Bioeconomy students’ motivation and objectives to engage in entrepreneurship education

The transformation to the bioeconomy requires entrepreneurs who can turn ideas and research into innovations. Entrepreneurship education plays a significant role in equipping higher education students with competencies that facilitate idea commercialisation and technology transfer. This study examines bioeconomy students’ motivation to enter extracurricular entrepreneurship education, goals they set for it, and the impact it has on their knowledge and skills. The qualitative and quantitative data was collected from students coming from seven European countries and attending a blended entrepreneurship course tailored for the needs of bioeconomy. The mixed method analyses revealed multifaceted set of motivations and objectives relating to sustainability, and hard and soft skills needed in entrepreneurship and work life. A comparison of pre- and post-tests showed a significant improvement in the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of the students. The results posit that it is important to consider the target group, so that generalised entrepreneurship education is not offered regardless of the study field. Universities and educators should be aware of specific motivations and objectives of the students interested in entrepreneurship education, so that they can develop the content and instructional design to better meet the needs of the target group in the form of embedded entrepreneurship education.