Over the past three years, the Hungarian Startup University Program (HSUP) has grown to be one of the most significant initiatives for the dynamization of the startup ecosystem and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial attitude of young people. There is no better proof of this than the fact that in recent years, more than 10,000 university students have signed up for the HSUP course, involving 31 higher education institutions and 1 NGO. Since its launch in 2020, the programme has accumulated a wealth of experience among both the key players in the startup ecosystem and the active participants.
Based on these experiences, we have developed the directions of further development of the HSUP: the changes summarised below will be introduced in the next HSUP year (autumn and spring semester of the academic year 2023/2024).
1. The grant scheme will be renewed - the best teams may receive start-up grants of up to HUF 20 million
At the heart of the new HSUP grant scheme is the recognition of the quantity and quality, as well as the effectiveness of the work invested over the two semesters. The members of the 15 best-performing teams in the second (spring) semester will receive a special grant of HUF 1 million per team. And the 4 most promising teams to become startups – if they establish their business and successfully raise capital from the market after the end of the spring semester – will be eligible for additional non-reimbursable grants of up to HUF 20 million per startup. At the same time, the monthly amount of the general grant for project work in the 2nd semester will be changed to HUF 50,000, with a mid-semester milestone for the second 2 months. Another important innovation is that, taking into account the typical number of startup founders, a maximum of 3 people per team can receive a grant.
2. Market players (investors) are involved in selecting the teams for the second semester
To qualify for the second semester, students are now required to produce a 3-minute pitch video in addition to the one-pager. These will be assessed in two rounds: the first round by academic experts and the second round by investors, known from Demo Day. Students who pass both rounds of assessment will be eligible to form a team in the second semester.
3. The role of mentors will be expanded
Based on the feedback and suggestions of HSUP mentors, two categories of mentors will be created to support HSUP students more effectively from the first semester onwards:
- Ad hoc mentors who will help students one or two occasions in solving a business or technology problem, on a pro bono basis.
- Key mentors, who support the students’ work through regular meetings, weekly videoconferences and emails, and send bi-monthly updates on their activities to the programme coordinator, the National Innovation Agency (NIA). Therefore, they will be rewarded for their work. Key mentors have a contract with the National Innovation Agency.
Overall, mentors will be given a greater role in coaching teams, as well as hosting both online and face-to-face events during semesters.
4. The range of services provided by universities for HSUP students is expanding
A particular demand from participants and mentors was for universities to expand their optional in-kind services to students:
- provision of premises by prior arrangement, including the use of laboratories not requiring specific expertise;
- purchase or supply of equipment (e.g. tools, 3D printer) and low-value materials (e.g. filament, etc.) related to the project.
Universities will receive extra funding in exchange for more services.
5. Streamlining the HSUP platform
The IT development of the HSUP platform is underway, mainly to increase the efficiency of the enrolment/registration and customer service activities. The improvements will also make the work of coordinators easier.
6. New recommendation on the number of credits for HSUP courses
In compliance with the relevant EU and national legislation, it is proposed that the maximum number of credits for the first semester should be 2 credits and 4 credits for the second semester.
7. Complete renewal of the curriculum (comprehensive introduction: autumn semester 2024/2025)
We launched a comprehensive review and renewal of the HSUP curriculum based on the feedback received. The content of the new curriculum will be more practical and up-to-date, adapting to the content consumption habits of today’s university generation, with a stronger focus on visuality and interactivity. While the curriculum will be more fun, it will also require more effort from students, all these using the essential language of the startup world, English that will help them to learn the jargon. The assessment system will also be renewed: it will become more practical and interactive. The new curriculum and assessment system is planned to be full launched in the autumn semester of the 2024/2025 academic year. As a pilot programme, the first two modules will be tested in the autumn semester of the 2023/2024 academic year, with the cooperation of some institutions. This means that in the upcoming semester, students will basically see the same curriculum and interface as before, still in Hungarian, with some improvements and management feature enhancements.