EDHEC launches a European observatory of start-up responsibility in Europe

This article was first published on the edhec.edu website - 14/02/2025 

In January 2025 EDHEC Business School created a European observatory of start-up responsibility in Europe, in collaboration with ESMT Berlin and Politecnico di Milano, as part of the Innova Europe coalition. The project’s first initiative is the launch of a responsible entrepreneurship survey. 

Creation of a European observatory of start-up responsibility

The creation of this European observatory extends EDHEC’s existing initiatives in the area of responsible entrepreneurship, such as the publications of the “Start-ups and Responsible Entrepreneurship” white paper by EDHEC Entrepreneurs and Station F in 2022, and the “Guide to Responsibility within Start-ups” in 2023. Another key component of this approach is the Responsible Entrepreneurship by Design (RED) methodology, developed by EDHEC’s Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship (CRE). Drawing on 10 years of experience accumulated within EDHEC Entrepreneurs’ incubators, this method offers a start-up template that places overall performance issues at the heart of business models.

The European observatory will be tasked with disseminating and promoting its work on a European scale, particularly the RED method, as well as the School’s expertise concerning the responsibility of start-ups. Its objective is to foster a transformation of entrepreneurial practices, notably by providing a snapshot of practices in Europe and publishing an annual report on the subject.

The project is fully aligned with EDHEC’s Generation 2050 strategic plan, which aims to promote the creation of net positive companies, i.e. companies that generate more positive societal and environmental impacts than negative ones. 

Responsible entrepreneurship survey

To define the contours of a European approach to responsibility in start-ups, EDHEC is setting up a survey of responsible entrepreneurial practices. The tool will provide a precise vision of the progress made by entrepreneurs in the area of responsibility and of the challenges to be overcome. To identify and analyse these practices and needs, EDHEC will use a questionnaire devised by EDHEC Entrepreneurs and destined for founders of European start-ups (over five years of existence, all sectors combined). The questionnaire will be distributed by EDHEC and its partners, and the results will be revealed in 2025, during the final of the third edition of the Innova Europe responsible entrepreneurship competition. 

To take part in the survey