Do you want to make an impact?
By Natalia Giner Laguarda
Wageningen University is certainly the best university to focus your academic carrier on the theme ‘healthy food and living environment’. Wageningen University research and education are based on a fundamental scientific approach whose work is strongly connected with governments and the business community. But are you just looking forward to learn about science or do you want to make an impact?
Therefore, it is not strange that during your bachelors or your masters you might come up with an innovative idea.
It could be possible that after a course or during a group work, you come across a novel product or production system or solution to face a current problem. Wageningen University hosts a meeting place for current and recently qualified Wageningen (PhD) students interested in entrepreneurship. This meeting place is known as the StartHub of Wageningen and allows students to make an impact in society by:
Exploring the potential of nature to improve the quality of life.
What is the StartHub?
The StartHub is the student incubator of Wageningen. The StartHub is placed at the Triton building 119. This building acts as a meeting hub for students who want to develop their entrepreneurial skills. The StartHub offers possibilities ranging from trainings to even a detailed guide to how to develop your business idea and realize this idea into your own company.
What does StartHub offers?
The StartHub offers to students the posibility to develop their entrepreneurial skills. For that, interactive workshops and events, micro-credits, work places and coaching by experts are offered at the hub. Last but not least, by joining the StartHub, you will get the chance to meet their large network with all the professionals or peers that you will require while becoming an entrepreneur.
Furthermore, you will find out that the hub is a really nice environment where you will get much more than just training, as it will be a nice group of colleagues and of course; free coffee and unlimited games at their pinball machine!
What does StartHub cost?
The best thing of the StartHub is that coaching, workshops and accessing their network is free for members. You can become a member for only 25€ a year. In case you already have your novel idea and you aim to start your own startup, you can also rent your own office at their building. During my visit to the StartHub, I had the chance to see all the startups that have arise at the Hub.
By now, I am sure that if I have such an innovative idea as the ones I saw, I would contact the StartHub.
No need to say, if you already have such an idea, do not hesitate in emailing them (starthub.wageningen@wur.nl) or just ask them personally during their Wednesday drinks!
How to join to the StartHub
If after reading this post, you got interested in the StartHub, there are various ways in which you can become involved in their community. You can either become a member, a renter or be a part of their student board, a start up already formed, an organizational committee or just participate in their activities. I had the chance to discover that every Wednesday from 17h-19h there are free drinks in the Hub.
Every student can easily get into contact with the StartHub to find out all the advantages of becoming a member there.
Hello, i’m 23 years old and I hopefully take a bachelor degree in biology in February. Later I would like to come in Wageningen by the Erasmus trainship and maybe start a master degree in the future. So I have some questions like:
-is the city of Wageningen offer a nice place to live for a student?
-and what about the university campus?
-everybody speak English or I need to study also the local tougue?
Thank you very much and I wish you the best.
Hey! Wageningen is a lovely place to live, it’s a small city but there’s a lot of activities happening all the time. If you’re more wondering about accommodation then there’s a variety available, all over the city and on campus as well. At uni everyone speaks English and all MSc programmes are in English as well, so learning Dutch isn’t necessary.
Hi. What do you think is the best way I can contribute to my MSc programme (Master of Animal Science) at WUR? I hope to resume by September.
Hi Dolapo!
During your studies you will have many possibilities to make an impact. For isntance, you could become a member of the programme committee who ensures that the education programme and quality is constantly improved. It’s good to simply be an active student and see where you can make a contribution in something that you’re passionate about.
Best, Onne