What is SHINE?

Many higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world engage in entrepreneurial activities. However, these opportunities only involve a tiny percentage of the total number of students, academics, and societal stakeholders. There is a need for better understanding of how HEIs could scale up their entrepreneurial activities to engage substantially larger numbers of people. To address this gap, SHINE, with 43 partners in 30 countries, is investigating Scaling Higher education Innovation using the Entrepreneurial mindset. The entrepreneurial mindset is relevant not only to entrepreneurs but also to everyone around the world who is engaged in higher education including students, educators, researchers, professional services staff and leaders.

What is SHINE investigating?

SHINE is investigating 2 major research questions.

1 How can Higher Education scale up existing entrepreneurial and innovation capacity for the benefit of greater numbers of students and societal stakeholders?

2 How can Higher Education apply key concepts from entrepreneurship (i.e. entrepreneurial mindset, start-up and scale-up) to overcome the typical barriers to change management?

In effect the aim of the project is to investigate how higher education professionals can use the entrepreneurial mindset to improve teaching, research, organisational transformation and societal impact.

Use of MBA tools in teaching

SHINE is now in the third phase of the project. The latest focus includes developing and testing a free Mindset Behaviour Analysis (MBA) tool, which is designed to support higher education students, from any academic discipline, to understand and apply the entrepreneurial mindset. This MBA tool engages students in an active and personalised learning experience, that generates practical actions to improve their entrepreneurial behaviours.

For more information visit the website dedicated to the MBA tool for students

https://entrepreneurial-mindset.mba

Use of MBA tools in research

SHINE is also undertaking research using the anonymised data collected using the MBA tool. An analysis of the quantitative data is providing new insights into the current level of entrepreneurial behaviours of students. A content analysis of the qualitative data, using AI tools, is revealing the actions students can take to behave entrepreneurially more often.

The aim is to generate evidence of the impact of entrepreneurial mindset education. Initial findings will be presented at the 20th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in September 2025.

Change management

Detailed investigation is beginning into the use of the entrepreneurial mindset for change management in higher education. SHINE aims to articulate the changes needed for an HEI to be able to scale up its current entrepreneurial portfolio, the typical barriers, and explore how they can be overcome using an entrepreneurial approach. The aim is to produce practical recommendations for individual educators, organisational leaders, and policymakers. We welcome applications from higher education professionals who want to join this investigation and the SHINE Project.

Who contributed the case studies?

In the second phase of SHINE, project partners and members of the OECD EECOLE Network contributed 24 articles to EXPRESS which is the online eZINE of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Network. Higher reduction professionals will find a great deal of inspiration in these case studies which have been written by authors from many countries and cultures.  Use the > arrow to step through the case studies, read them online, or download or print a PDF.

What webinars took place?

In its first phase, SHINE organised 17 xCHANGE webinars, with registrations from people in 52 countries. Participants included: academics from a diverse range of academic disciplines, PhD researchers, professional support staff (eg enterprise projects coordinator, head of business engagement, head of the international office), entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, managers of SMEs, and incubator managers. 

What summaries are available?

Webinar summaries,  including links to short video clips of the speakers, are designed to be a useful resource for higher education professionals to reflect on and improve their practice. To step through all the summaries, click on the > arrow on the image for the xCHANGE Webinars. Then click on any image to read the summary online. There are also options to download or print a PDF.

What were some of the lessons?

Webinar participants reported that the study of entrepreneurship is not confined to the business school. They cited examples of learners in applied science,  social science, humanities and natural sciences. They were of the view that entrepreneurship educators need to be more inclusive, encouraging those with disadvantaged backgrounds, minimum financial resources or limited social networks, and those who may not see themselves as a potential entrepreneur.

What were the recommendations?

SHINE devised nine recommendations to higher education academics in regard to embedding the entrepreneurial mindset into the curriculum, teaching and extra-curricula activities. These nine recommendations focus on research question 1 and are based on an analysis of the expert discussions and recommendations made during the series of webinars in phase one of the project. 

Is there more information ?

A chapter about the SHINE Project appears in the book 'Entrepreneurship Education and Internationalisation: Cases, Collaborations and Contexts.' The editor of the book is Robert Crammond and the author of the chapter is Paul Coyle, both SHINE partners. The book is available to purchase from Routledge.

Who have been the contributors?

SHINE received applications to join the project from 43 industry and higher education professionals from 30 countries in Africa, Europe, India, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia and the UK. The diversity of the partners means that SHINE has crossed subject discipline, organisational, geographic, and cultural boundaries.

SHINE continues to welcome applications from Higher Education professionals (academics, researchers, professional services staff and senior leaders) who wish to become a partner. To register your interest simply click on this [APPLY] button.

Which countries are involved?

 The countries represented by the SHINE partners are:

• 13 European Union countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain)
• 4 African countries (Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria & Tunisia)
• 4 Southeastern Europe countries (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia)
• 4 United Kingdom countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales)
  
• 2 countries in the Americas (Ecuador & USA)
• 1 Middle East country (Türkiye)
• 2 South Asia country (India, Malaysia)