SEED – Raising Awareness of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in a School Context

Lisbon City Council, within the scope of its attributions and competencies, such as social, educational and economic support, is dedicated to developing projects and promoting programs that foster literacy and empower citizens, with a focus on the area of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, promoted by the Municipal Directorate of Economy and Innovation (DMEI), through the Department of Employment Entrepreneurship and Companies (DEEE), where the SEED project stands out – Raising Awareness of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in a School Context.

The SEED project is a challenge that DMEI/DEEE proposed to students, teachers and players in Lisbon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the aim of promoting the development of entrepreneurial skills in the younger age groups (9th to 12th grade), creating opportunities for these students to learn to work in teams, stimulating their creativity and autonomy, valuing their skills and helping to turn their ideas into value for the community, thus promoting a link between school and the world of work, with a special focus on technological and creative areas.

The project is made up of six lines of action:

• facilitating the development of an entrepreneurship laboratory at the school;
• providing study visits to spaces in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and promoting entrepreneurship workshops;
• facilitating financial literacy sessions;
• supporting the development of a project created by students;
• promoting the discovery of skills and the choice of a career path;
• facilitating a training experience in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

These actions are multiplied in activities that are developed with the partners in schools or on the partner’s spaces: Casa do Impacto, FAB LAB|BIO LAB Lisboa, Future of Work, ISCTE-Business School, ISEG- Lisbon School of Economics & Management, LISPOLIS, TEC LABS-Centro de Inovação, StartUp Lisboa/Unicorn Factory and Ginásio do Empreendedor.

This project proved to be very innovative in planting the seed of entrepreneurship in students and the assessment made by all those involved – students, teachers and partners – was very positive, as was the impact of the pilot: 5 schools, 23 classes taking part, 31 activities carried out, 541 students, and a total number of 1158 students taking part in SEED activities.

The project team is already leveraging the necessary resources so that in the future SEED can be present in more schools and involve more students and more players from Lisbon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. We’re counting on you to inspire more young entrepreneurs! Watch the video.