By Konrad Vyhnanek, Project Manager EU-Projects, STPUAS
St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (STPUAS) is proud to be a partner in Accelerate Future HEI, a Horizon Europe initiative that aims to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurial capacity of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across Europe.
Through its active participation, St. Pölten UAS is not only accelerating its institutional transformation but also reinforcing its commitment to social impact, regional development, and future-oriented education.
As one of Austria’s most dynamic universities of applied sciences, STPUAS has long understood that entrepreneurship and social responsibility go hand in hand.
In alignment with the goals of Accelerate Future HEI, the university is embedding innovation, entrepreneurship, and societal impact across its teaching, research, and community engagement activities.
A Mindset for the Future: Innovative, Bold, Sustainable
At the core of St. Pölten UAS’s mission is a commitment to shaping positive change. The university promotes a culture of creativity, responsibility, and action, empowering students, researchers, and partners to develop solutions to pressing societal, environmental, and economic challenges. It believes that every idea holds the potential to create sustainable impact, and that universities must play a leading role in enabling this change.
Social Entrepreneurship in Action: Key Initiatives
Two flagship initiatives showcase how STPUAS is turning this vision into practice:
Creative Pre-Incubator (CPI)
Launched in 2014 in collaboration with the accent Inkubator Lower Austria, the Creative Pre-Incubator supports students, alumni, and staff in developing early-stage business ideas. From the initial spark of an idea to a validated business model, CPI offers:
- Tailored mentoring and coaching
- Support for personal development and entrepreneurial growth
- Practical guidance to refine and validate start-up concepts
CPI plays a key role in cultivating responsible entrepreneurship and helps bring socially relevant innovations to life.
SMARTUP St. Pölten
Focused on strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem, SMARTUP St. Pölten connects students, start-ups, established companies, and academic institutions. It provides a vibrant platform for testing ideas and driving collaboration through:
- Hackathons, innovation challenges, and deep-dive sessions
- Business model and prototyping consultations
- Access to expert networks and knowledge platforms
- Early-stage start-up support and coaching
SMARTUP is a project initiated by the City of St. Pölten. St. Pölten UAS is currently entrusted with coordinating the project, a role that aligns seamlessly with the university’s broader mission to create real-world connections and enable regional innovation. The initiative demonstrates the university’s dedication to building a strong, entrepreneurial region by facilitating knowledge exchange and hands-on support for innovators.
Why St. Pölten UAS?
Since its founding in 1993, St. Pölten UAS has offered interdisciplinary, practice-based education in six key areas from digital technologies and creative industries to health, social work, and media. This cross-sectoral approach creates fertile ground for innovation and supports a learning environment where entrepreneurial thinking and social responsibility are mutually reinforcing.
The university’s vision is clear: to be a bold, effective, and socially responsible leader that shapes the future of higher education and regional development.
Through Accelerate Future HEI, St. Pölten UAS is working closely with European partners to co-develop new formats, strategies, and structures that enhance its capacity for innovation and impact. The university is participating in expert workshops, acceleration services, and peer learning exchanges, with the goal of:
- Strengthening its institutional framework for entrepreneurship
- Expanding impact-oriented teaching and research formats
- Building sustainable innovation ecosystems in Austria and beyond
