RUN-EU: European collaboration with regional impact in Northern Netherlands
How do we ensure that talent, innovation and entrepreneurship can truly flourish? This question is high on the European agenda. Recent EU reports, including the influential Draghi-report on Europe’s competitiveness, emphasise that closer European cooperation is crucial to addressing talent shortages and better connecting innovation to societal challenges. This is particularly vital for peripheral regions such as the Northern Netherlands.
For this reason, RUN-EU brings together European universities and universities of applied sciences with the explicit aim of creating regional impact. Through the European Stakeholder Engagement Centre (ESEC) societal engagement is strengthened in the areas of entrepreneurship, Future Innovators Labs (FILs) and societal engagement (RETOS). Students, lecturers and regional partners are given the space to collaborate on solutions with visible impact.
NHL Stenden as a driving force for entrepreneurship within RUN-EU
NHL Stenden plays a leading role within RUN-EU in the field of entrepreneurship. Together with Hans Schulski and the Centre for Entrepreneurship, the university supports students in developing and scaling their ideas and this takes place far beyond the classroom. During the RUN-EU Knowledge Mission in Friesland in April 2025, lecturers and SME partners came together for company visits, guest lectures and joint explorations of sustainable innovation. International student programmes such as SAP Green Growth: Circular Entrepreneurship in a Sustainable Society and LEX Accelerating & Celebrating Entrepreneurship further strengthen entrepreneurship education. A key highlight will be the RUN-EU Entrepreneurship Festival in Leeuwarden in March 2026, where international student teams work on real business challenges and present their solutions in a Dragon’s Den-style finale. Meanwhile, a mentoring programme is being developed to support students throughout their entrepreneurial journey.
Future Innovators Labs
Young talent is also given a platform within RUN-EU. In ten Future Innovators Labs (FILs), children and young people aged 6 to 17 are introduced to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) through sustainable design. This takes place, among other locations, in the Challenge Lab of NHL Stenden at the PABO in Groningen, with the involvement of Age Wesselius and student Lynn Veldmate. Here, students work alongside primary school pupils from the region on open science and knowledge sharing, including through events such as INNHOTON, which this year focuses on the theme Smart Cities / Smart Villages. In October 2025, the Challenge Class will also begin, in which pupils aged 10 to 14 work according to the STEAM methodology on the themes connecting with and taking responsibility for your living environment and technology and equality.
Professional development for lecturers is another key focus. Through SAPs such as Designing and Implementing STEAM-Activities in the Future Innovation Lab and Your University en Designing STEAM Projects for Pre-University Students, RUN-EU promotes knowledge sharing among lecturers and trainee teachers. Collaboration within RUN-EU has also led to new European projects, such as Tinkerverse: an Erasmus+ initiative that will strengthen maker education for young children from 2026 onwards.
Return to Society
Societal impact is a common thread throughout the Return to Society (RETOS) programme, led by Ellen de Bruin. Through Service Learning and volunteering, students are encouraged to apply their knowledge in service of society. SAPs such as Service-Learning Programme for Lecturers support lecturers in integrating these approaches into their teaching. According to lecturer Marianne Currie, international collaboration within RUN-EU demonstrates how Service Learning brings together students from different disciplines, renews education and simultaneously delivers tangible benefits for the region. These exchanges also inspire the further development of similar initiatives in Leeuwarden.
Portal of opportunities
The connection with society will continue to expand in the coming years. NHL Stenden contributes to the new Portal of Opportunities, which links students with societal partners and practice-based challenges. Through international open calls, interdisciplinary projects emerge, such as Enhancing Financial Literacy for Vulnerable Communities. In this context, Howest students visited the Social Innovation Lab under the guidance of Lucas Zwolle. They met local partners and played the serious game 1 uur in de schulden to better understand financial vulnerability. A second project with W*ORT and FHV is scheduled to start in spring 2026. Finally, RUN-EU will launch a volunteering programme to support graduation research through placements in rural and vulnerable regions, with NHL Stenden joining in 2026.
Get involved: how to engage with RUN-EU
Interested in taking part? RUN-EU offers numerous opportunities for students, lecturers and regional partners who want to collaborate internationally on regional development through entrepreneurship, educational innovation and societal impact. Want to know more or get involved? Contact us at run-eu@nhlstenden.com.
