Youth entrepreneurship matters : an academic entrepreneurship roadmap

Abstract

The Erasmus+ "Academic Entrepreneurship Roadmap" project (No. 2023-1-BG01-KA220-HED-000154889), concluded in October 2025 and coordinated by the University of Plovdiv Paisii Hilendarski (Bulgaria) with partners including the University of Malta, rethinks entrepreneurship education in higher education to empower youth with confidence, creativity, and purpose. Research revealed a paradox: students view entrepreneurship as innovative and rewarding but often prefer traditional careers due to financial insecurity, limited knowledge, and insufficient institutional support. Findings favor personalized, practice-oriented learning (mentorship, workshops, real-world engagement) over lectures. The roadmap promotes inclusive pedagogies for experimentation and confidence, with open-access outputs (curricula, guidelines, tools) available on the project website to nurture future entrepreneurs.