University Startup Index 2025 (Redstone)

Summary

• The study evaluates 905 higher education institutions across 35 European countries with a combined annual budget of nearly €250 billion creating over 14.000 startups annually.p.5
• Startup creation efficiency varies substantially across institutions with similar resources, ranging from 1 to 80 startups per €100 million budget.p.5
• Business schools achieve the highest startup output at an average of 24.7 startups per €100 million budget, compared to 1.0 for research institutes.p.17
• Regionally, the United Kingdom leads in efficiency with 9,2 startups per €100 million budget, ahead of the EU/EEA at 8,2 and Switzerland at 6,3.p.34
• Operating all 905 institutions at benchmark efficiency could generate 327K+ additional startups and 13,1 million additional jobs over the next 10 years.p.5
• The 10-year potential value creation includes €5,5 trillion in additional GDP, €880 bilion in tax revenue, and €7 trillion in equity value.p.5
• Currently, 71 universities (approximately 8% of the sample) have formally integrated entrepreneurship as a third core pillar alongside teaching and research.p.52

Key insights

1. Startup generation efficiency varies from 1 to 80 startups per €100 million in budget across European academic institutions.p.5
2. Business schools produce 24.7 startups per €100 million budget while research institutes produce only 1.0 startup per €100 million.p.17
3. United Kingdom universities produce 9,2 startups per €100 million budget, outperforming the EU/EEA average of 8,2 and Switzerland at 6,3.p.34
4. Among countries with more than 20 universities, France exhibits the highest efficiency at 16.2 startups per €100 million budget, while Italy is the lowest at 3.8.p.38
5. Fifteen European research institutes consume 11% of the total budget but account for only 1% of total startups analyzed.p.32
6. Germany holds the largest absolute 10-year untapped potential among European nations, representing over €1.5 trillion in additional equity value.p.50