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In Hungary, it is a strategic priority for the entire higher education system to support the creation of successful startups and innovative businesses. Within this system, HSUP is one such practical knowledge-providing program that encourages students to try to realize their ideas and create startups for this purpose.
The Hungarian Startup University Program (HSUP) was launched in 2020 and aims to introduce innovation and the knowledge needed to start startups to students in higher education. HSUP introduces students to the basics of innovative thinking in an e-learning format over two semesters. With the help of the training, students acquire theoretical and practical knowledge that can form the basis of their future careers and which they can later use to implement their ideas and businesses.
The emphasis of the first semester of the program is on acquiring knowledge of innovative thinking and the startup world, while in the second semester, students can acquire practical knowledge of company foundation and development.
In addition to the exam, program participants must create a one-pager by the end of the first semester, in which they present their innovative ideas. In the second semester, in addition to the individual course, there is an opportunity to work in teams to implement a selected innovative business idea. For this, the National Innovation Agency (NIÜ) provides them with professional and financial support. One element of this is working with mentors: at the start of the project team, everyone is required to choose a key mentor with whom they can consult weekly. In addition, ad-hoc case and university mentors can also help the team's work and project implementation with their expertise and experience.
The second semester has two highlights. During the Introduction Day, projects must be presented online to experts, after which valuable feedback can be obtained and connections can be made with potential partners. Following this, at the HSUP Demo Day offline event, the 15 most marketable projects selected from all projects have the opportunity to present themselves to investors and the most successful can also win a scholarship of HUF 1 million per team member.
In the 2023/24 academic year, the HSUP course was taken by 4232 students at 33 institutions, bringing the total number of people reached by this modern entrepreneurial training course to nearly fifteen thousand in the past 4 years. The NIÜ considered it particularly important to structure the program in such a way that it provides real value and market knowledge, thus contributing to the overall development of Hungarian innovation culture. With the Hungarian Startup University Program, the NIÜ effectively supports Hungarian innovation, creative thinking, and the possibility of entering the international market.
