New development opportunities for young people in the Republic of Moldova! They will study tech entrepreneurship right from the university benches within the “Startup Universities” program. Thus, starting with September of this year, 40 students from the universities of Chisinau, Balti, Comrat and Cahul will benefit from the program and will gain knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. The initiative aims to stimulate the potential of the younger generations for the development of the national economy. “Startup Universities” is part of the “Startup Academy” program, developed by TEKWILL, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Sweden.
Ana Chirita, TEKWILL Project Director, ATIC Strategic Projects Director: “Currently, there is a great growth of startups and own products with added value worldwide, obtained through technological entrepreneurship. As the field is not studied in universities, we noticed the need to support universities, including teachers, in order to be able to adjust, later, the curricula based on which they guide students from economic profiles. Thus, a generation of entrepreneurs with new knowledge and skills in the field will grow.”
The course will be integrated into the university curriculum and will be certified within the bachelor’s degree. It contains topics related to ecosystem trends and technological business development. Within the discipline, students will learn to develop a business from idea to application, being mentored by teachers trained in the field. Also, during the course, students will be familiar with strategic management, financial planning, marketing, pitch, attracting investors, etc. The educational process will involve a mixed approach of working in groups, but also individually, young people being stimulated to study and apply knowledge outside the classroom.
Madelene Eichorn, program manager, Swedish Embassy: “Sweden and USAID have joined forces to support an initiative that has changed one of Moldova's key sectors. The project will include extensive courses on the development of technology business and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We especially encourage girls and women to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to realize the potential of all young people in Moldova.”
John Riordan, Deputy Director, USAID Moldova: “Currently, future professionals need to acquire new skills to be more competitive in the labour market and to generate innovative and useful products for society, with the aid of information technologies. We believe that promoting the culture of entrepreneurship in Moldova will generate positive results, if it is correlated with educating young people and developing related skills. USAID will continue to contribute, providing the highest quality educational opportunities, encouraging business development and cultivating connections to a variety of markets.”
A pilot edition of the program took place in March-May this year, in partnership with the Technical University of Moldova. During the course, 10 students from the Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics, but also from the Faculty of Economic and Business Engineering were acquainted with technological entrepreneurship.
With this program, students will be able to generate innovative and useful products for society. The program aims to change the visions of young people, orienting them towards the development of the digital economy, which is constantly rising internationally.
About „Startup Academy”
“Startup Academy” part of the Startup Moldova program is an educational initiative dedicated to current and potential entrepreneurs, which is developed within the TEKWILL Project, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Sweden. The basic objective of the Tekwill Project, as a platform dedicated to the progress of the IT sector, is to ensure a major impact on the economic development of the country by improving the entrepreneurial and educational abilities of society members, but also the research and development potential of higher education institutions, in line with the demand on the IT market.