Last week marked a significant milestone for the Start’Ship partnership as we came together in Antwerp, Belgium for our final project meeting. Brilliantly hosted by AP Hogeschool Antwerpen, partners from across Europe – Italy, Ireland, France, Latvia, and Portugal – gathered to reflect on our collective achievements and celebrate the legacy we’re building for student entrepreneurship.
Inspiration at TakeOff Antwerp
The meeting kicked off with a visit to an event organised by TakeOff Antwerp, focused on international entrepreneurship experience. TakeOff Antwerp’s mission resonates strongly with our own: to inspire, activate and support young people on their entrepreneurial journey. They’ve created a comprehensive framework that maps Antwerp’s entire entrepreneurial landscape, offering students a ‘one-stop shop’ for entrepreneurial advice and support while helping teachers, researchers, staff and youth workers develop entrepreneurial skills within their own environments.
Our own project partners, Hilde Hoefnagels from AP Hogeschool Antwerpen and Anne Sophie Flipo from Eurasanté, had the opportunity to present at the event to an audience of innovative and inspired students – a perfect example of the knowledge-sharing that sits at the heart of the Start’Ship project.
Learning from Antwerp’s Success Story
One of the meeting’s highlights was a presentation from Isabelle De Ridder, Director of the Antwerp University Association, who shared the remarkable growth story of student entrepreneurship in the region. The numbers speak for themselves: from just 50 students ten years ago to over 1,300 students today, Antwerp now has the biggest concentration of student entrepreneurship in all of Flanders.
This growth hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the result of a strong ecosystem that includes dedicated support services like SINC (Students for Innovation & Cooperation), backing from the City of Antwerp, and collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce Antwerp-Waasland. The integration of entrepreneurship across universities and the focus on student success stories demonstrate how young talent is truly shaping the future of the region.
Reflection and Forward Momentum
While this may have been our last formal partner meeting, partners used the time to reflect on everything we’ve achieved together across our regions. The meeting wasn’t just about looking back – it was about ensuring the sustainability of what we’ve built. The tools, networks, and knowledge created through Start’Ship are designed to support student entrepreneurs well beyond the project’s official end date.
The energy and innovations we witnessed at TakeOff Antwerp left us buzzing with ideas and reinforced why this work matters. Student entrepreneurship isn’t just about business creation – it’s about empowering the next generation with the skills, confidence and networks they need to turn their ideas into reality.
The Start’Ship Legacy Continues
Though this chapter of Start’Ship is drawing to a close in February 2026, the impact continues. The partnerships forged, the resources developed, and the communities strengthened will keep supporting student entrepreneurs across Europe for years to come.
We’re grateful to AP Hogeschool Antwerpen for their outstanding hospitality and to all our partners for their dedication, collaboration and shared vision. Together, we’ve built something that will outlast the project itself – and that’s the true measure of success.
Start’Ship is an Erasmus+ project supporting student entrepreneurship across European regions through partnership, knowledge-sharing and sustainable ecosystem development.
Learn more: https://www.startship-project.eu/
