ABSTRACT VIEW
DEVELOPING IMPACT-FOCUSED ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA: A CASE OF ERASMUS+ PROJECT
O. Bogdanova1, P. Rantanen2
1 LAB University of Applied Sciences (FINLAND)
2 Ikigaia ltd (FINLAND)
The state of the environment and the economy require altering how we approach business transactions (cf. the UN Sustainable Development Goals). Innovative sustainable interventions addressing social inequality and environmental degradation are required to create employment opportunities for sustainable growth. The Erasmus+ funded project aims to produce innovative educational measures in impact-focused entrepreneurship (IFE) in four (4) Indian HEIs. Project partner institutions in Europe and India have come together to co-develop educational content (course curriculum), learning materials, and novel innovative pedagogics to advance IFE-based education in India. This educational collaboration between Indian and EU-based HEIs (including students as co-developers) involves creating a tight stakeholder ecosystem in India and between India and the EU. This will produce positive social, economic, and environmental results through knowledge-sharing. Through close collaboration between HEIs, companies, and associations, e. g. via impact-focused entrepreneurship activities, the Co-LIFE project will create change in communities in the short and long term. India needs sustainable interventions to address and exploit their demographics and their entrepreneurial growth, and vibrant ecosystem. Additionally, enhancing intercultural relations between the EU and India among HEIs, students, teaching staff, and local businesses and associations is an objective. HEIs and the ecosystem created in the project will benefit from exchanging best practices in learning and teaching methods and practical ideas towards employment and sustainable development in their respective areas. In this paper, the need analysis for the impact entrepreneurship education in India was performed as well as the analysis of sustainability entrepreneurship education.

Keywords: Impact-focused entrepreneurship education, India, Erasmus+, international cooperation.