From digital inclusion in healthcare to supporting small agri-food producers, students from across the NEOLAiA European University Alliance spent a week in Suceava turning challenges faced by European regions into entrepreneurial solutions.
From 12 to 18 July 2026, Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava (USV) hosted the NEOLAiA SUMMA MAST – Summer Academy in Entrepreneurship, bringing together Master’s students and academics from nine NEOLAiA partner universities.
Throughout the intensive programme, students worked in international and interdisciplinary teams, combining different academic backgrounds, regional perspectives and experiences. Using participatory approaches to innovation and entrepreneurship, they identified challenges relevant to European regions and developed business models designed to create economic, social and environmental value.
The programme combined teamwork, mentoring and entrepreneurship activities with opportunities to discover Suceava and its regional context. Working alongside students from different countries also challenged participants to look beyond their own local realities and consider how ideas developed in one region could respond to challenges shared across Europe.
Five teams, five responses to regional challenges
The week culminated in the International Entrepreneurship Competition, where five student teams presented their business plans to academics, mentors, entrepreneurs and regional stakeholders.
Each team approached a different challenge – from access to digital healthcare and youth employment to SME digitalisation, entrepreneurship support and the competitiveness of rural producers.
HighFive65 – Excellence in Business Planning Award
HighFive65 proposed a social enterprise built around a network of trained “digital companions” supporting older adults and people facing digital exclusion.
The service would provide free assistance with accessing and using online healthcare services, combining technology with personal support to make digital healthcare more accessible.
The project received the Excellence in Business Planning Award, with the jury highlighting its market analysis, feasible business model and coherent financial plan.
TalentBridge Salerno – Best Business Idea Award
How can universities help young people make the transition from education to employment?
TalentBridge Salerno, developed as an academic spin-off concept connected to the University of Salerno, proposed an intelligent platform matching graduates with employers while also offering skills development and personalised career coaching.
The concept received the Best Business Idea Award for its originality, market potential and approach to supporting young people entering the labour market.
Agri-Grow Hub – Regional Impact Award
Agri-Grow Hub focused on strengthening small rural agri-food businesses.
The proposed B2B hub would help producers with branding, digital marketing, legal and administrative matters and access to new markets. By helping small businesses become more visible and competitive, the concept also aims to showcase the authenticity and value of regional products.
Regional stakeholders awarded the team the Regional Impact Award, recognising the idea’s potential contribution to local economic development.
DigiSME – Community Choice Award
For many small and medium-sized enterprises, digital transformation can be difficult to navigate.
DigiSME proposed an AI-powered assistance platform allowing SMEs to assess their digital maturity, receive personalised recommendations and connect with suitable technology partners.
The project received the Community Choice Award, with the audience recognising the relevance of the challenge, the clarity of the proposed solution and its potential for implementation.
IdeaGate – Sustainability Impact Award
IdeaGate turned its attention to people taking their first steps into entrepreneurship.
The team developed the concept of an integrated digital platform guiding first-time entrepreneurs through different stages of business development – from validating an initial idea and finding public support programmes to connecting with mentors, experts and potential investors.
The project received the Sustainability Impact Award for its approach to responsible entrepreneurship and its connection to sustainable development.
Learning entrepreneurship through international collaboration
SUMMA MAST was not only about developing five business ideas.
Working in international teams gave participants the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship as a collaborative process: identifying a problem, listening to different perspectives, testing ideas, building a viable model and communicating it to different audiences.
Along the way, students developed competences extending well beyond business planning, including critical thinking, creativity, leadership, intercultural communication and collaborative problem-solving.
The Summer Academy also showed the possibilities created when students from nine European universities bring their regional experiences into the same room. Challenges may look different in Suceava, Salerno, Šiauliai, Jaén or Örebro, but many questions facing European regions – digitalisation, employment, inclusion, sustainability and local economic development – are shared.
Through initiatives such as SUMMA MAST, NEOLAiA creates spaces where these different perspectives can meet and become new ideas.
Hosted by Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, the 2026 Summer Academy brought entrepreneurship education closer to the realities of European regions – and challenged students to think about business not only as an economic activity, but also as a tool for creating positive change.
