Starting in Vienna, continued in Graz in 2022, and this year in Linz, the tradition of the ECN Conference continues. The goal of this annual meeting is to provide around 29 university partners from across Austria with the opportunity for personal exchange. These institutions are connected by a common vision: to promote entrepreneurial thinking and action at their respective universities and beyond.

To immerse ourselves directly in Linz's startup spirit, the first day of the conference was held at the Linzer Tabakfabrik. Nowadays, more than 1,800 creative professionals, startups, and players in the startup ecosystem work on the former factory grounds, covering approximately 40,000 square meters. After the initial welcome and engaging discussions, a guided tour of the Tabakfabrik began, offering insights into the history of this protected heritage building. The rest of the afternoon featured inspiring contributions from speakers representing organizations that make up the startup landscape of Upper Austria, including our host this year, FH-Prof. Gerold Weisz (Head of the Startup Center, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria), and Elisabeth Ulbrich, MA, MSc (Head of Operation LIT Open Innovation Center (OIC), Johannes Kepler University Linz). At this point, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Grand Garage, Factory 300, Startrampe, Tech Harbor, University of Arts Linz, Innovation Hub Linz, WKOÖ, Tech2b, Startups Upper Austria, and the two startups Teamecho and Vereinsplaner. Participants were able to conclude the evening of the first conference day at the annual Pitch Clash of Startrampe, Sparkasse OÖ.

Day 2 of the conference was dedicated to spin-offs, entrepreneurship education, and student engagement. Here, the network had the opportunity to get to know the co-host, LIT Open Innovation Center at Johannes Kepler University Linz, as they provided the space for the remaining part of the conference. Together with Elisabeth Ulbrich, MA, MSc (Head of Operation, LIT OIC), Vice-Rector for Innovation and Researchers Dipl.-Ing. Christopher Lindinger welcomed the network on behalf of Johannes Kepler University Linz. Dr. Rudolf Dömötör (Director ECN) and Monique Schlömmer, MSc (Program Director ECN), rounded off the opening.

Throughout the day, parallel sessions were devoted to the topics of spin-offs and entrepreneurship education. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Berger (Institute Head for Entrepreneurship, Johannes Kepler University Linz) spoke about the importance of resource allocation, diversity, and measuring the indirect effects of actions in entrepreneurial ecosystems in the context of entrepreneurship education. In the following workshop setting, participants brainstormed in small groups on topics such as 'Entrepreneurship Education as an event,' 'Entrepreneurship Education in the lecture theatre,' 'Entrepreneurship Education in research & practice,' and 'Measuring the alternative outcomes of Entrepreneurship Education.' Werner Wutscher and Elisabeth Gumpenberger (New Venture Scouting) as well

as Sonja Polan (aws) addressed the topic of spin-offs and their need for guidelines. Efforts have been ongoing for some time to create guidelines for universities to support them in the spin-off process and its supervision. The session served as a 'Sounding Board' to incorporate as many relevant issues as possible into the development of the spin-off guideline.

In addition to facilitating exchange among network participants, the ECN Conference also provides a platform for international best practices. In the context of entrepreneurship education and student engagement, this year's guest was Professor of Practice, Dr. Markus Wartiovaara (Director of Hanken Business Lab, Hanken University Finland). Specifically for the 3rd ECN Conference, Markus presented under the title 'Student Engagement for Entrepreneurial Awareness' how Hanken Business Lab promotes entrepreneurship among students and which measures can be transferred to Austrian universities.

In conclusion, Dr. Rudolf Dömötor (Director ECN) called for joint reflection and brainstorming for the ECN's work in the coming year. The stated goal: We have many ideas, and we are ready to take action!

In this spirit, we would like to thank this year's hosts, participants, and speakers! We are already looking forward to the 4th ECN Conference and would also like to express our gratitude to the upcoming hosts at the University of Innsbruck!