Building with bamboo, recycling plastic in Peru or producing biogas in Tanzania are just some of the projects set up by students studying Sustainable Entrepreneurship at Delft University of Technology.

“We found that many students want to work on sustainable projects in developing countries”, says Esther Blom, lecturer at the Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship, “so the programme in International Entrepreneurship and Development gives them the opportunity to do this as part of their degree.”

As Founding Chairman of the Movendi Foundation, which organises sustainable projects for disabled people in developing countries, Blom realised that “setting up initiatives to help people in developing countries is not sustainable if you don’t incorporate the entrepreneurship aspect.” So at the Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship, Blom and her colleagues designed various sustainable entrepreneurship programmes. These include a six-month Minor programme in International Entrepreneurship and Development, which is open to any BSc student at Delft University of Technology, as Blom believes in stimulating students to work in multidisciplinary fields.

After three months of theory, the students spend three months abroad working on the practical aspects of setting up a sustainable project. “Most of the students haven’t had this sorts of opportunity before, so it’s a great experience for them. And with sustainable projects all over world, it’s valuable for everyone.”

Co-workers

Otto Kroesen, Ellen van Andel, Wim Ravesteijn, Kas Hemmes, Yilin Huang, Kinsuk Sinha

Global Challenges

Bringing different sustainable technologies to the market

High-tech Science

Several technologies from different fields, from energy generation to water cleaning and waste treatment

Co-Creation

Partners from all over the world: from Peru and Nicaragua to Tanzania and India