Higher education institutions are increasingly called upon to equip students with the entrepreneurial mindset and transversal skills needed to tackle real-world challenges. This work presents the case of the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) in Valencia, a pioneering inter-university programme launched in 2023 by the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the Universitat de València (UV). Rooted in an educational philosophy that integrates interdisciplinarity, experiential learning, and university-industry collaboration, the CDTM model provides a unique space for students to learn by doing, while actively shaping their learning environment.

Adapted from its original version developed in Munich (Germany), the CDTM Valencia programme is structured around a hands-on “Innovation Cycle” composed of three core modules—Trend Seminar, Managing Product Development, and Entrepreneurship Laboratory. Students engage in real projects with external partners and take on leadership roles through internal task forces that manage communication, partnerships, events, and outreach. This governance model, coordinated by PhD students and supported by an inter-university academic board of professors, transforms the programme into a co-created platform, where students learn how to be innovation agents in society.

This contribution discusses how the CDTM Innovation Cycle bridges disciplinary boundaries and fosters the integration of entrepreneurial learning in higher education curricula. Drawing on the Innovation Ecosystem Stakeholder Framework (Budden & Murray, 2025), and the Triple and Quintuple Helix models (Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000; Carayannis et al., 2012). The paper examines how experiential learning is embedded in the programme’s governance and stakeholder engagement, reinforcing the link between academic learning and practical application.

By showcasing the CDTM Valencia experience, this paper aims to contribute to ongoing debates on how entrepreneurship education can be operationalised through experiential, interdisciplinary, and ecosystem-based approaches in higher education.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, innovation ecosystems, experiential learning, interdisciplinarity, CDTM.