The European Entrepreneurship Education Award (EEEA) Laureates

Associate Professor Marco van Gelderen of VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands, received the 12^th European Entrepreneurship Education Award in 2023 for his influential role in shaping the teaching and learning of enterprising competencies, integrating psychological insights with innovative educational practices to enhance effectiveness in entrepreneurship education.

The Award Committee's Citation:

"Associate Professor Marco van Gelderen at VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands has been a key scholar within the entrepreneurship education community when it comes to the teaching and learning of enterprising competencies. As a psychologist, Van Gelderen interest lies in how individuals become more effective in their daily life through enterprising behaviours. Van Gelderen has also played a crucial role in developing novel and innovative experiential teaching formats to train enterprising competencies by integrating an autonomy-based approach as a guideline for entrepreneurship education. As a result, his teaching formats have been successfully disseminated not only on his website, but also in various courses and educational levels across different European universities. In addition, van Gelderen is a well-published scholar within entrepreneurship education, competencies and pedagogy. He is an active member in both 3E (ECSB Entrepreneurship Education) and USASBE conferences and an editor of the learning innovation section of the Entrepreneurship Education & Pedagogy Journal. He also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice. His innovative ideas on fostering enterprising behaviour have positively influenced entrepreneurship education across Europe. Overall, he is a worthy recipient of the European Education Award."

Professors Mats Lundqvist and Karen Williams Middleton were honored with the eleventh European Entrepreneurship Education Award in 2022 for their instrumental work in founding and developing the Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship, introducing innovative, action-based learning and establishing a global network to share entrepreneurial education practices.

The Award Committee´s citation:

"Professor Mats Lundqvist and Associate Professor Karen Williams Middleton at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are both key actors within the global community of entrepreneurship education, and they have been the driving force behind the establishment and development of the Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship. The Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship started one of the first venture creation programmes in the world and was an early promoter of bringing entrepreneurship into higher education through an action-based approach that involves venture creation as the main learning vessel to develop entrepreneurial competencies. Together, they have successfully created a worldwide network that has become one of the first platforms for sharing knowledge, entrepreneurial ideas, and best practices for venture creation programmes. Both Lundqvist and Williams Middleton are actively involved to advance knowledge within the field of entrepreneurship education with a particular focus on the role and impact of venture creation programmes. Mats Lundqvist and Karen Williams Middleton are undoubtedly worthy recipients of the 2022 European Entrepreneurship Education Award."

Professor Slavica Singer from Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek, Croatia, received the tenth European Entrepreneurship Education Award in 2021, joining a distinguished cohort of scholars recognised for their influential contributions to entrepreneurship education in Europe.

The Award Committee´s citation:

"Professor Slavica Singer, J.J. Strossmayer University in Osijek, Croatia, has played a central role in the development of local and national entrepreneurship education and ecosystems in resource-scarce contexts. Throughout her career she has relentlessly sought to mobilise resources and worked to develop collaborative networks across Europe to advance entrepreneurship education as well as frameworks for entrepreneurial skills. She has been a strong promoter of young entrepreneurship scholars, and an important contributor to the community of entrepreneurship scholars in Europe. Given the invaluable impact on the development of entrepreneurship education both nationally and internationally, Slavica Singer is undoubtedly a worthy recipient of the 2021 European Entrepreneurship Educator Award."

The ninth European Entrepreneurship Education Award was presented to Professor David Rae from De Montfort University, U.K. in 2020, recognizing his exceptional contributions to the field through his innovative approach to linking entrepreneurial learning with education.

The Award Committee´s citation:

"Professor David Rae, De Montfort University, U.K., has 'connected the dots' through his expertise in entrepreneurial learning, as well as in entrepreneurial education, and in turn, has greatly advanced our understanding of how to teach entrepreneurship. He has done extensive and well-cited research drawing on entrepreneurs’ life stories, where he links the individual knowledge and social behaviour of the entrepreneur in relation to business opportunities. This work creates a novel basis for entrepreneurial learning. He has also published extensively on entrepreneurship education in different contexts.  Professor Rae is the boundary spanner between entrepreneurial learning and entrepreneurship education and in this important role, Professor David Rae is a worthy recipient of the 2020 European Entrepreneurship Education Award."

The 8^th European Entrepreneurship Education Award was presented to Professor Ulla Hytti of Turku University, Finland. Professor Ulla's extensive contributions to entrepreneurship education and research have solidified her as a key figure and driving force in the academic community.

The award committee's citation: 

"Professor Ulla Hytti, Turku University, Finland, is today one of the most central pillars in the community of entrepreneurship education and an important driving force in the 'machinery' to develop education and research in the field. She has a strong record of her own research and teaching related to the field. Additionally, she contributes to the field by supervising young PhD students and involving them in her research projects. She also contributes to increasing the quality of entrepreneurship education research as an editor, reviewer, developer of research networks, and initiator of international projects. Finally, she also contributes with a critical perspective on existing research within the field. Based on her different contributions to entrepreneurship education, Ulla Hytti is a worthy recipient of the 2019 European Entrepreneurship Educator Award."

The 7^th European Entrepreneurship Education Award was bestowed upon Professor Helle Neergaard and Associate Professor Per Blenker of Aarhus University, Denmark. The winners were recognized for their innovative critiques and approaches to entrepreneurship education, as well as for having significantly contributed to its evolution and relevance.

The award committee's citation: 

"Professor Helle Neergaard and Associate Professor Per Blenker at Aarhus University in Denmark are known for delivering constructive criticism on traditional forms of teaching entrepreneurship and for suggesting novel approaches to identify current and future needs. This genuine interest has manifested itself in the creation of the 3E Conference (ECSB’s Entrepreneurship Education Conference). Together, they have successfully made the 3E Conference into a leading arena for critical and stimulating discussions on entrepreneurship education, and have established a community of scholars involved in entrepreneurship education in Europe. In addition, Neergaard and Blenker’s joint cooperation in organising the 3E Conference clearly illustrates the collective dimension of entrepreneurial work which lately has been presented as an area that needs to be further explored."

Professor Colette Henry from Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland, received the sixth European Entrepreneurship Education Award for her influential work in entrepreneurship education, gender research, and policy development in the EU.

The award committee´s citation:

Professor Colette Henry, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland, has been an active international scholar of entrepreneurship for more than 25 years. Particularly, she has meant a great deal for the development of entrepreneurship education within the academic context but also to real entrepreneurs in rural areas and in low-tech sectors. In her teaching and research, she has demonstrated a particular interest in gender issues and been a pioneer in her work as editor of the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship. In addition to her extensive qualifications, she has been involved in policy development in Ireland as well as for the EU Commission,  for the purpose of disseminating good practice in entrepreneurship education to different countries around Europe, among other things. Colette Henry has significantly contributed to entrepreneurship education both within and outside academia and is therefore a very worthy recipient of the European Entrepreneurship Education Award 2017.

The fifth European Entrepreneurship Education Award was presented to Professor Paul Hannon of Swansea University, U.K., in recognition of his extensive influence on entrepreneurship education and his pivotal role for developing the entrepreneurial university concept across Europe.

The Award Committee’s citation:

Professor Paul Hannon of Swansea University in the U.K. has been working to promote entrepreneurship, and especially entrepreneurship education, in the university and policy systems for 35 years. He has done this through excellent teaching skills, innovative course design and insightful research, and has been a driving force for policy development. Over the past 10 years he has had a crucial role in the development of the entrepreneurial university concept in Europe. Everyone who has met Paul has been touched by his passion for entrepreneurship and how it can change lives and revitalise regions. His innovative ideas have influenced entrepreneurship education positively all over Europe and elsewhere, and he is a very worthy recipient of the European Entrepreneurship Education Award.

Professor Bengt Johannisson of Linnaeus University, Sweden, received the fourth European Entrepreneurship Education Award, honoring his seminal role in introducing academic programs in Entrepreneurship, his integration of practice with theory, and his extensive contributions to the field through both research and education.

The Award Committee’s citation:

"For some time, Professor Bengt Johannisson, Linnaeus University in Sweden, has played a key role in the development of Entrepreneurship education in Europe. He was one of the first to introduce academic programmes and courses in Entrepreneurship. These  programmes and courses integrated his strong interest in entrepreneurial practices and his deep theoretical understandings. Through his knowledge, curiosity, and commitment, Professor Johannisson  has stimulated and provoked entrepreneurship students and scholars for decades. In his writings,  Professor Johannisson has contributed to our knowledge of the contents in Entrepreneurship courses and the pedagogical approaches in Entrepreneurship education. It should also be highlighted that Professor Johannisson is the only scholar that has received the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research for his research contributions on Entrepreneurship and the European Entrepreneurship Education Award for his education achievements."

In 2014, Professor Paula Kyrö of Aalto University, Finland, was awarded the third European Entrepreneurship Education Award for her pioneering work in research, her innovative integration of pedagogy and entrepreneurship, and her influential role in developing the academic community and mentoring future educators in the field.

The Award Committee’s citation:

“Professor Paula Kyrö, Aalto University in Finland, is one of the pioneers in entrepreneurship education research. Having a double doctorate in Economics and Education, she has been fundamental as a 'boundary spanner' in bridging pedagogy and entrepreneurship not only taking pedagogy to entrepreneurship but also emphasizing that entrepreneurship can be regarded as a pedagogic form. Kyrö has also been expanding our theoretical frameworks on entrepreneurship education by introducing new theories and concepts into the field, such as 'conation', 'axiology', and 'praxeology'. In addition to her scientific contributions, Kyrö has for a long time been active in creating an academic community in the field of entrepreneurship education and inspired a lot of PhD students becoming interested in entrepreneurship education research and as entrepreneurship teachers.”

Professor Alain Fayolle of EM Lyon Business School, France was distinguished with the second European Entrepreneurship Education Award in 2013, acknowledging his significant contributions to the field of entrepreneurship education and training in Europe.

Award Committee's Citation: 

"Professor Alain Fayolle has been instrumental in establishing a scholarly community in Europe focused on entrepreneurship education and training. His entrepreneurial leadership led to the creation of the Entrepreneurship Centre at EM Lyon. His efforts extend to organizing seminars and academic networks, particularly for doctoral students across Europe. As a founder of scientific journals addressing entrepreneurship in French-speaking countries, he has played a pivotal role. Additionally, Professor Fayolle has contributed substantially to the synthesis of knowledge in entrepreneurship education, notably as the editor of the Handbook of Research in Entrepreneurial Education Series. Unquestionably, Professor Alain Fayolle stands as a preeminent scholar in European entrepreneurship education and teaching."

Professor Allan Gibb was honored as the recipient of the inaugural European Entrepreneurship Education Award in a prestigious ceremony at the School of Economics and Management, Lund University. His extensive contributions to the field of entrepreneurship education have set a benchmark for academic excellence and innovation.

Professor Allan Gibb's esteemed legacy as a true pioneer in entrepreneurship education across Europe drove the award committee's decision to honour him. His extensive career, spanning nearly four decades, has significantly influenced not only a broad spectrum of academics but also younger educators in the field. Furthermore, Gibb's work has transcended the academic sphere, making a notable impact on international policymakers.