Summer Schools

Four years ago year we launched our first Entrepreneurship Summer School. Two years agowe introduced our first Social Entrepreneurship Summer School. Since then, Maastricht University offers two Summer Schools, each addressing a specific type of entrepreneurial venture.

The first Summer School focuses on for-profit initiatives, the second Summer School focuses on initiatives that seek to have a social impact. All entrepreneurs are passionate about their initiatives. Yet, their passions differ.

Social entrepreneurs are driven by an ambition to add social value. For example to reduce illiteracy, exclusion or poverty. “Regular” entrepreneurs seek to exploit commercially viable opportunities, usually not because they want to get rich but because they think it it worthwhile doing. For example because it may provide autonomy, challenges, and self-devlopment. Or they do it in order to have a job.

Social entrepreneurship is in many respects quite distinctive. It also shares a lot of similarities. That you also see reflected in the programmes of our two summer schools. The programmes seem to be quite similar. Yet, identification and selection of the opportunities, the mobilising of resources, and the requirements to grow are all fundamentally different.

Entrepreneurship Summer School

Maastricht University will host its fourth Entrepreneurship Summer School from August 20 to August 24 2012.

The Entrepreneurship Summer School allows you to experience and learn what it takes to transform an idea into a business concept. Our aim is to gear the participants up for action: entrepreneurship is not about dreaming, it is about realising one’s dreams.

During the Entrepreneurship Summer School the participants attend lectures and workshops delivered by faculty members of Maastricht University, professional investors and financiers, and entrepreneurs.

“The Entrepreneurship Summer School has been a tremendous experience! Not only did I become aware of all the different aspects the life of an entrepreneur encompasses, it gave me the spirit to pursue the opportunity of being an entrepreneur and knowing that if I put my mind to it, and work hard, I can be successful at it. It is not an average day week, it’s a busy one, with lots of hours of knowledge sharing, networking, and discussing ideas, experience, and many more. All useful hours!”

Stefan Harberts (Alumnus of  the MSc IB programme Strategy & Innovation and Organisation at Maastricht University, participant in the 2009 edition of the Eentrepreneurship Summer School

Social Entrepreneurship Summer School

Maastricht University will host its third Social Entrepreneurship Summer School from August 27 to August 31 2012.

Social Entrepreneurship seeks to generate social value, not neccearily economic returns. Social ventures can address local or foreign social problems (povery, exclusion, illiteracy etc.) The Social Entrepreneurship Summer School allows you to experience and learn what it takes to transform an idea that could make a social difference into a concept for a social venture. For example a venture that will be able to reduce illiteracy without a dependency of subsidies or donations. Our aim is to gear you up for action: also social entrepreneurship is not about dreaming, it is about realising dreams.

During the Social Entrepreneurship Summer School you will attend lectures delivered by faculty members of Maastricht University, professional investors in social ventures, and social entrepreneurs.

Reknown for its excellence in education, Maastricht University provides an unique environment for to nurture entrepreneurship. Our “Problem Based Learning” teaching philosophy is based on the curiosity and enterprising attitude of our predominantly international student body.

Indeed, as one should expect from Maastricht University, our Summer Schools have a strong international character and outlook. Most of our participants tend to be non-Dutch. Last years’ summer schools drew participants from Maastricht University, Universite de Liege, Leuven University, Hogeschool Zuyd, Universität Passau, Universität StGallen. In addition, we encourage them to seek early growth through international expansion.

Perhaps through self-election, or through PBL, many of our students want to stay in control of their self-development in their professional lives. Obviously, entrepreneurship, or at least an entrepreneurial role in an established organization, is the ultimate environment where a self-directed career path can materialise.