E-STAR Accreditation rewards Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for their commitment to using the Entrepreneurial mindset as the catalyst for achieving higher quality in 4 Accreditation Standards:

Student education and career planning,

Transfer of knowledge to business,

Academic innovation and development, and

Regional impact (economic, social & cultural).

1 Increased recognition for use of the entrepreneurial mindset 

There is a real need to grow the level of recognition, at an international level, for HEIs that are using the entrepreneurial mindset to create value for their stakeholders.

E-STAR accreditation embraces the rich diversity of HEIs across the world, acknowledging and respecting their distinctive locations, missions, stakeholders, cultures, resources and national regulatory systems.

The Accreditation Standards have been designed to be relevant to all academic disciplines (including the humanities, art and cultural studies, scientific disciplines and the social sciences) and to recognise their distinct approaches to entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity.

Each of the 4 Accreditation Standards has 3 detailed Evaluation Criteria, making 12 in total. The criteriaarticulate realistic expectations for the integration of the entrepreneurial mindset into core HE activities and do not attempt to describe an idealised HEI.

The E-STAR awarding body is the Entrepreneurial Mindset Network, a community of practice with members in 105 countries.

3 A focus on creating added value for stakeholders

E-STAR Accreditation requires an HEI to meet 4 Accreditation Standards that evaluate the quality of the information it provides to stakeholders.

In order to prepare a submission for accreditation, an HEI will need to self-assess itself against the E-STAR Accreditation Standards. This analysis will no doubt lead the HEI to identify improvements that it will need to implement in preparation for accreditation.

Therefore, the preparatory phase of the accreditation process is not a bureaucratic exercise but a process that can create value for a diverse range of stakeholders.

E-STAR accreditation is an opportunity for an HEI to ensure that it is presenting its academic offer, services and achievements in the best possible light. Improving the quality of this information will strengthen connections with stakeholders and support the delivery of key administrative processes e.g. marketing, student recruitment, quality assurance, governance and human resource management.

E-STAR accreditation meets a real need for greater recognition of HEIs around the world who use the entrepreneurial mindset to create value for their stakeholders, including students, business and society.

E-STAR takes an entrepreneurial approach to the process of accreditation, and, therefore, is able to reduce bureaucracy, provide better value for money, reduce the time from application to award and maintain high standards.

It provides an opportunity to celebrate and promote entrepreneurial achievements in Higher Education and is a robust platform for continuous improvement.

2 An entrepreneurial approach to the process of accreditation

Firstly, the 4 Accreditation Standards have been designed to focus on the needs of stakeholders. This requires HEIs to review and enhance their provision of key information to stakeholders and in turn enables HEIs to strengthen their connections to prospective students, local businessand society.

Secondly, by recognising the autonomy of HEIs within their regulatory environments, there is no need to evaluate every organisational function or to request information that is confidential or commercially sensitive. This enables an accreditation which has a strict and distinctive focus on the entrepreneurial mindset.

Thirdly, a decision has been taken to undertake the review of an HEI, against the 4 Accreditation Standards, by only using evidence that is in the public domain and, therefore, is readily available to stakeholders. This removes the need for an HEI to produce a self-assessment report and allows the review to be conducted online without a visit. These factors combine to reduce costs, shorten timescales and to increase the transparency of the accreditation process and its outcomes.

Finally, the E-STAR process has been informed by consideration of the key elements of recognised accreditation codes of practice.

4 Stimulation of continuous improvement through Peer Review

A team of HE experts, undertakes a Peer Review of the information provided on the HEI’s website against the 4 Accreditation Standards. The Peer Reviewers will judge if the information is a) easy and quick to locate b) detailed and informative and c) tailored to the needs of the stakeholder.

As the 4 Accreditation Standards are evaluated against information in the public domain, the possibility of subjective judgements by the Peer Reviewers is reduced, and the HEI can more easily verify the outcomes of the accreditation.

The Peer Reviewers submit their draft evaluations and recommendations to the Director of the Entrepreneurial Mindset who validates the information and checks to ensure that there has been due process.

The Peer Review process is designed to offer an HEI an endorsement of good practice and access to recommendations from HE experts about steps towards continuous improvement. The final outcome is the ability to showcase the achievements of the HEI on the international stage.

Student education and career planning

Peer reviewers will examine the HEI’s website and identify examples of page(s) on the website which would enable a potential student to find answers to the following questions:

S1 What are my options for gaining a qualification which has a focus on creativity, innovation or entrepreneurship?

S2 What are the opportunities for me to take an active role in extra-curricula activities that support my creativity, innovation or entrepreneurship?

S3 How will you help me to manage my career options including preparation for employment or entrepreneurship?

Academic innovation and development

Peer reviewers will examine the HEI’s website and identify examples of page(s) on the website which would enable an employee at the HEI to find answers to following questions:

A1 What is my organisation’s strategic commitment to innovation in Higher Education?

A2 How is responsibility for innovation represented within the governance and leadership structures of my organisation?

A3 How does my organisation support equality and diversity?

Transfer of knowledge to business

Peer reviewers will examine the HEI’s website and identify examples of page(s) on the website which would enable a person who aspires to start or grow a business to find answers to the following questions:

T1 What training and resources do you offer that would help me to start a new business or enterprise?

T2 What training and resources do you offer that would help me to improve my existing company or organisation?

T3 How can your research (activities, people and resources) help me or my organisation or my sector/industry?

Regional impact (economic, social and cultural)

Peer reviewers will examine the HEI’s website and identify examples of page(s) on the website which would enable alumni and members of the public to find answers to following questions:

R1 How do you support me as a member of the alumni?

R2 How can I find out about on-campus activities or online events that are open to me as a member of the general public?

R3 How are staff and students engaged in the local community in ways that generate benefits for citizens?