Keywords: education, inclusivity, knowledge sharing

Main users: Students

A startup support plan for the foreign students who are studying in Nanjing, China, with free office space, free training courses and free business pipeline resources for their entrepreneurship. The foreign students are trained to make their business plan come true.

The purpose of our foreign student startup support plan is to support foreign students to start their own business in Nanjing China. Nanjing is one of the top three cities in China in terms of higher education, with 53 universities and colleges in the city. The education system in Nanjing attracted about 1000 foreign students from different countries to study here. However, the universities don't usually have entrepreneurship courses and incubators for the foreign students, some of whom found business opportunities and wanted to establish their companies in the city. Our plan was launched to solve the problems of foreign students’ entrepreneur dream in Nanjing. Our park provides a 600 M2 co-working space to the foreign students as their business incubator, as well as providing them with regular business training courses and local business networking resources. Six foreign students' companies are successfully established and running well in our park.

Our foreign student startup support plan is a completely new initiative to help foreign students learn business knowledge and to realize their dream of entrepreneurship. The foreign students not only obtained academic knowledge from their universities, but also obtained business knowledge and practices in our incubator. Our plan opened their eyes to the local business world and help them to meet many business partners in China. Learning by doing, they can quickly get into local business and connect it with their own country. In addition, their success will create job opportunities for other foreign students and local people. Our initiative set a good example to connect foreign students' education to real business.

Six foreign students from Germany, Pakistan, Ghana, Uzbekistan, India and Uganda have established their companies in our incubator. Their companies have attracted 20 foreign students working part time here. Five foreign students have obtained foreign startup visa from the city government and decided to continue their business after their graduation. Three companies have generated income in 2021. Three foreign students won the foreign students startup competition in 2021 and received 10,000~50,000RMB cash bonus. Ten startup training courses, four roadshow and forum events were held in 2021. Moreover these foreign students' companies are partnering with the companies in our park to explore business opportunities in their home country.

The main users and beneficiaries are foreign students who are thinking of starting their business. Universities and colleges are also pleased to see that we are supporting their student's entrepreneurship education and social practices. Our resident companies are also beneficial to get know to the countries of foreign students.

Tuspark Jiangsu Innovation Research Institute is responsible for the development and management of the plan.