Dimitrios Ierapetritis (p), Alina Schoenberg, Thomas Georgiadis, Yannis Psycharis

Thomas Georgiadis

Recent studies have indicated that the promotion of youth entrepreneurship, in addition to its role in mitigating youth unemployment, is a key driver of innovation and economic development. This has prompted Universities to actively promote entrepreneurship among students shaping entrepreneurial mindsets and providing support services to graduate start-ups. The present paper based on the findings of field research of 420 University students, conducted in University cities across Central and Southern Europe (carried out in Uni-Cities of Austria and Greece) sets out to examine the key drivers and barriers that promote or inhibit the entrepreneurial tendencies of young graduates. The analysis of these results has led to the formulation of policy proposals to support youth entrepreneurship in European regions.

Yannis YPsycharis, Thomas Georgiadis (p), Alina Schoenberg, Vanessa Reisecker, Dimitrios Ierapetritis

Maciej Turala

Available information and data on changes in population stock is a necessary, albeit not a sufficient condition to define brain drain. Information on the skills and educational level of the observed population flows is certainly needed in order to depict to what extent such flows have to do with high skilled population and can be, thereby, characterized as brain drain flows. Nevertheless, there is a limited availability of such information. Eurostat provides information on population by gender, age and region of residence (NUTS-2 & NUTS-3 level), albeit without any further disaggregation by educational level. This limitation means that any information for the magnitude of brain drain at regional cannot be directly obtained from any single dataset among the existing EU official data sources; implying the need for a methodology that could bypass the unavailability of the directly available statistical information for the measurement of brain drain at regional level.
Utilising data from two different European data sources the proposed paper aims at estimating indices that measure, first, the human capital production of a region and second, the human capital stock of a region. Then, the information of these two estimated sub-indices is summarised to a single statistical index (relative ratio) that allows for determining whether a region is a brain drain or drain gain region, in a comparable way across NUTS-2 European regions.

Małgorzata Żak-Skwierczyńska, Justyna Danielewicz, Maciej Turala (p)

Dimitrios Ierapetritis

Entrepreneurship is a key driver of regional development, and universities play a crucial role in fostering entrepreneurial attitudes among graduates. This paper examines the relationship between higher education institutions and graduate entrepreneurship, assessing its impact on regional socio-economic growth in Poland.

The study explores three main areas: (1) how universities influence students' entrepreneurial attitudes, (2) the role of entrepreneurship in regional development, and (3) the effectiveness of regional policies in promoting entrepreneurial competencies. By analyzing statistical data on student enrollment, graduate business activity, and socio-economic indicators such as unemployment rates and start-up creation, the research identifies factors that support or hinder regional entrepreneurship.

Additionally, the paper evaluates regional development strategies to determine their effectiveness in fostering entrepreneurial mindsets. The findings provide insights for universities, policymakers, and economic development institutions, offering recommendations to strengthen the link between higher education and regional development.