A chair with impact

The Chair in Entrepreneurial Learning is a collaboration between HOGENT, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and Xerius. What began as a research project during the coronavirus pandemic has grown into an academic-practical chair that provides self-employed people with a side job with concrete tools to grow faster and more sustainably and offers valuable support to those who aspire to become self-employed in their main job.

For companies, this project shows how strong collaboration with the academic world can lead to new data, tangible applications, reputation enhancement, and social added value.

From scan to chair

Xerius, a business service center, social insurance fund, and insurance partner, asked HOGENT in 2020 to develop a scan that gives start-ups insight into their entrepreneurial strengths and areas for growth. The result was a scientifically validated instrument led by Dr. Bart Derre (HOGENT) and with methodological support from Prof. Dr. Nico De Witte (VUB). The scan is both accurate and user-friendly and measures the entrepreneurial mindset of (future) self-employed people.

When the initial results proved particularly promising, the partners anchored the project in a fully-fledged chair, with the VUB as the academic driving force. “Xerius said: ‘We don't want a traditional chair, but a collaboration that is already making an impact today,’” says Derre.

To the chair

HOGENT: innovation with impact

HOGENT brings its strong tradition of practice-oriented research and entrepreneurial education to bear. The E-Lab, led by Bart Derre, develops interventions that help both students and professionals to stimulate or encourage an entrepreneurial mindset and behavior. In other words: interventions that provide concrete support for entrepreneurial learning.

Thanks to Xerius, HOGENT can test these interventions on real entrepreneurs and the university has access to datasets that would otherwise be unavailable. “This makes our education more relevant, our students better prepared, and our research more useful to society,” says Derre.

For companies, a partnership means that their investment goes into a vibrant network of education, research, and practice, where new knowledge and talent are immediately available. 

Xerius: entrepreneur alongside the entrepreneur

Xerius sees the chair as a way to strengthen its role as a starter motor for self-employed people. “Our main objective is to support self-employed people in secondary occupations and help them make the transition to primary occupation more quickly,” says Bruno Van de Moortel, Chief Marketing Officer.

“Scientifically based, yes, but entrepreneurs need to be able to put it to use tomorrow.” The insights from the scan and additional data analyses help Xerius develop new services and guidance programs. In addition, the company organizes side-job cafés in collaboration with HOGENT and the VUB, where entrepreneurs receive concrete tips and their progress becomes measurable. 

Data as a driving force

Thousands of completed scans flow to researchers via Xerius. For science, this is a gold mine; for companies, it is a guarantee that recommendations are based on current market data rather than assumptions. The data not only shows who wants to become an entrepreneur, but also reveals different profiles in terms of entrepreneurial mindset. This offers opportunities to determine individual learning needs and appropriate learning interventions.

Independent and credible

Scientific independence is guaranteed from the outset. “The results are what they are, regardless of a sponsor's expectations,” emphasizes De Witte. This neutral framework gives partners the assurance that their support is not a marketing exercise, but genuine knowledge development.

The Chair in Entrepreneurial Learning proves how a college, a university, and a private player can together form a lever for entrepreneurial learning, one that provides concrete support to part-time entrepreneurs during their entrepreneurial journey.
 

Thanks to HOGENT's practical approach, the scientific rigor of the VUB, and the entrepreneurial commitment of Xerius, this is not merely an academic initiative, but a strategic partnership that yields direct benefits: new insights, enhanced reputation, international visibility, and social impact.