Call for Proposals to Deliver Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation Summer Schools for Second-Level Students
Entrepreneurship Summer Camps
The National Skills Strategy 2025 included as one of its objectives to pilot innovative summer camps to promote entrepreneurial thinking and design skills among students. In addition, in the Action Plan for Education 2017, Goal 4: Build stronger bridges between education and the wider community, sets as one of its main objectives to “Create a stronger focus on Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation” stating that:
Creating a stronger focus on these three areas is vital to sustain our economic recovery, and to adapt our national skills base to meet the challenges of growth in the modern world. Our education and training systems needs to recognise this and nurture these talents.
In 2020 an amount of €355,000 is ringfenced to support a summer school initiative in entrepreneurship, creativity, design skills and innovation for second level students by higher education institutions. These summer schools will build on the success of the Entrepreneurship Summer Camps hosted in HEIs in 2019. These summer schools will provide high quality programmes that will help participants develop creative confidence, entrepreneurial thinking and leadership skills. A report on the 2019 activity accompanies this letter.
Your institution is now invited to submit a proposal, as there is limited funding available, the following criteria will be used to assess the proposals;
- Examples of existing good practice of provision in this area in your institution,
- Outline of proposed programme(s),
- Number and schedule of proposed school(s),
- Details on planned promotion of school(s),
- Details of all associated costs to run the school(s)
In addition, the HEA will take into account the regional spread of the provision of the summer schools to ensure access for students on a national basis.
The closing date for receipt of proposals is 21st February 2020.
Proposals should be submitted by email to Maria Cross at mcross@hea.ie