Growing together

Youth can be linked to join together and collaborate for social good. Especially, students can do much more than in the classroom.

“Students only need the space, the time and the will” to achieve goals and sustainable development. The Students’ Innovation Centre (sic!) in Vienna firmly believes in the power of young people. In the past 10 years, it has held about 100 events with more than 5,000 participants and has also assisted 100 entrepreneurial teams. They define their role as discovering potential and supporting students’ innovation and creativity.

The Students’ Innovation Centre is part of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) in Austria. It is a centre fully run by students since its establishment in 2016 by a group of students at the university. The motto in the last decade is: “Our vision is a world where all students recognise their potential for change and have the courage and skills to turn ideas into actions for a holistically sustainable future.”

The Students’ Innovation Centre serves as the contact point for sustainable student entrepreneurship, acts as a catalyst for sustainable ideas, and connects students with university resources and the broader ecosystem of sustainable entrepreneurship. The students’ innovation centre has been a co-organiser for the ClimateLaunchpad, the world’s largest competition for sustainable business ideas, every year to enhance European innovation potential.

The students’ innovation Meetup is another event led by the Students’ Innovation Centre. The focus is on networking with all those interested in setting up or starting a project in the sustainable and/or innovative scene. Additionally, the Students’ Innovation Centre offers free weekly project advice. Participants can continue from where their ideas or projects are and receive guidance on sustainable implementation, networking, financing, and more. It provides a safe environment where students can experiment with their skills, offers inspiration and guidance at personal and project levels, and connects students with relevant stakeholders.

Over the past ten years, we’ve seen a positive succession mechanism at the Students’ Innovation Centre. Some of the early founders have advanced to management roles within the Austrian startup circle. For your further information, please reach out the website of the Students’ Innovation Centre:

https://boku.ac.at/en/nachhaltigkeit/sustainable-entrepreneurship/sic-students-innovation-centre.

Regarding the ClimateLaunchpad, it is the world’s largest green business competition, active in over 40 countries, empowering cleantech entrepreneurs to fight climate change. It helps early-stage entrepreneurs turn ideas into strong business plans to foster sustainable, net-zero, resilient businesses. For more information about ClimateLaunchpad, please visit the Climate-KIC website: https://climatelaunchpad.org. 

At the end of the day, connecting people is not just about meeting as individuals at the same place and venue. A leader shall create synergy and let the team grow together. This initiative from Austria does so, as do initiatives under the Good Soil Foundation. In the upcoming NextGen program, participants with diverse experiences and expectations can work together at the University of Hong Kong. 

Join the NextGen Philanthropist Program to discover how you can become a changemaker today. Scan the QR code to join today :