The consortium behind the ZEEUS project – Zero Emissions Entrepreneurship for Universal Sustainability – met at the University of Economics and Business in Prague (VSE) from September 8 to 10 to participate in the “Teaching Social Entrepreneurship – Sharing Experiences and Generating Impact” program. Over the course of three days, participants explored different ways of teaching social entrepreneurship through active, student-centered methodologies. The program combined learning, experimentation, and reflection, while also providing an important forum for exchange among faculty members from different universities, academic disciplines, and countries. The activities allowed participants to experience selected methods from the ZEEUS Toolkit from the student’s perspective, analyze them as instructors, share pedagogical experiences, and work on adapting these tools to their own teaching contexts. The meeting in Prague concluded with new methodologies, ideas, and experiences shared among the consortium partners, who are now returning to their institutions with the goal of bringing this knowledge into the classroom and continuing to make an impact through education.

The 2026 HealthTech Accelerator officially began on 14 July, launching a 10-week incubation programme designed to help early-stage healthcare innovators validate their solutions, strengthen their business models and prepare for market entry. Delivered by Stellenbosch University LaunchLab in collaboration with Stellenbosch Network, the programme is open to Stellenbosch University staff, researchers and alumni, while also welcoming a limited number of external HealthTech projects and businesses. Eight selected ventures will take part in a series of practical workshops, one-to-one mentoring sessions and customer validation activities, working closely with industry experts to refine their value propositions and commercial strategies. The programme will conclude with a Demo Day, where participants will present their ventures to investors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders from the innovation ecosystem. As global demand for digital health and medical innovation continues to grow, initiatives such as the HealthTech Accelerator play an important role in supporting the commercialisation of research and the development of scalable healthcare solutions.

Innovation Launch Camp, a bootcamp that emerged from the ZEEUS project and a collaboration between ISEC Lisbon and the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE), brought together entrepreneurs, start-ups, students and alumni from ISEC Lisbon for two days dedicated to innovation, entrepreneurship and project development. The initiative took place on 17 and 18 June at the Hélder Pita Auditorium, offering students and alumni the opportunity to engage closely with entrepreneurs and experts from the entrepreneurial sector. Among the guest entrepreneurs were João Caeiro, Miguel Clemente and Daniel Barradas from Startup 123, who shared their experiences, challenges and lessons learnt from their entrepreneurial journeys. The group of mentors also included ISEC Lisbon lecturers Jorge Costa, Bruno Barbosa, Rui Fonseca, Manuela Maia, Leonardo Springer and Ricardo Raimundo, who were joined by André Magalhães and Ana Cristina Rodrigues, representing ANJE. The session was opened by Carlos Cabeleira, Director-General of Strategy and Innovation at Universitas, and André Magalhães, Director-General of ANJE. João Caeiro, from Startup 123, in turn, led his presentation on the fundamental principles and pillars of entrepreneurship, offering tools and strategies for developing a successful idea, whilst also focusing on the commercial aspect. With everything in place, the participants began to structure their business ideas, with the help of the entrepreneurs and mentors present. On the second day of the bootcamp, on 18 June, participants and mentors resumed their work, focusing on refining their business ideas and preparing their final presentations for the pitch session. Following the presentation of the various business ideas developed over the two days, the judging panel – comprising Carlos Cabeleira, Tomás Caeiro from Startup 123, and Marcelo Gama, Managing Partner at Grupo Carreira & Agripino – assessed the projects presented. The awards ceremony was attended by Cristina Ventura, Chair of the Board of Directors of Universitas, the founding body of ISEC Lisboa, who congratulated all participants on the commitment and dedication they had shown throughout the bootcamp, offering a special word of recognition to the winners of this edition. The Innovation Launch Camp podium was as follows: ISEC Lisboa congratulates all participants and winners on the commitment, courage and dedication they demonstrated throughout the project!

The Innovation Launch Camp, a new entrepreneurship bootcamp developed within the framework of the ZEEUS project, will take place on 17 and 18 June at the Hélder Pita Auditorium, ISEC Lisboa. The initiative is organised through a collaboration between ISEC Lisboa and the Portuguese National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE). Over the course of two intensive days, participants will engage in a hands-on entrepreneurial experience focused on transforming innovative ideas into viable and sustainable business projects. The programme combines practical methodologies and collaborative learning approaches, including Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Business Model Canvas development, sustainability assessment, go-to-market strategy, and pitch preparation. The bootcamp aims to foster entrepreneurial mindsets and equip participants with the tools needed to validate, structure, and communicate their business ideas effectively. The three best projects presented during the final pitch session will receive training credits for programmes offered by the Universitas Group (ISEC Lisboa, ISTEC, or Next by Universitas), valid between September 2026 and August 2029: 1st Prize: EUR 2,500 2nd Prize: EUR 1,500 3rd Prize: EUR 1,000   Participation is free of charge, although registration is mandatory until 12 June. After registering, participants will receive access to an optional online training programme designed to support the development of their business ideas before the bootcamp begins. Programme Day 1 – 17 June From Idea to Business Model 09:00 – 09:30 | Welcome and Registration 09:30 – 10:30 | Inspirational Session 10:30 – 11:00 | Icebreaker & Networking 11:00 – 12:30 | Design Thinking Workshop 12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch Break 14:00 – 15:30 | Lean Startup & Validation 15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee Break 16:00 – 17:30 | Business Model Canvas 17:30 – 18:00 | Day Wrap-up Day 2 – 18 June Validation, Communication and Pitch 09:00 – 09:30 | Energizer & Recap 09:30 – 11:00 | Sustainability and Impact 11:00 – 12:30 | Marketing & Go-to-Market 12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch Break 14:00 – 15:30 | Pitch Preparation 15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee Break 16:00 – 17:30 | Final Team Pitch Session 17:30 – 18:00 | Closing Session & Certificates Register here

Trier University of Applied Sciences (TUAS), through its Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS), successfully organized and concluded the ZEEUS SbyD Hackathon 2026. A total of 40 participants registered via the TUAS registration platform, forming highly motivated teams. Hackathon challenge was to develop a functioning model with a user-friendly interface for the pre-developed SbyD Excel tool by IfaS. After several days of intensive and focused work, 8 teams successfully delivered functional versions of the Sustainability by Design (SbyD) working model. Participants demonstrated remarkable dedication, creativity, and technical excellence, exceeding TUAS expectations. The quality of the submissions was outstanding, reflecting not only strong technical capabilities but also a shared motivation to contribute meaningful and innovative solutions within a limited timeframe. Following a rigorous evaluation process, the top-performing teams distinguished themselves through originality, functionality, and implementation quality: 1st Place: Raffael Elias Schäfer and Team sudo rm * -rf from Germany 2nd Place: Chidinma CJ Nwagboso and Team http_friends from South Africa 3rd Place: Subhashini Amarasiri from Sri Lanka   First place won a prize of 1,000 EURO We warmly congratulate the winners on their outstanding achievements. Their workrepresents an exceptional level of effort, collaboration, and innovation. At the same time, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to allparticipating teams. Every group delivered impressive results, and the differences inevaluation were minimal, highlighting the overall excellence and competitiveness ofthis hackathon. The winning version of the SbyD tool to assess how sustainable yourentrepreneurship idea will be published shortly on the TUAS – IfaS website and onthe official project page www.zeeus.org.

The Agritech Countdown Programme, delivered by Stellenbosch University (SU) LaunchLab, concluded on 26 March with a Demo Day where eight early-stage ventures presented their innovations to investors, mentors and other ecosystem stakeholders. Running from 24 February to 26 March, the five-week programme supported Pan-African startups in validating their business ideas and preparing them for market entry through mentoring, workshops and customer-focused development. The selected startups addressed a wide range of agricultural challenges, including precision agriculture, livestock tracking, soil testing, sustainable food production, digital farming platforms and wine industry technologies, reflecting the growing role of innovation in strengthening Africa’s agricultural sector. Delivered in collaboration with Stellenbosch Network and supported by the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), the programme aims to accelerate agritech innovation while contributing to the growth of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. The initiative also aligns with SU LaunchLab’s role in the Zero Emissions Entrepreneurship for Universal Sustainability (ZEEUS) project, where it is part of an international consortium working to strengthen cross-border collaboration, promote knowledge exchange and connect local innovators with wider African markets.

On 11 and 12 March 2026, partners of the ZEEUS project gathered in Prague for an in-person consortium meeting hosted by the Prague University of Economics and Business.The meeting brought together representatives from across the consortium, reinforcing the collaborative spirit at the heart of ZEEUS and its mission to strengthen entrepreneurial capacity within higher education institutions while addressing global sustainability challenge. Participants were warmly welcomed by Martin Lukeš, whose opening remarks highlighted the importance of international cooperation in driving innovation and impactful entrepreneurship. Advancing the ZEEUS Seed Factory Model A central focus of the meeting was the continued design and evolution of the ZEEUS Seed Factories — the project’s core innovation mechanism. These Seed Factories are designed to foster entrepreneurial mindsets, support venture creation, and connect education, research, and business within a dynamic “knowledge triangle”. Partners engaged in in-depth discussions on how to further strengthen these structures, ensuring their scalability, adaptability, and alignment with both European and African innovation ecosystems. Reflecting on a Successful First Phase Beyond forward-looking planning, the consortium also took time to reflect on the outcomes of the project’s first phase. The discussion confirmed that all planned objectives for this stage have been successfully achieved, marking a strong foundation for the next phases of implementation. This milestone reinforces ZEEUS as a catalyst for transforming higher education institutions into engines of sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, with a clear trajectory toward long-term impact. Looking Ahead: Training and Global Expansion The next key milestone for the consortium will take place in September 2026, with a dedicated Train-the-Trainers session to be held once again in Prague. This event will focus on strengthening alignment and consistency in the delivery of training activities across the ZEEUS Seed Factory network, with a special attention to Social Entrepreneurship, including Sustainability by Design and Stakeholders Engagament. Following this, the project is set to expand its global engagement with a first consortium meeting in Africa, provisionally scheduled for October 2026 at the Stellenbosch University. This meeting will be closely connected to the local entrepreneurship ecosystem, further reinforcing ZEEUS’s commitment to fostering cross-continental collaboration between Europe and Africa.Strengthening a Global Innovation Ecosystem. As ZEEUS progresses, meetings such as the Prague gathering play a crucial role in ensuring alignment, knowledge exchange, and shared ownership among partners. By combining local expertise with international collaboration, the project continues to build a robust and scalable framework for zero-emissions entrepreneurship, contributing to a more sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-driven future.

From April 6 to 9, in a fully online format, participants will work on a challenge that involves transforming a “Sustainable by Design” (SbyD) tool—currently Excel-based and developed by the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management at Trier University of Applied Sciences—into a fully functional web application. The main objective is to redesign and implement this tool as a modern and intuitive web solution, leveraging appropriate technologies, system architectures, and innovative features.Aimed at students, researchers, web product developers, and designers, the hackathon will provide the opportunity to collaborate with participants from diverse fields and countries, apply technical and creative skills, work on a project with real sustainability impact, and gain practical experience in an international environment. Registrations are open until March 27! Sign up HERE.

On November 18, the ZEEUS Project held the third workshop of its training cycle, dedicated to the theme “Building for Change: Climate Entrepreneurship for All”, which brought together around 70 participants. This session challenged attendees to transform ideas into real projects, demonstrating how anyone can lead or contribute to sustainable solutions through entrepreneurship and innovation. The workshop featured contributions from Ron Immink, author and specialist in futures and entrepreneurship, and Aideen O’Hora, co-founder of SustainabilityWorks. Soon, all workshops and initiatives will be available on the ZEEUS Collaborative Platform, which provides access to mentors, tools, and educational resources. With the conclusion of this workshop cycle, the ZEEUS Project continues to develop new content and initiatives focused on sustainability.

The second workshop of the ZEEUS Project, titled “Design for Impact: Climate Ideation in Action,” took place on 5 November and brought together around 100 participants. The session offered an excellent opportunity to transform intentions into impactful ideas through creative tools and collaborative methods that encouraged the development of innovative climate solutions and the promotion of systemic change. The event provided a dynamic space for learning and co-creation, helping participants move from climate concern to confident action. Through practical activities and moments of exchange, attendees were able to explore how creative ideation can drive innovation and generate real impact across academic, professional, and personal spheres. Guest speakers included Ron Immink, author and speaker on future trends and entrepreneurship, and Aideen O’Hora, co-founder of SustainabilityWorks, who inspired participants to reflect on the role of creativity in addressing climate challenges. The ZEEUS Project continues on 18 November with its third workshop, “Building for Change: Climate Entrepreneurship for All,” dedicated to transforming ideas into sustainable projects.