51Âþ»­

Researchers at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) are taking part in a Europe-wide project to develop students’ creativity and entrepreneurship skills.

The 32-month EU ‘Beyond the Limits’ project aims to develop new online teaching materials and resources including lectures, videos and more to improve entrepreneurship education in high schools and universities.



Academics from 51Âþ»­’s Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, based in Leicester Castle Business School, will work with universities in Spain, Romania, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, and Turkey on the €213,500 programme.

Professor David Rae, leading the 51Âþ»­ team, said: "Beyond the Limits will enable learners and teachers to explore new ideas and approaches, which they can use creatively and in entrepreneurial ways to address the challenges we all face."

Entrepreneurship education seeks to provide students with the knowledge, skills and motivation to encourage entrepreneurial success in a variety of settings.   The project aims to discover how best to improve entrepreneurial skills by encouraging creative approaches and ways of thinking.

The 51Âþ»­ research team is made up of Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, Professor David Rae, Director of the Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, Visiting Professor of Enterprise Education, Malcolm Hoare and Dr Regina Frank, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Professor Osman Titrek, of Sakarya University in Turkey, which is leading Beyond the Limits, said there was a lack of practical training materials for students and the need for a comprehensive, joined-up approach to skills development.

Among the results of the research will be an ebook, international conferences, ICT-based teaching materials, curriculum development, forum discussions for teachers and intensive online courses for students in partner countries.

51Âþ»­ students will have the chance to take part in the international training sessions with European counterparts, and attend the conferences.

The project is led by Sakarya University in Serdivan, Turkey. 51Âþ»­ is a partner alongside universities in Agora, Romania; Coimbra, Portugal; Granada, Spain; Liepaja, Latvia; Padova, Italy; and Centro Studi Cultura Sviluppo Associazione Pistoia, Italy.

It is funded as part of the 2016-2020 Erasmus+ programme, and as such is the final opportunity for De Montfort as an English University to participate.