Higher Education

Helping universities become more entrepreneurial—not only in what they teach and how they teach it, but in how they operate—is at the heart of the Kauffman Foundation’s work in higher education. We recognize that university environments are natural breeding grounds for creativity, the exchange of ideas, and new ways of looking at and studying things. Colleges and universities have embraced entrepreneurship, making it the fastest-growing field of study on campus and, in some cases, resulting in the emergence of entirely new academic field.

Initiatives

  • From Nov. 17-23, 2008, millions of young people around the world joined a growing movement of entrepreneurs who seek to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things.

  • The Kauffman Campuses initiative seeks to transform the way colleges and universities make entrepreneurship education available across their campuses, enabling any student, regardless of field of study, to access entrepreneurial training.

  • The Kauffman Panel on Entrepreneurship Curriculum in Higher Education is a multidisciplinary panel of distinguished scholars who will provide recommendations for a comprehensive approach to teaching entrepreneurship to college students.

  • This analysis provides valuable insights into how proof of concept centers can facilitate the transfer of university innovations into commercial applications.

  • /uploadedImages/ibridge(1).gifThis Kauffman Innovation Network, Inc. site provides access to university research and innovations to industry representatives, entrepreneurs, and other universities' researchers.

  • Founded in 2002, the MIT Venture Mentor program supports innovation and entrepreneurial activity throughout the MIT community by utilizing mentors to educate early-stage innovators.

  • Women Innovators
    View video.   

    The Kauffman Foundation is working to unleash the latent scientific wealth of female scientists, ensuring that they have the support networks and financial means to start businesses and advance their innovations.

Highlights

  • JenniferW oodsmall

    Watch video  

     


    Young entrepreneurs are starting and growing their businesses before they graduate from college. Watch them tell the stories of their enterprises.

Featured Resources

  • Florida International University (FIU), a Kaufman Campus, submitted a grant request  to implement a university-wide array of entrepreneurship initiatives.

  • Entrepreneurship in American Higher EducationThe report explains why entrepreneurship matters to American higher education and offers broad recommendations about the potential of entrepreneurship as a key element in undergraduate education, the major, graduate study, the evaluation of faculty, topics referred to as the "co-curriculum," and the management of universities.

  • Student entrepreneurs on Kauffman Campuses are applying their ideas, talents, and passions to create successful businesses. These video segments feature the stories of some of these young entrepreneurs who are following their dreams, taking control of their careers, and making a difference in the world.