Cooperation between the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and Dotslash: opportunities for students, startups and scale-ups
Hogeschool Utrecht (HU) will collaborate as a knowledge partner with Dotslash, the Utrecht startup and scale-up ecosystem. The collaboration emphasises the importance of education as a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship. Together, HU and Dotslash will develop new projects and activities that support startups and scale-ups in their growth, preparing students for a future full of opportunities.
Connection between education and business
HU students will have the opportunity to work on projects with and for startups and scale-ups at the Dotslash campus at 93 Europalaan. HU will also offer education and training courses for entrepreneurs at Dotslash. In addition, the pop-up Internship and Project Counter, co-facilitated by the U-TECH Community, will provide a platform where companies and students are directly linked. Niels Spronk, community manager at Dotslash, says: ‘Connecting students and entrepreneurs creates a huge source of knowledge and talent. This opens doors for both students and startups & scale-ups.’
Practical solutions with the SME Workshop
An important part of the cooperation is the connection with our SME Workshop, a programme that pairs students from the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and regional MBO institutions with companies. This provides startups and SMEs with support on current challenges, such as digitalisation, marketing and business strategy. Erik Mooij, director of Samen Digitaal at HU: ‘This programme is a good example of how education can contribute to innovation, in this case in the digital field. This collaboration provides startups, scale-ups and SMEs with concrete solutions, while students gain valuable practical experience by directly applying their knowledge.’
Innovation through collaboration
HU and Dotslash embrace the so-called ‘Triple Helix model’ in which education, government and business work closely together to drive innovation and economic growth. Since Dotslash’s establishment in 2018, the City of Utrecht has played an important role in creating a dynamic environment where talent and entrepreneurship flourish. Hogeschool Utrecht further enriches this ecosystem, making cooperation between all parties involved even more effective.
About Dotslash
Dotslashhas been located on Europalaan in Utrecht since 2018. The community has now grown from 5,000 to 31,000 m² and has over 200 companies, mostly startups and scale-ups. Dotslash forms a creative and entrepreneurial community in the region where (corporate) partners, investors and entrepreneurs come together to accelerate growth. Dotslash is a concept of BORON, the investment company of the Utrecht entrepreneurial family J.A. Fentener van Vlissingen.
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