The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship

Back to Atlas

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship is the national knowledge center and focal point for the development of entrepreneurship teaching at all educational levels.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The main aims and objectives of The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship are: 

  1. Spreading entrepreneurship education: The goal is for pupils and students to meet entrepreneurship at least once at every education level. That is, at least once during (a) first years, intermediate level and final years of primary school; (b) upper secondary education; (c) and higher and further education 

  1. Quality: The goal is to enhance the quality of entrepreneurship education. The Foundation assesses this by measuring the number of teachers who have been certified through a continuing or further education and training within entrepreneurship teaching. 

  1. Catalyzing activities: The goal is to increase the knowledge about and create more catalyzing activities. A measurable indicator for this is to look at the number of students who start up their own business during, and shortly after finishing, their education. 

  1. Disseminating Research: To operate as a knowledge center for all educational institutions in Denmark, fostering the development and implementation of entrepreneurship education. 

Additionally the Foundation seeks: 

  1. To promote entrepreneurial and innovative abilities in pupils and students at all levels of education in Denmark. 

  1. To ensure that young people leave school with the skills to turn their ideas into valuable contributions as entrepreneurs or employees. 

  1. To ensure that entrepreneurship is included in the curriculum at all levels of the Danish educational system. 

  1. To provide teacher education, teaching materials, educational courses, and support for young people to become self-employed. 

How does the program work?

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship has several key functions that support young entrepreneurs which can be broadly split into 4 main categories: entrepreneurial education; training; financial support; and acting as a research hub.  

Entrepreneurial Education 

The foundation promotes entrepreneurial and innovative abilities in pupils and students across all levels of education in Denmark. Additionally, they support schools and education institutions integrate entrepreneurship into their curriculum.  

Training 

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship provides various training programs for teachers and pupils at all levels of education, including primary, secondary, and higher education, to enhance their entrepreneurship competencies. The foundation focuses on developing teaching materials, innovative study programs, and effective teaching methods that can be integrated into school lessons. Additionally, the foundation offers networks for teachers, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing among educators in the field of entrepreneurship. 

Financial Support 

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship provides various grants to support entrepreneurship in Denmark. They offer micro-grants to young and student entrepreneurs, which can be applied for at the Danish Entrepreneur Award event. Additionally, the foundation provides project grants to educational institutions to encourage the development and implementation of entrepreneurship programs and initiatives. 

Research Hub 

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship conducts research on entrepreneurship education and its impact in Denmark. Their research focuses on understanding the effectiveness of integrating entrepreneurship into the education system, from primary school to PhD level. They analyze the results of entrepreneurship teaching methods and the development of entrepreneurial skills and mindset in students. Additionally, they generate new knowledge about the impact of entrepreneurship education on society and the economy, and communicate their findings to relevant stakeholders. 

What is the overall cost?
The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship has received approximately €2.7 million of public funding. Besides this it has also received several private sponsorships.  
How was it implemented?

The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship was established in 2010 by an inter-ministerial partnership between four ministries and on the basis of the then government’s overall strategy for entrepreneurship education. In 2012 the strategy was replaced by a new innovation strategy “Denmark - a nation of solutions” which has a set goal for the innovation capacity of all educational levels – a goal which the Foundation still operates to reach in 2016. The Foundation collaborates with ministries, educational institutions, private enterprises, organizations and startup ecosystems to inform, educate and inspire Danes to become entrepreneurs. 

The Foundation is financed through a mix of governmental and private funds. The private funds come from a range of different sponsorships covering many different parts of the business sector and a wide range of large and small companies. Moreover, many individuals contribute with their competences and experience to the Foundation’s different activities, e.g. startups competitions etc. 

The Foundation is a based on a board of management and a board of representatives, where business and industry, the education sector, and the trade unions are represented along with a Partnership for innovation and entrepreneurship in educations consisting of the Ministry of Business and Growth, the Ministry for Children, Education and Gender Equality, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry for Higher Education and Science. 

The foundation launched a new strategy in 2020 called Entrepreneurship for everyone which addresses the need to reach a much large domain of education and courses, including subjects and faculties with no tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship. It also emphasises the need for innovation and entrepreneurship that address and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the green transition.  

What impact has been measured?

The number of pupils and students receive entrepreneurship education has tripled since 2020. The foundation has also distributed 910 microgrants since 2011 having received 2687 applications in total.  

The last available scorecard published by the Foundation was from 2014/2015 which revealed: 

  • +100,000 pupils from primary schools, +100,000 students from upper secondary education, and +38,000 students from further education participated in a course or program related to entrepreneurship. 

  • +2,500 teachers from primary schools, +1,700 teachers from upper secondary education, and +800 teachers/professors further training in entrepreneurship education. 

What lessons can be learned?

Research and experience indicate that quality of entrepreneurial training is vital. To optimize benefits of entrepreneurial training you will need to focus on the skills of trainers and the pedagogical tools, but also on effect assessment, evaluation and testing. 

Input indicators (skills of trainers and quality of tool, exams etc.) and output indicators (benefit and learnings of the individual student) are important - and hard to identify. 

The success of the present efforts is. due to the systematic approach based on analysis and developments/improvements based on knowledge. 

CURATED BY