Skip to main content

DkIT Professor Wins European Entrepreneurship Education Award

26 January 2017

Professor Colette Henry of DkIT is the first Irish recipient of the honour, selected for her contribution to entrepreneurship education both within and outside academia.

Professor Colette Henry, Head of School of Business at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has been announced as the 2017 recipient of the European Entrepreneurship Education Award. The prestigious award is presented annually by the Sten K. Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Lund University, Sweden and it recognises an individual or organisation that has contributed to the improvement of entrepreneurship education in academia in Europe.

Professor Henry has been an active international scholar of entrepreneurship for more than 25 years. In her teaching and research, she has demonstrated a particular interest in gender issues and been a pioneer in her work as editor of the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship. Professor Henry has published widely on topics relating to women's entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education & training, the creative industries, social enterprise and veterinary business.

Since joining the School of Business & Humanities in 1998, Colette has been instrumental in the development of a strong culture of enterprise and innovation among students and staff at the Institute. In 2016, DkIT was endorsed as a leading exemplar for embedding entrepreneurship in higher education by global economic advisory forum, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).Professor Henry has also been involved in policy development in Ireland, as well as for the EU Commission to facilitate the dissemination of good practice in entrepreneurship education to different countries around Europe.

 



Speaking today, Professor Henry said: 

“I am thrilled and honoured to receive this award. In DkIT, and in particular the School of Business and Humanities, developing an entrepreneurial mind-set in our students is a strategic priority for us. We do this by adopting  an embedded approach to entrepreneurship education,  encouraging all our students, regardless of background or discipline, to develop in a safe and supported environment the enterprising attributes of  problem-solving, effective communication, teamwork, networking and risk-taking. This is central to our commitment to ensuring that our graduates are flexible and adaptable  throughout their careers, enhancing their personal employability and, in doing so, supporting the economic advancement of the North East and beyond.”

Also speaking today President of DkIT, Ann Campbell commented: 

“I am delighted that Professor Henry has been selected as the first Irish recipient of the European Entrepreneurship Education Award. Professor Henry’s extensive knowledge in this area from an academic and policy perspective, coupled with her unrivalled commitment to driving the programme of entrepreneurship education at DkIT and the North East, make her an extremely worth recipient.”

Professor Henry will travel to Sweden, in April to receive her award, which comprises the honour, a diploma and a sum of 100,000 SEK.