Purpose & Focus of the NCE

Purpose
The main purpose of NCE as one of the knowledge centres of Nyenrode is to build international visibility of the program on entrepreneurship and family business in research, teaching and service areas both in the academic and business world.

Focus
The long term research program on entrepreneurship and family business started in 1992. These efforts formed the basis for the start of the Nyenrode Centre for Entrepreneurship in 1996. Originally, the Centers’ aim was to enhance research in the area of entrepreneurship and family business. However, the Center has subsequently also moved towards activities in teaching and executive education as well.

Traditionally, the Nyenrode focus on entrepreneurship was implicit. However, the efforts of the Centre have resulted in an explicit role for entrepreneurship both in strategy, teaching and research programs. As a result, Nyenrode Entrepreneurship is currently ranked 2nd among European Business Schools in the Financial Times ranking (www.ft.com, 09/19/2007). The main focus of the NCE is based on its ten steps Model in Entrepreneurship (Entrepreneurial Cycle), which has the entrepreneur as its central focus point.