On 27 November 2025, the EU–China Higher Education Research Center (ECHE) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel hosted a guest lecture by Prof. Xu Xiaozhou, UNESCO Chairholder in Entrepreneurship Education and Distinguished Yangtze River Scholar Professor of Zhejiang University. His presentation, titled “Towards Global Entrepreneurship Education: Experience and Perspectives from China,” offered an in-depth overview of major theoretical and practical developments in the field.
Drawing on insights from his major publications and long-term comparative research, Prof. Xu introduced five core domains of entrepreneurship education research: theoretical foundations, evolutionary models, institutional mechanisms, policy benchmarking, and cross-national comparative studies. He highlighted several internationally published monographs that establish a conceptual and methodological foundation for entrepreneurship education worldwide.
Prof. Xu further examined China’s trajectory from large-scale expansion to quality-oriented development in entrepreneurship education. He emphasized the key role of national policy, the emergence of practical models across higher education institutions, and current challenges such as capacity-building gaps, imbalanced resource distribution, and sustainability concerns. To address these issues, he introduced an integrated EVPE model to support modernization and high-quality development in entrepreneurship education.
The lecture also showcased China’s efforts in building a global entrepreneurship education ecosystem, including the work of the UNESCO Chair and the UNESCO Entrepreneurship Education Network National Chapter in China. These initiatives contribute to global collaboration by establishing international platforms, knowledge banks, capacity-building programs, and multi-actor engagement frameworks involving universities, enterprises, governments, and international organizations.
The event facilitated meaningful academic exchange and strengthened dialogue on entrepreneurship education and international cooperation between Europe and China.
As part of ECHE’s mission, the Center will continue fostering evidence-informed collaboration in higher education governance and innovation.
