UWTSD hosts visit from Sebrae to highlight entrepreneurial innovation

UWTSD’s International Institute for Creative Entrepreneurial Development’s (IICED) Andy and Kathryn Penaluna recently hosted a fact-finding visit by Brazil’s Sebrae, in partnership with Taiame Souza from the European Desk of InvestSP. Based in São Paulo in Brazil, the team wanted to find out more about UWTSD, who recently won the prestigious TripleE European University of the Year Award 2022 in Florence.

Sebrae is the Brazilian enterprise support initiative, which has millions of clients each year. They now wish to develop education systems that support entrepreneurial innovation. The visitors were keen to find out why UWTSD were leading the field when it came to entrepreneurial education, and as Sebrae’s Business School has adopted the European EntreComp framework that IICED helped to initiate and develop, they were keen to find out the inside story.

Professor Emeritus Andy Penaluna said: “UWTSD’s IICED is a world leading international think tank that understands entrepreneurial education at all levels, and we support international educational developments. We also helped to develop and write some of the new Curriculum for Wales, and currently support the National Academy for Educational Leadership to develop more innovative learning approaches.”

The visit was timed to fit in with the International Entrepreneurship Educators Conference at Swansea University. Andy Penaluna is a former Chair of Enterprise Educators UK who run the event, so was able to share the insights of expert teams from other HEIs from around the UK. The delegation spent time with UWTSD’s education champions, who embed enterprising abilities in students across all disciplines. They also enjoyed a private meeting with Swansea’s Mayor Mike Day, who has long championed the need for creativity and enterprise at all levels of education.  

Following the conference, the group moved to Swansea’s Technium 1 and IQ buildings, where they were welcomed by UWTSD’s Provost Professor Ian Walsh and saw first-hand the innovative work of the Assisted Technologies Innovation Centre, Construction Wales Innovation Centre, Manufacture Advanced Design Engineering, CBM Wales and the University’s motorsport and engineering facilities.

Professors Eduardo Vilas Boas and Charles Bonani from Sebrae’s Higher Education Business School, said: “The experience was incredible, understanding how UWTSD manages to integrate entrepreneurial education with design and engineering to create projects, products and businesses was a mind-opening experience.”

Taiame Souza, the representative from State of Sao Paulo’s Investment Promotion Agency, said she appreciated the opportunity to understand the UK’s approaches, and especially the Welsh and Swansea initiatives that have to led to successes reported at the Conference.

She added: “It was such a rich experience. As Swansea is one of UNESCO’s learning cities, we were able to dig deep into the entrepreneurial culture that develops the regional economy as well as engaging sustainability issues. By implementing entrepreneurship mindset in every aspect, especially education, the Swansea model gives space for entrepreneurs to be more creative and innovative - offering creative social, sustainable, and economic value to society.”

Associate Professor Kathryn Penaluna said: “In international research and education it is often the Business Schools who lead the field, however UWTSD takes an interdisciplinary approach based on Design Education, where being creative to solve other people’s problems has always been a central goal. Coupled with some amazing support from Welsh Government, this has definitely given us the edge we enjoy.”

Planning ahead, UWTSD’s IICED and the Sebrae / InvestSP team are looking to build on the visit, with contributions from IICED to new course developments and delivery strategies, especially in new types of MBA based on entrepreneurially based learning and teaching methods. Professors Bonani and Vilas Boas concluded that, “entrepreneurial education that is based on thinking creativity using design styles of education can clearly be applied to build an innovative ecosystem, one that integrates government, entrepreneurs, society, and the private sector. Joint research and student exchanges are something we’d like to develop.”

Note to Editor

About Sebrae:

Sebrae is a Brazilian institution created 50 years ago to help entrepreneurs and people who want to become an entrepreneur. It offers consulting and training to millions of entrepreneurs every year through its 700 centres. 4 years ago, the Sebrae Business School was launched to compliment this role, and they now wish to expand and enhance their training of teachers, and improve the service provided to entrepreneurs. (https://www.sebrae.com.br/sites/PortalSebrae/canais_adicionais/sebrae_english)

About InvestSP:

InvestSP is an investment promotion agency for State of São Paulo Government, Brazil. Their mission is to develop State of São Paulo through the promotion of investments, the increase of exports, and to incentivise innovation across the business environment. The agency has four international offices, in China (Shanghai), Middle East (Dubai), Europe (Munich) and North America (New York). (https://www.en.investe.sp.gov.br)

About UWTSD’s IICED:

Formed in 2014 in collaboration with 32 countries, IICED has established national, UK, European and International expertise. The EU Joint Research Centre and the United Nations have engaged the team, to supervise research and to develop new forms of entrepreneurial education. In recent weeks, IICED was a contributor to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Entrepreneur’s report on how education reform is required to support entrepreneurial learning across the British Nations. The OECD have also recently cited their research in policy proposals for the Western Balkans and Turkey.

Further Information

Rebecca Davies

Swyddog Gweithredol Cysylltiadau â’r Wasg a’r Cyfryngau

Executive Press and Media Relations Officer

Cyfathrebu Corfforaethol a Chysylltiadau Cyhoeddus

Corporate Communications and PR

Mobile: 07384 467071

Email: Rebecca.Davies@uwtsd.ac.uk