Project
Project History
2003
In 2003, the project was initiated by the Swiss Research Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of St.Gallen (KMU-HSG), who undertook a project in coordination with a student initiative called ‘START’. The goal of this study was to get a clear picture of students' career aspirations and future goals and plans. The focus was on the intention of the students to found a business as well as their related activities. At the same time, a project with similar goals was conducted in Germany by the Chair for Entrepreneurship at the European Business School (EBS).
2004
In 2004, the KMU-HSG worked together with the Chair for Entrepreneurship at the European Business School (EBS) to revise and re-launch another survey. A sample size of 5,059 students was generated from a variety of universities and universities of applied sciences in Germany (n=1738) and Switzerland (n=3323). Since the same questions, scales, methods, and constructs were used across different countries and universities, a tangible comparison of tendencies and trends was made. At this time, the project was led under the name »International Survey on Collegiate Entrepreneurship (ISCE)«.
2006
In 2006, the third round took place. More than 37,000 students took part in the survey conducted in 14 different countries. The participating countries were Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Hungary, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and Australia. In addition to general questions, the focus of the 2006 survey was on personality-oriented characteristics. The project continued to be led under the name »International Survey on Collegiate Entrepreneurship (ISCE)«.
2008
In 2008, the fourth round of data collection took place. The project has then been labeled GUESSS (»Global Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey«) for the first time. This name better reflects the projects main theme and its internationality.
2011
Next year the fifth wave of data collection will take place. Philipp Sieger is the project manager for the first time after having taken over responsibilities from Frank Halter in January 2010. With a significantly advanced questionnaire, both the practical and scientific impact of GUESSS will be strengthened.
