Institutionalizing entrepreneurship education in CDIO-based project courses: evidence from a fifteen-year longitudinal case

Abstract

Abstract

Purpose This study examines how entrepreneurship education can be sustainably integrated into engineering programmes by analysing a fifteen-year case of a mandatory entrepreneurship component embedded in CDIO-based project courses at a Swedish university. It addresses the challenge that many entrepreneurship initiatives in engineering remain elective or poorly connected to technical studies. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative single case research design is used, combined with reflexive autoethnography. The analysis is triangulated with student evaluations, project materials, and programme documents from 2009 to 2025, covering more than three thousand students. The study traces the evolution of the component from early planning templates to a concise idea instrument focusing on need, user value, assumptions, uncertainties and short-term direction. Findings The study identifies several conditions that supported long-term institutionalisation: compulsory embedding at programme level, stable learning aims combined with flexible delivery, inquiry-based facilitation, and alignment with the rhythms and demands of CDIO project work. The entrepreneurship component became a consistent part of project practice without competing with technical learning. Research limitations/implications A key limitation is that the study focuses on a single programme, which may limit generalisability to other contexts or disciplines. Findings reflect specific project-based ecologies and repeated exposure, and outcomes could differ in less structured environments. Nevertheless, the case has clear implications: entrepreneurship education can be designed as a durable, integrated programme rather than isolated interventions. Recurrent exposure and alignment with project sequences support competence development, shared professional understanding, and programme coherence. This suggests that embedding entrepreneurship as durable practices across courses, rather than relying on individual modules, is critical for lasting educational impact. Practical implications For teachers, entrepreneurship is most effectively sustained when integrated into compulsory project courses where authentic uncertainty is central and structured planning supports continuity across academic cycles. Short early-stage idea assignments focusing on users, needs, value, and assumptions can be applied across diverse projects, enabling scale without losing relevance. Assessment should emphasise clarity of reasoning and reflective justification. Facilitation works best when it is question-driven, encourages comparison of alternatives, highlights uncertainty, and maintains student ownership. Framing entrepreneurship as early idea reasoning strengthens legitimacy, creates a shared vocabulary, and can be reinforced through visible progression, scheduled interactions, and curated exemplars. Social implications Embedding entrepreneurship education across project-based engineering programmes has broader societal implications. Through supporting competence in recognising opportunities, evaluating alternatives, and making decisions under uncertainty, students are better prepared to contribute to innovation, value creation, and organisational renewal in diverse sectors. Recurrent exposure and shared reasoning practices cultivate professional identity and collaboration skills, supporting workforce readiness for complex, uncertain environments. Framing entrepreneurship as widely applicable reasoning, not just start-up creation, equips graduates to address societal challenges, create sustainable solutions, and participate effectively in both established organisations and emerging ventures. Originality/value The paper contributes by explaining how entrepreneurial learning can be institutionalised within project intensive engineering curricula through sustained alignment between pedagogical practices and organisational arrangements. It reframes entrepreneurship as judgement under uncertainty rather than venture preparation and shows how this orientation can be meaningfully embedded and maintained at scale within CDIO based project environments. The process observed in this case may inform other programmes seeking durable integration, while remaining sensitive to local pedagogical and organisational conditions.