepreneurship is about according to the many experienced entrepreneurs who shared their knowledge and efforts at the EIT conference Youth & Entrepreneurship – Drivers of Innovation.
At the conference in Krakow the three KICs of EIT came together to showcase education and entrepreneurship activities, learning from and interacting with each other. All three KICs presented the “ingredients for success” on entrepreneurship activities. 
EIT ICT Labs CEO Willem Jonker presented the direction of EIT ICT Labs gearing up to full speed ahead for 2012. The Master School will soon be launched and next year will see the development of DTCs in all Nodes. He also proved the value of true European collaboration in the example of joining national resources in the FITTING activity which enhances and improves the utilisation of wireless network test beds.
More results to come from the Innovation factories
In the opening address by Alexander von Gabain, new chairman of EIT since September 15, he declared that EIT should not be regarded as a European MIT. It is rather an investment fund and the KICs are the innovation factories of Europe. Vice chairman Anders Flodström was impressed with the days in Krakow and was reassured that the KICs were highly operational. He concluded by looking forward to next year’s conference with even more results to show.
More information on the conference is available at the EIT website.
