Student competitions are shaping the future. Organized annually between March and June at five Dutch universities, the V.O.-sponsored student competitions provide a crucial platform for innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge sharing. The TU Delft Impact Contest, the TU/e Contest, the Erasmus University Challenge, the UT Entrepreneurial Challenge and the UvA EB Challenge attract students from many disciplines, ranging from technology and science to medicine and engineering.
Each competition offers student teams the opportunity to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurship by presenting projects that offer innovative solutions to various challenges. V.O.'s input is to share expertise on intellectual property, which is essential for protecting the ideas and innovations of participating teams.
TU Delft Impact Contest
The TU Delft Impact Contest, held at Delft University of Technology, offers students the chance to further develop their own ingenious ideas, prototypes and research projects into business plans. The main goal and mission is to challenge students to create out-of-the-box innovative solutions to social problems and translate them into real products and business plans.
TU/e Contest
Door de TU/e Contest, georganiseerd door de Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, kunnen technische studenten hun ondernemersvaardigheden ontwikkelen. Zij maken daarbij gebruik van de expertise van innovatieve en zeer deskundige partners, en komen in contact met succesvolle ondernemers en toonaangevende internationale bedrijven. De competitie daagt uit om innovatieve ideeën, die oplossing bieden voor maatschappelijke problemen, om te zetten in een levensvatbaar bedrijfsconcept.
Erasmus University Challenge
The Erasmus University Challenge, organized by Eindhoven University of Technology, allows engineering students to develop their entrepreneurial skills. In doing so, they benefit from the expertise of innovative and highly skilled partners, and come into contact with successful entrepreneurs and leading international companies. The competition challenges students to turn innovative ideas, which offer solutions to societal problems, into a viable business concept.
UT Entrepreneurial Challenge
The UT Entrepreneurial Challenge, organized by the University of Twente, has become a popular platform. Since its first edition in 2017, it has offered students the chance to develop their own ingenious ideas, prototypes, start-ups and research projects into the next step. In previous editions, more than 1,400 students have developed ideas and prototypes, created business plans and exchanged valuable knowledge with the (local) business community, regarding important social themes.
UvA EB Challenge
The UvA EB Challenge is an entrepreneurship and innovation competition for all students at the University of Amsterdam. The University of Amsterdam initiated the contest to bring together the academic institution, students, government agencies, companies and organizations in a community where innovation, entrepreneurship and co-creation are key. Students are encouraged to pitch and further develop their creative ideas and projects into a feasible concept.
Incubators for innovation and entrepreneurship
These competitions act as incubators for innovation and entrepreneurship, giving students the opportunity to develop their skills, build networks and attract potential investors. Moreover, they help strengthen ties between universities, industries and the broader society, creating a fertile environment for the development of breakthrough ideas and technological advances.
