Erasmus University Rotterdam and YES!Delft launch regional partnership

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) will collaborate with YES!Delft in a regional partnership. EUR believes that it can intensify its impact on society by encouraging entrepreneurship. The university’s Executive Board – represented by Rutger Engels – and the board of YES!Delft signed a Letter of Intent on Friday, 21 February, paving the way for EUR’s participation in YES!Delft. YES!Delft’s establishment of a programme in Rotterdam will be one of the initiatives for providing a boost to entrepreneurship among students and staff. This partnership will enhance up-and-running EUR initiatives with YES!Delft’s expertise.

Encouraging more entrepreneurship

YES!DelftOpens external was established by Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, and the Municipality of Delft. “It’s the most successful incubator in the Netherlands, and its ambitions include further regional expansion. In YES!Delft, we’ve found a robust partner to give an additional boost to entrepreneurship at our university”, says Hans Smits, interim-Chair of EUR’s Executive Board. The partnership will bring the EUR’s Erasmus Center for Entrepreneurship closer to YES!Delft, and their interaction will create opportunities.

Combining business and technology

YES!Delft plays a key role on the Delft University of Technology Campus when it comes to supporting disruptive innovative ecosystems, both locally and at the regional level. “Delft University of Technology is proud of YES!Delft’s success. The university’s spin-offs were able to successfully develop there and over the past few years, multiple companies originating from the Rotterdam region have joined them. Combining our strengths with EUR is a promising next step towards giving entrepreneurship in our region a shot in the arm”, said Executive Board President Tim van der Hagen.

Incorporating entrepreneurship in education and research

The goal is to give shape to a sustainable partnership, one that generates synergy and benefits all the partners. Encouraging entrepreneurship offers EUR opportunities to strengthen ties with local and global stakeholders and contribute to addressing challenges facing society. One facet of this is social entrepreneurship that engages with society. Engels also stresses that “In this context, entrepreneurship is more than just establishing start-ups. It also means that entrepreneurship must be incorporated in education, for example, and ways have to be found to combine it with research. Creating a strong entrepreneurial mindset among our students and staff plays an important role in this process."

This article was first published on 21 February 2020 by Erasmus University Rotterdam.