Bart Derre

My career is a testament to lifelong learning. I started in 1994 as a nurse in the emergency department, where I combined demanding frontline healthcare work with completing a university degree. Once I graduated, I made the transition into management and in 1998 became quality manager of a hospital, gaining first-hand experience in leading change in complex and highly regulated environments.

Since 2000, I have combined my academic career in higher education with independent consultancy under the name DERCON. What began as a focus on quality improvement soon expanded into a broader mission: supporting companies and managers in building entrepreneurial behavior, leadership, and organizational cultures. For more than 12 years now, this has been the heart of my work—helping organizations and their people navigate complexity with resilience and creativity.

Today, I am the director of the HOGENT Center for Entrepreneurship and a professor of entrepreneurial learning at the VUB, holding a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology. My journey from frontline healthcare professional to manager, consultant, and professor embodies the entrepreneurial mindset I advocate: continuously developing new skills, adapting to change, and translating knowledge into meaningful impact.

My approach brings together academic rigor and hands-on experience. I draw on insights from design science research and evidence-based management, while working closely with leaders and teams in their real-world contexts. This enables me to translate theory into practice and create tangible value.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with leading companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Atlas Copco, and Plukon Food Group, among many others. These collaborations have strengthened my conviction that entrepreneurial leadership is not just a management trend, but a critical capability for sustainable success.

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I graduated in 1998 from Ghent University with a Master’s degree in Medical-Social Sciences. My master's thesis studied the evolution of early-stage pressure ulcers in intensive care settings. As part of this research, I developed a globally innovative method for the reliable and valid clinical detection of first-degree pressure ulcers. I returned to academic research in 2015 as an external PhD candidate at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Faculty of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, ITEM group. This led in 2023 to a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences. The title of my technological design dissertation is: “A Design for Effective Broad HEI Entrepreneurial Education.”

I currently serve as Director of HOGENT E-Lab, the Centre for Entrepreneurship at HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts, where I lead a team of 14 colleagues and report directly to the CEO and the Board. In this role, I am responsible for co-designing and implementing both the institution-wide entrepreneurial education (EE) strategy and the transition toward an Entrepreneurial University. I actively contribute to the development of regional and international entrepreneurial ecosystems. Regionally, I’m a board member of  three inter-university initiatives: the Gentrepreneur network in Ghent (with Ghent University and Artevelde University of Applied Sciences), Broeikas in Aalst (with Odisee University of Applied Sciences), and the Health Hub in Aalst (with Odisee, the City of Aalst, two hospitals, and BD). Internationally, I collaborate with EU and non-EU universities through various funded research projects. Additionally, I oversee the university’s broad entrepreneurial education programs—currently reaching approximately 400 students annually—as well as the entrepreneurship incubator, which supports around 150 student-entrepreneurs each year. Finally, I lead the E-Lab’s research activities focused on entrepreneurial education.

Since November 2024, I have been affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium), Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, as a visiting professor. I hold the Xerius-HOGENT Research Chair on Entrepreneurial Learning. Through this chair, we continue the research on entrepreneurial learning that we have conducted over the past five years within the Centre for Entrepreneurship. As part of the chair, I co-supervise a PhD student who has launched a design-based research project aimed at optimizing entrepreneurial learning among hybrid entrepreneurs.

I am also affiliated with Eindhoven University of Technology, specifically with Innovation Space, where I serve as external advisor to the scientific director, Prof. Dr. Isabelle Reymen.

The focus of my academic research is on entrepreneurial learning as a means to cultivate the entrepreneurial mindset as a dynamic capability for entrepreneurial behavior. At both the individual and organizational levels, entrepreneurial learning can be fostered through effective interventions, designed using a design science research methodology. By integrating insights from educational effectiveness research with design science, I aim to offer a holistic and innovative approach to entrepreneurial education at the individual level. An approach  that serves as a valuable resource for educators seeking to stimulate entrepreneurial learning and behavior in their students.

To advance my scientific agenda, we have expanded our research on entrepreneurial education within the Centre for Entrepreneurship. Currently, we are involved in an Erasmus+ and an EIT HEI research project, and over the past years, we have contributed to other Erasmus+ and EIT-funded initiatives (see below). In addition, we have established the Xerius-HOGENT Research Chair on Entrepreneurial Learning at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

In collaboration with and thanks to funding from Xerius, we have also spent the past three years developing and validating an instrument to measure the entrepreneurial mindset: the Ghent Entrepreneurial Mindset Scale.

I possess deep expertise in the fields of entrepreneurial learning and education, as well as in the methodological domain of design science research. The intersection of these two areas culminated in the recently published Springer book Empowering the Next Generation of Entrepreneurial Change Agents: A Design Science Approach to Transforming Entrepreneurial Education, which I had the pleasure of co-editing with Yvette Baggen. In the final chapter of this book, we—as editors and in collaboration with VLAIO, designed and presented a new artifact, the EntreDesign Canvas, developed through a process of bricolage in a real-life context. The EntreDesign Canvas was awarded Best PDW (Professional Development Workshop) at the 2025 3E Conference in Munich.

Five main publications and/or achievements

Derre, B., De Bruyckere, P., & Baggen, Y. (2025). Advancing the field of entrepreneurial education: Leveraging a design science approach for educating the change agents of the future. In B. Derre & Y. Baggen (Eds.), Empowering the next generation of entrepreneurial change agents: A design science approach to transforming entrepreneurial education (pp. 3–19). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82251-3_1

Derre, B., De Bruyckere, P., Keizer, J., & Weggeman, M. (2025). The Entrepreneurial Educational Method: a DSR artifact to support educators in designing entrepreneurial education. In B. Derre & Y. Baggen (Eds.), Empowering the next generation of entrepreneurial change agents: A design science approach to transforming entrepreneurial education (pp. 101–152). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82251-3_5

Baggen, Y., & Derre, B. (2025). Moving design science research and practice in entrepreneurial education forward. In B. Derre & Y. Baggen (Eds.), Empowering the next generation of entrepreneurial change agents: A design science approach to transforming entrepreneurial education (pp. 251–266). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82251-3_10

Derre, B., De Witte, N., De Bruyckere, P., Kiezer, J. & Weggeman, M. (2024). Empowering educators: Development and validation of the Ghent Entrepreneurial Mindset Scale for effective entrepreneurial education. Abstract from 3E Conference , Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Derre, B., Smets, K., Vandingenen, L., Weggeman, M. and Keizer, J. (2018). De Ondernemende Organisatie. Pelckmans Pro.

Other scientific output and impact

3-year project (2021-2023) commissioned by Xerius: development and validation of the Wondernemerscan.(https://www.xerius.be/nl-be/zelfstandig-worden/je-voorbereiding/wondernemerscan).

• Founding the "Spearhead incubator Healthcare" on city campus HOGENT Aalst (https://www.hln.be/aalst/hogent-bouwt-speerpunt-healthcare-op-stadscampus-aalst-zorgeconomie-is-motor-voor-de-regio~ac58818c/).

• Kick-off International digital health medtech Overnight Hackaton (https://www.hogent.be/nieuws-info/newsflash/nachtelijke-creativiteit-voor-de-zorgsector/) (March 30th 2022).

• Launching an incubator for students in the arts (https://www.hogent.be/nieuws-info/newsflash/focus-op-ondernemen-in-de-kunsten-en-gezondheidszorg/). (June 29th 2022).

• Commissioned by Xerius: Overnight hackaton "How can we support entrepreneurs to leverage the energy crisis to accelerate sustainable business? (https://www.hogent.be/nieuws-info/newsflash/nachtelijke-hackathon-energiecrisis-als-hefboom-voor-meer-duurzaam-ondernemen/) (February 16th 2023).

• In cooperation with Vlaio, TUe Innovation Space and Xerius, organizing an International Scientific Seminar: A design-science approach to effective entrepreneurial education. (June 2nd 2023).

List the representative and substantial fellowships, projects and any other kind of research grants you obtained within the five years preceding the submission date of this project application.

Full partner: Phase 1 and Phase 2 EIT’s HEI Initiative: U!Innovate to accelerate the European path to Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities (https://eit-hei.eu/projects/uinnovate/)

The future of European competitiveness requires higher education institutes (HEIs) to develop linkages with businesses and establish incentives for researchers to become entrepreneurs, as stated in the recent report by Mario Draghi. Moreover, growing challenges such as climate change are changing the world we live in. The vision of U!Innovate for 2030 is to boost European competitiveness in the domain of climate-neutral and smart cities through strengthening entrepreneurial and innovation competences at our HEIs to become true entrepreneurial universities. We envision that through participation in the HEI Initiative and implementation of our Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP) we will be recognized in 2030 for excellence in: 1) Educating, training and mentoring future entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs. Our goal is to propel European innovation forward by fostering the creation of new startups and transforming business models within established companies 2) Engaging and incentivizing staff and students to commercialize and upscale their innovative ideas into businesses, particularly those contributing to climate neutrality, circular economy and citizen engagement. 3) Supporting our partners from public sector and SMEs and to achieve the goals for climate-neutral and smart cities. We aim to create new synergies among the wide diversity of local ecosystems and geographical locations in our alliance through setting up a joint hybrid inter-regional incubator. (01/04/2025 - 01/04/2027).

 Full partner: Erasmus+ DEGREE project.

The DEGREE project aims to stimulate an entrepreneurial mindset and behaviour among HEI and VET students, and MSME owners and staff, especially in non-business fields. Developing this mindset and behaviour is key to effectively address global societal and environmental challenges. The project's main objectives are to support trainees from HEI, VET and SMEs in delivering effective Entrepreneurial Education (EE) to their learners which fosters their green, resilient, and digital skills. To achieve this, trainees participate in an innovative, data-driven, and activity-based professionalisation track around EE that follows a "design for entrepreneurial learning" approach. Instead of providing a one-size-fits-all EE course that promotes future-proof skills, trainees are equipped with the necessary design principles to develop their own EE courses, modules, workshops, or L&D programs, with input and support from a Community of Practice (CoP). (01/01/2025-31/12/2027).

Full partner: Phase 1 and Phase 2 EIT’s HEI Initiative: Circular Economy Innovative Initiative in Textiles for an Entrepreneurial Europe (CITE). (https://eit-hei.eu/projects/cite/)

CITE will create a new dynamic and agile ecosystem in, and between, select partners and higher education institutions to boost their innovation and entrepreneurship capacity. CITE will start by exploiting the existing structures, programmes and activities in place and implementing institutional change to bring an improved system into the game. In addition, CITE has chosen circular economy to be the initial topic of focus, as it is an overarching action plan across every single discipline which has regional and international cover (European Green Deal, Circular Regions, New European Bauhaus, etc.). (01/09/2022 - 30/06/2024).

Full partner : Erasmus+ KA2 project: Sustainable-driven Entrepreneurship.

The objective of this project was to establish and implement learning outcomes and objectives on entrepreneurship linked to sustainable entrepreneurship at EQF levels 4, 5 and 6. (01/09/2019 - 31/08/2022).

Key consultancy projects of the past 4 years:

• In company project: ‘Empowering front-line entrepreneurial leadership through L&D and behavioural interventions’. Client: Plukon Food Group.

• In company project: ‘Scaling Improving Compliance Behaviour through L&D’. Client: J&J (Janssen Belgium).

• In company project: ‘Improving Compliance behaviour through L&D and behavioural interventions’. Client: J&J (Janssen Belgium).

• In company project: ‘Stimulating Entrepreneurial Organizational Behaviour Team Engineering /DnA Phase 1: analysis and design.’ Client: Atlas Copco Airpower.

• In company project: ‘Workshop Training LoopMe BU3 ECCRT’. Client: European Centre for Clinical Research Training (ECCRT).

• In company lecture: ‘The Entrepreneurial Organization’. Client: Conduterra nv.

• In company lecture: ‘The Entrepreneurial Organization’. Client: Confederatie Bouw Provincie Antwerpen.

• In company project ‘ Design, implementation and follow-up of digi-coaching ‘effectuation' process’. Client: Xerius Contact vzw.

• In company lecture: ‘Stimulating entrepreneurial mindset and professionalism as leverage to quality of care and well-being’. Client: OLV Van Lourdes Ziekenhuis Waregem.

• In company lecture: ‘The Entrepreneurial Organization’. Client: Collectief Duchamp.

• In company project: ‘Training and coaching program 'entrepreneurial behavior' managers’. Client: Iyuno Belgium.

• In company project: ‘Strategy Implementation By Design’. Client: OLV Van Lourdes Ziekenhuis Waregem.

• In company project: ‘Designing the entrepreneurial organization'. Client: Orbit GT Belgium.

• In company lecture: ‘The Entrepreneurial Organization’. Client: VHR vzw.