By Josephine Waslander, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.  

On Monday 20th November, the teams from Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) and Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA) organised a REVALORISE+ event to inform regional stakeholders about the results and materials produced by the project.

Bringing together Higher Education Institutions and the private sector

In total, 20 business developers, communication managers, policymakers and entrepreneurs from the University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit and AUAS (all regional higher education institutions) and the private sector were brought together in ‘Studio HvA’. This is where much of AUAS’s entrepreneurship education takes place and where IXA HvA has one of its offices.

After some welcoming words from Ingrid Wakkee, Professor of Entrepreneurship, she presented the research behind the REVALORISE+ project, highlighting the different modalities beyond traditional start-ups and the nuanced importance of language in this context.

 Next steps and ideas  

The focus then shifted to the next steps and ideas we have to not only sustain the results of the project but to go beyond. Daniela Redondo, Programme Manager of the AUAS Venture Centre, shared her ideas on how students could play a role as agents of valorisation. Drawing on insights from her work in the REVALORISE+ Dissemination and Sustainability work packages, she outlined two basic pathways. One emphasised students initiating (social) ventures to bridge the gap between university research and societal needs, while the other focused on early career academic training, emphasising the cultivation of entrepreneurial skills and mindsets geared towards impactful development.

National valorisation programme 

Next up was Pieter Wybenga, who has been part of the REVALORISE+ team since the beginning, he spoke about his recent involvement in a new national valorisation programme. While this scheme has a strong focus on the creation of academic start-ups, Pieter pointed out the specific support programmes currently being developed that could benefit SSH valorisation initiatives. Kathrin Metselaar, who recently joined the team as an Impact Developer, shared her insights on the drivers, barriers and mechanisms she recognises at AUAS when it comes to creating impact through research. She also highlighted the role that the university’s centres of expertise can play in promoting valorisation.

 The need for a radical shift in mindset 

Finally, Pieter moderated a discussion between Erik Boer (Impact Director SSH at UvA), Kathrin, Luke Somerwill and Ingrid about their perspectives on valorisation within SSH. They discussed how SSH valorisation is different, interesting and inspiring examples they know of, and what support is needed, including at board level, to improve valorisation. Key takeaways included the need for a radical shift in mindset and courage and the crucial role of narratives.

This marks the end of the events for the REVALORISE+ project, which will conclude at the end of this year. We would like to thank all the participants and everyone who helped to organise and bring together this interesting afternoon.