PEEP

Through our education initiatives, we have equipped young people with skills for the future and helped modernise teaching approaches. Notably, PEEP coordinated the YouthStart Entrepreneurial Challenges – the largest policy experimentation project in entrepreneurship education ever run in European schools. This multi-country programme introduced hands-on entrepreneurial learning in primary and secondary curricula and rigorously evaluated the results. As a result, over 16,000 students and 1,450 teachers in 250+ schools gained new skills and mindsets across Austria, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Slovenia. The evidence from YouthStart has informed national education policies and demonstrated that experiential entrepreneurship education boosts student creativity, initiative, and confidence. These students represent the next generation of innovators, now better prepared to succeed in a green and digital economy thanks to PEEP’s work. Teachers involved have also reported improved teaching strategies and more engaged classrooms as a direct impact of the programme.

PEEP’s projects have supported aspiring entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups to start and grow businesses. In the Entrepreneurship4All (E4All) programme, an innovative digital learning ecosystem, we are helping hundreds of new and existing entrepreneurs – including women, youth, and individuals from diverse backgrounds – develop essential business skills. By offering inclusive, learner-centred training on topics from financial resilience to sustainable innovation, Entrepreneurship4All is lowering barriers and expanding opportunities for all. In parallel, the Girls Go Circular initiative (where PEEP collaborated with EIT), contributes to closing the gender digital divide by empowering teenage girls with digital and entrepreneurial competences. This EU-funded programme aims to reach 250,000 schoolgirls aged 14–19 across Europe by 2027, teaching them digital skills and circular economy concepts via an online platform. Already, tens of thousands of girls have been engaged, gaining the skills to thrive in STEM fields and green industries, which multiplies our impact by promoting both gender equality and innovation. These efforts not only create new entrepreneurs but also foster a culture of inclusivity and sustainability in entrepreneurship.

Many of PEEP’s projects start as pilots or experiments but go on to influence larger reforms or continue in new contexts – a hallmark of our impact. Our evaluation findings and policy recommendations have informed national strategies and EU policy frameworks. For instance, results from YouthStart fed into the European Commission’s policy dialogue on entrepreneurship education, helping shape recommendations that entrepreneurial learning be integrated into all schools. PEEP’s expertise is also recognised at high levels: we have members on advisory boards (such as the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative, which seeks to train 1 million European tech talent) and we regularly contribute to international conferences and publications. By connecting grassroots experimentation with policy arenas, we ensure that the voices of participants and the evidence from the field translate into decisions made by leaders. Moreover, through initiatives like EntreComp Synergies (an EU project to unify Europe’s entrepreneurial learning community), PEEP has helped forge a sustainable network of organisations and practitioners committed to building entrepreneurship competences across sectors. This meta-impact – building networks and communities of practice – means that the knowledge we help generate is shared and multiplied beyond our own projects.

The impact of PEEP is also seen in the strengthened capacity of institutions and the knowledge legacy we leave. Over the years, we have trained hundreds of teachers, trainers, and organisational leaders who continue to apply PEEP’s methodologies. By embedding skills and tools (like new curricula, evaluation frameworks, or AI-based learning platforms) within partner organisations, we ensure that our impact endures. For example, under ProFishBlue, local Business Development Institutions in SADC gained new training curricula and digital tools (such as the HP LIFE e-learning platform) that they can keep using to support entrepreneurs. In Europe, schools that participated in our experiments often continue the programmes voluntarily because they saw the benefits – a strong indicator of sustainable impact. We also publish guides, reports, and academic papers that disseminate lessons learned. By investing in people and sharing knowledge, PEEP’s impact ripples outward – influencing not just direct beneficiaries, but also the many others who access our materials or learn from our partners.