Education and
Entrepreneurship

Lectures and research usually make the main content of the mission by the majority of universities in the world. However, the new economic development installs another new mission through which the universities undergo transformation from the lecturing type to the entrepreneurial ones. That transformation came about, on the one hand, due to the increased significance that knowledge has in the current economic environment and, on the other hand, due to the financial needs of the universities. Entrepreneurial universities play a key role in the regional development through establishment of innovative units and structures which are closely or loosely attached to their universities. Such typical innovative units, attached to a university or located within its organisational structure, are scientific and technological parks, innovation centres, entrepreneurial centres, business incubators and similar forms of organisation. 

Therefore, a university / a faculty / a campus are to be such in which at least a part of students enrol in specialised, master or doctoral studies, whose teaching staff has quality up-to-date information and experience, and which has modern equipped laboratories. In this respect, the UNZE must also undergo a deep transition in order to became a framework for the start of a scientific and technology park, whereby the establishment of such centres paves the way towards such goals. For the purpose of undergoing a transition from a lecturing to an entrepreneurial university, it has to have a high development criteria and it has to gradually increase its additional financial means outside of the regular budget. Such additional finances are normally raised through projects financed by the industry, governmental bodies, some development or scientific foundations, international projects and especially by successful spin-out activities.

It is important to point out that innovativeness and entrepreneurship should not only be understood as economic innovativeness and entrepreneurship. The future Centre wants to develop innovation and entrepreneurship in the educational process through innovation of the new teaching plans and programmes, innovation of the teaching staff and students, through joint development of new ideas and projects by students and teaching staff through both type of processes, teaching and scientific and research work.

The UNZE is one of the rare universities in Southeast Europe, which has a university campus as a unique area in which different activities of individual faculties are integrated. In this way the Zenica University Campus should naturally incline towards an entrepreneurial university, integrated to the scientific and technology park in its environment and with different centres as part of its structure. The establishment of a scientific and technology park is a long and expensive process. Realistic short term goal (for the purpose of transition toward entrepreneurial university) is a quality spin-out programme of the University through the Business Incubator and the Business Start-up Centre which are already established with partners from Zenica and the region. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre (CIP) does not duplicate the work of the Economic Institute, because the way of work, the interest groups and the implementation areas are very much different by the two.