Our Regional Impact

Since 2005, students participating in the program have worked with over 600 different companies in around Pécs: The number of companies assisted each year has increased substantially from 5 in 2005 to over 100 in the present year.

From the start in 2005 to today, students have provided over 54,000 hours of advice and entrepreneurial spirit to local companies: This equates to over 200 hours of intensive assistance to each company engaged in the program, and the total number of hours provided by students has been increasing rapidly.

The type of operational assistance include: providing assistance in developing marketing and sales plans, go-to-market strategies, financial feasibility plans, commercialization plans, providing operational advice, export opportunities validation and start-up feasibility analyses.

The program created awareness and increased collaborative ways of thinking among entrepreneurs in the region: This program has increased entrepreneurial confidence in the area which has changed the mindset towards business development and laid the foundation to provide the infrastructure to begin recording the progress it has made within this region.

Over the next 3 to 5 years outcomes will be tracked: Through product launches, company revenues, financing obtained, jobs received, and partnerships established the program will develop a formal set of impact standards to assist in recording their success. As a result of the changes made additional metrics showing the positive impact on the region will be measured through Business Evaluation Surveys to be completed by all businesses during the program and tracking their future growth for several years.

Endorsements

“The program that is being created in Pécs, by The Simonyi Center and Ohio University, could be a national model for education and economic development throughout Hungary.”
- April H. Foley, previous U.S. Ambassador to Hungary