Recognition as an Entrepreneurial and Engaged university

Friday, 16 June 2017

The University of Adelaide has become the first Australian university to receive accreditation for being Entrepreneurial and Engaged.

The dual accreditation has been awarded to the University by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU), based in the Netherlands, and was announced at this month's University-Industry Interaction Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

"The University of Adelaide has long been a leader in the state and the nation in business innovation, entrepreneurship and engagement with industry. It's pleasing to receive such recognition for our work, which will help to promote the role of entrepreneurship and engagement within universities, and with the broader community," says Professor Noel Lindsay, Pro Vice-Chancellor Entrepreneurship at the University of Adelaide.

"Our University has an ongoing commitment to work collaboratively with business and government, to build on each other's strengths, enabling each sector to innovate and grow for the good of our society. This work complements our outstanding teaching and leading-edge research, which has earned the University its international reputation."

The University participated in an eight-month accreditation process with the ACEEU, a newly formed council established as an initiative of the University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN).

Cameron McCoy, Associate Vice-President for Engagement at Lehigh University in the United States, who chaired the accreditation committee, says: "The University of Adelaide is a great example of how an institution can create greater social, cultural and economic impacts through the promotion of entrepreneurship and engagement throughout an entire university."

Professor Lindsay, who is also Director of the University's highly successful Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre (ECIC), says the University of Adelaide has worked for decades to generate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in South Australia.

"The Australian eChallenge, which we've run since 2001, has become the nation's leading student entrepreneur 'investor ready' program, helping to foster new generations of business leaders and entrepreneurial thinking.

"Our eChallenge model has been successfully introduced into France, enhancing the growing business links between France and South Australia. And our new ThincLab Adelaide will launch next month, providing support for start-up businesses and championing innovative thinking in the state," he says.

Contact details