Abstract:

Universities have always been crucial for the creation and dispersion of knowledge, yet in order for them to become powerful drivers of innovation and economic development, they needed to switch from being merely knowledge providers and accumulators to knowledge hubs by creating links and providing the medium for interaction between different stakeholders (Morazau et al, 2016; Youtie and Shapira 2008). This is the reason why universities are trying to integrate entrepreneurial education as part of their curricular and extracurricular activities. More so, it has been discovered that entrepreneurial education is influencing students in a positive way, with regard to their skills, competencies, and their overall attitude (Barba-Sánchez & Atienza-Sahuquillo, 2018; Mueller, 2011; Barringer et. al, 2005). All the efforts made in this regard were hardened by the COVID19 pandemic as all universities had to rapidly switch from face-to-face to online teaching using different solutions and virtual platforms.

The main goal of the research is to explore how engineering students are perceiving entrepreneurial education and is guided by the following research questions:
i) What entrepreneurial opportunities do engineering students have?
ii) Which of the programs offered, has a better impact on the development of the students?
iii) How did the COVID19 pandemic influence entrepreneurial education in a technical university?

The research is based on a case study at one of the biggest Universities in Romania and points out that universities overcame their classic role, by providing and instilling in their students not only knowledge but also leadership skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurial education, COVID19 pandemic, engineering education, technical university.