Boosting an Entrepreneurial Mindset in Technology Enhanced Social Care
29-30 April 2026, Hasselt, Belgium

What?

The symposium brings together professionals, researchers, lecturers and students working at the crossroads of technology, social welfare and entrepreneurship. A combination of inspiring keynotes, presentations, hands-on workshops and social gatherings will create opportunities for networking and space for idea-shaping, collaboration and future project development

This two-day symposium will be co-organised by E³UDRES² (European University alliance) and Businet (Associaton of European HEIs) to foster the exchange of best practices, ideas and opportunities. Health, Social Care and technology organisations and SMEs being part of the resonance boards of two major Flemish projects (ALERT and XR4Health) will join on the second day to testify about the needs and existing solutions and how the uptake of VR/XR in Social Care, respectively Health towards successful products best happens.

The venue, the UCLL Social Tech Hub (sorry, Dutch only today) is an innovative initiative that strengthens collaboration between welfare, technology and business. It supports professionals, researchers and students in developing solutions for the growing challenges in the welfare sector.

Why?

To learn the best practices from tech leaders, to meet Flemish and foreign SMEs tackling the introduction and production of new technology that can and will make the difference in Social Care. To extend your (knowledge) network and learn how to best implement technology (change coping amongst others). To start new (research/entrepreneurial) alliances across Europe and beyond.

Practical Data

Venue: Social Tech Hub; Oude Luikerbaan 79, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium. Google maps
Dates: 29 - 30 April 2026
Target audience: Entrepreneurs, Researchers, Students, Lecturers (to become) active in the domains of Welfare, Technology and/or Management.
Tentative programme:

Day 1:

·       8h30 > 12h CET: Registration, Welcome and 2 keynotes, complemented with thinking out loud sessions, separate for Businet and E³UDRES² .

·       12h > 13h CET: Lunch

·       13h15 > 17h CET: A keynote on Technology Acceptance Testing, followed by separate workshops and brainstorm sessions.

·       19h CET: Dinner will be served at Corda Campus (1h walking distance from the venue, but 1/2h walking distance from your hotels who are located half-way both places). Corda Campus is an huge incubator containing over 200 startups, scale-ups, SMEs, .. After a short introduction, dinner will be served.

Day 2:

·       8h30 > 12h CET: Plenary presentation of ALERT & XR4Health projects (in English of course), followed by individual sessions for each party.

·       12h > 13h30 CET: Lunch for all with plenty of time to meet and greet project members

·       13h30 > 16h30 CET: One plenary keynote by Tietovry on Doing Business in Social Care (TBC), followed by a keynote by an EU officer about the EU view on this topic (TBC). After the pause we will have some wrap-up session and closing of the symposium.

Registration: is open until April, 22^nd 2026 using this link: https://research-expertise.ucll.be/en/educations/sth-symposium-2026.

Fee: 200€, all inclusive, i.e. symposium registration, 2x lunch, 1x dinner, and refreshments during the day.

During this intensive event, participants will work in international and interdisciplinary teams, combining skills from fields such as technology, business, sustainability, design, and beyond. Together, they will rethink how we deal with waste and develop creative, practical ideas aimed at making a positive environmental impact.

The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) in Creative Industries is aimed at students engaged in the arts and creative fields (visual arts, design, music, theatre, dance, multimedia, film, etc.) who wish to strengthen their skills to operate in international and interdisciplinary contexts

The programme's mission is to develop students' initiative, creativity and leadership capacity through collaborative experiences between institutions from several countries, preparing them to become creative, innovative professionals who are aware of their role in Society.

Throughout the programme, participants work in international, multidisciplinary teams, exploring challenges related to the creative industries and sustainability, in line with the EU Green Deal

This programme bridges social sciences, business research, digital technologies, and academic practice through:

Integrated writing and research strategy modules that apply across disciplines Hands-on experience with industry-standard software (VosViewer, Scrivener, Trello, Tropy, Scapple)

Latest methodological developments in qualitative (comparative analysis) and quantitative (PLM) research

Team-based research projects that unite students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds

International mentoring from experienced researchers across partner institutions Added Value for Participants

Participants benefit from: Expert-led workshops on academic writing covering descriptive, analytical,

persuasive, and critical genres Research strategy personalization for individual doctoral projects, including feasibility

assessment and ethics considerations Practical training on scientific paper structure (IMRD) with guidance on section

connections and disciplinary variations Digital literacy enhancement through practical sessions on research management,

writing software, and data visualization Cross-disciplinary surveys and analysis using innovative tools for mapping research networks and conducting surveys

Collaborative research experience resulting in 10 draft research articles prepared by student teams

Professional networking within the European academic community and BUSINET Network

Flexibility and Customization

The programme is designed to accommodate diverse disciplinary interests and expertise.

Partner institutions may propose thematic focus areas, guest expert sessions, or content

modifications to ensure maximum relevance.

WHAT DO I GAIN FROM ATTENDING?

Knowledge Outcomes

By completing this programme, you will:

Master academic writing across multiple genres (descriptive, analytical, persuasive,

critical) applicable to your research

Understand research strategy design including planning, feasibility assessment,

ethics, and data identification

Learn the structure and features of traditional scientific papers (IMRD) with

disciplinary adaptations

Recognize connections between paper sections and how they serve research

objectives

Identify innovative research methods in both qualitative (comparative analysis, social

science guidelines) and quantitative (PLM, guidelines) approaches

Competences to Develop

Advanced academic writing skills: contextualization, synthesis, summarization,

paraphrasing, quoting, evaluation, concept definition, classification,

comparison/contrast, and engagement with opposing views

Research design capability: Action-oriented research, case study methodologies,

qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys

Digital tool proficiency: Research process management (Tropy, Trello), writing

software (Scrivener), brainstorming tools (Scapple, 750Words), network mapping

(VosViewer), and survey analysis

Qualitative and quantitative analysis skills: Applying comparative methods and

innovative guidelines suited to social science research

Team collaboration: Workflow organization, professional networking, and

collaborative research project completion Practical Abilities

Manage your research process using innovative digital tools

Improve academic writing style: active voice, varied sentence structures, conciseness

Establish feasible research designs personalized to your interests and constraints

Analyze research data using state-of-the-art software and cross-disciplinary practices

Work effectively in international research teams, presenting findings to expert audiences

For full programme and registration contact the organising team

The Businet Virtual Spring Workshops are an opportunity for members to come together to progress ideas discussed at the Annual Conference in Sofia and to plan ahead for the Annual Conference in Malta.  The workshops will begin with an opening Businet Brunch on an area of good practoce and conclude with a feedback session.  The full shcedule of Working Group meets will be available on Basecamp and on the website https://www.businet.org.uk/spring-workshop-info

Businet Opening Brunch - Monday 11 May 26 11.30am - 12.30pm CET

From Ecodesign to cognitive sustainability- how to evoke resilient learning behaviour in students

Speakers: Boris Ney – Windesheim UAS (Netherlands) and Tarun Anand -Universal AI University (India)

Who should attend: This session will be the opening session to the Businet Annual Spring Workshops and is designed to appeal to all Members of the network.

The speakers would like all attendees to complete a short survey before joining to inform their programme.  Survey Link will be circulated in the Newsletter and sent to all registrants for the session.

The session will introduce the topic and review the results of the survey.  Areas covered will include:

• Eco design and cognitive sustainability
• Small Language Models vs Large Language Models
• The ChatGPT from India
• Neuroadaptation and technology use
• Resilience

There will be an open session for discussion and Q & A following the presentation.

The programme equips students with entrepreneurial skills through interactive workshops, personalized mentorship, and international collaborative projects — fostering innovation, creativity, and sustainable development in line with the EU Green Deal.

Digital competence is enhanced through online learning modules. Inclusivity is a core value, actively targeting underrepresented groups to build a diverse and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Participants develop practical skills in strategic thinking, teamwork, digital literacy, and business planning through real-world challenges and pitch competitions.

Tuesday 19 May at 14.00 CET (Brussels)

Find out what Businet is. What it does, and its raison d’être.

Listen to members talking about the activities that they run for their students, together with other members.

How we can help you achieve your International objectives.

The opportunities offered to staff and students of your institution.

Ask your questions and share your thoughts.