EDHE Award 2025

Entrepreneurship for sustainability

#EntrepreneurshipIntervarsity2025 #EDHEAbsaInnovationChallenge2025 #EDHEAwards2025

  • Theme for EDHE 2025: Entrepreneurship for sustainability

  • Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2025

  • Time: 14:00 for 15:00 – 20:30

  • Dress code: Business formal & traditional attire.

  • Audience: 350 in-person guests (by invitation only)

  • Format: In-person and live streamed via the EDHE YouTube channel.

  • Venue: O.R Tambo Conference Centre
    Holding Room: Prague Conference Room
    Media & Interview Room: Wonderboom Conference Room
    Address: Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg, Gauteng
    Map: View map here >

  • Audience Composition: Stakeholders in the higher education and entrepreneurship development space, executives and other leaders at South African universities, The Department of Higher Education and Training, Absa Group, EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finalists and previous winners, EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge finalists, private sector stakeholders including the EDHE partners and funders, and media representatives.

The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme of Universities South Africa (USAf), supported by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) through the University Capacity Building Programme (UCDP), is hosting the national EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity finals on Monday the 24th of November, the EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge 2025 on Tuesday the 25th of November, followed by the EDHE Awards 2025 on Wednesday the 26th of November 2025. The event will be hosted at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg, Gauteng.

The three strategic pillars of the EDHE programme, aligned with the UCDP, are to support:

  1. The development of student entrepreneurship;
  2. The development of entrepreneurship through teaching, learning and research; and
  3. The development of entrepreneurial universities.

The annual EDHE Awards event is aimed at announcing and celebrating the national finalists in the 7th annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity and recognising the remarkable contributions of other key contributors to entrepreneurship development in higher education. For the first time this year, we are also celebrating the national finalists of the 1st EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge. These include the new EDHE Champion Awards – recognising team(s) with exceptional commitment to entrepreneurship development in higher education within a specific university. This award recognises team(s), not just individual leaders, that have significantly contributed to the institutionalisation of entrepreneurship within their higher education institution. The awards celebrate institutions, leaders, and teams that significantly foster innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. Lastly, the 4th Entrepreneurship Learning & Teaching Excellence Award.

The national EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Finals will be held on Monday the 24th of November from 8:50 – 17:30 with 24 finalists from 4 categories, the EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge 2025 on Tuesday the 25th of November from 8:50 – 17:15 with 20 finalists, followed by the EDHE Awards 2025 on Wednesday the 26th of November 2025 where the category – and overall winners will be announced.

The purpose of this competition is to identify the top student entrepreneurs at each university, showcase their businesses and invite investment into this cohort of start-ups. In the process, universities have the opportunity to demonstrate their entrepreneurship talent and the ways in which they support and grow the next generation of business leaders. Essentially, we aim to create a diverse cohort of studentpreneur role models from across the country.

Students from all 26 public universities participated in the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2024. The number of successful submissions in the competition has grown consistently over the years, from 1155 in 2019 to 1545 in 2020, 1468 in 2021, 1682 in 2022, 1,266 in 2023, and 1667 in 2024.

This year, the competition received 1554 registrations, and 750 of those were successful entries from student entrepreneurs across the 26 public universities, excluding the Business Ideas Category since 2024. The Student Entrepreneurship Coordinators accepted a portion of the successful entries to participate in the internal rounds within their universities through an online evaluation process. Contestants advanced to represent each of the 25 universities that participated at the regional rounds where 24 finalists from the 6 regions will compete to walk away with prize money to the value of R120 000.00 and the coveted title of national Studentpreneur of the Year 2025.

  • Overall Prize money: R270 000.00
  • Category 1: Existing Business – Tech – R25 000.00
  • Category 1: Existing Business – Tech Runner Up – R10 000.00
  • Category 2: Existing Business – Social Impact – R25 000.00
  • Category 2: Existing Business – Social Impact 1st Runner Up – R10 000.00
  • Category 2: Existing Business – Social Impact 2nd Runner Up – R10 000.00
  • Category 3: Existing Business – General – R25 000.00
  • Category 3: Existing Business – General Runner Up – R10 000.00
  • Category 4: Academic Research Commercialisation – R25 000.00
  • Category 4: Academic Research Commercialisation Runner Up – R10 000.00
  • Studentpreneur of The Year 2025 – R120 000.00

The EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge stands apart from the Entrepreneurship Intervarsity in both scope and ambition, offering a bold and inclusive platform for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across South Africa’s 26 public universities. Unlike the Intervarsity, which is exclusively open to currently enrolled university students and focuses on showcasing operational, revenue-generating businesses across categories such as tech, social impact, and commercialised academic research, the Innovation Challenge is exclusive for South African citizens, contestants are permitted to submit more than one entry in the competition and the challenge broadens its reach to include alumni who graduated between (2022 to 2025). It introduces a transformative journey, from a national call for innovative solutions in key sectors like healthtech, greentech, fintech, and bluetech, structured bootcamps, expert mentorship, and pitch refinement.

  • Total Prize Money: R1 050 000.00
  • 1st Prize: R500 000.00
  • 2nd Prize: R250 000.00
  • 3rd Prize: R150 000.00
  • 4th Prize: R100 000.00
  • 5th Prize: R50 000.00

Noteworthy contributions of key staff members to entrepreneurship development in higher education is recognised through a number of awards, i.e.:

  • Recognition of the contributions by the Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons of the EDHE National Communities of Practice

 

  • EDHE Community of Practice for Student Entrepreneurship Coordinator
  • EDHE Community of Practice for Entrepreneurship Learning & Teaching
  • EDHE Community of Practice for Entrepreneurial Universities
  • EDHE Community of Practice for Entrepreneurship Research
  • EDHE Studentpreneurs Community of Practice
  • EDHE Community of Practice for Economic Activation Offices
  • Certificates of Recognition – institutional Student Entrepreneurship and SWEEP Coordinators of 2025
  • Certificate of Recognition – Institutional EDHE Economic Activation Offices (EAOs) of 2025
  • Announcement of the winner for the EDHE Entrepreneurship Learning and Teaching Excellence Award 2025
  • EDHE Champion Award
  • Announcement of the winners of the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2024
  • Category 1: Existing Business – Tech
  • Category 2: Existing Business – Social Impact
  • Category 3: Existing Business – General
  • Category 4: Research-Based Businesses
  • Announcement of the overall winner of the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity: The EDHE Studentpreneur of the year 2025
  • Announcement of the winners of the EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge 2025

  • Equip students for economic participation, with an emphasis on student women.
  • Equip academic staff across disciplines to awaken and nurture the entrepreneurial mindset and skillset of students.
  • Develop entrepreneurial universities as innovative ecosystems within which entrepreneurial activity is supported, celebrated, and backed by relevant policy, through a research chair in innovation and entrepreneurship.
  • Institutionalisation of entrepreneurship through a) capacitating universities for entrepreneurship development through the EDHE Economic Activation Offices (EAOs) positioned within universities to connect all entrepreneurship activities and entities within an institution, b) through building on the existing national CoPs to create internal university CoPs that align nationally, and c) to establish and grow the SWEEP Student Chapters positioned in each university to support the development of student woman.
  • International exposure and partnerships.

In reference to the EDHE Theme for 2025: Entrepreneurship for sustainability:

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability – Future-ready entrepreneurs, impactful capacity development, and problem-solving innovation are crucial for a knowledgeable workforce.

  • Sustainable Innovations (green, blue and circular economies)
  • Social Entrepreneurs (innovating to address social challenges)
  • Sustainable Investment (funding for venture or innovation sustainability)
  • Sustainable Universities (the university entrepreneurial ecosystems)
  • Advancement through Technology (AI, 4IR, Blue Tech and Digitisation)

Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Partners:

  • SAB Foundation

EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge:

  • Absa Group

Current and existing EDHE Partners:

  • Standard Bank – Partner in the EDHE Economic Activation Offices
  • The British Council – Partner in the Student Woman Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP)
  • The French Embassy in South Africa – Post-intervarsity incubation for AI and Blue Tech entrepreneurs
  • The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) – Capacity building initiatives.
  • The Department of Trade Industry and Competition – Next-Gen Exporter Incubation Programme

New EDHE Partners for 2026:

  • Mr Price Foundation
  • Momentum Foundation

 

  1. List of Dignitaries:
  • VCs
  • DVCs
  • CEOs, including the USAf CEO
  • Deans
  • Country Directors
  • Executive Directors
  • Deputy Directors
  • Senior representatives of Government
  • Chairpersons of the EDHE Community of Practices
  • Finals Judges
  • EDHE CoP Members & EDHE Coordinators
  • Department Executives (HODs, HOS’s, Directors, Managers, CODs)
  • Competition National Finalists (students)
  • Previous Winners of 2024

We kindly wish to inform you that attendance at the Entrepreneurship Intervarsity, EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge, and EDHE Awards is strictly by invitation only. In order to ensure the effective management of venue capacity and catering arrangements, only invited and registered guests will be admitted. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this regard.

Address: 44 Viewpoint Road, Bartlett, Boksburg

Entrance: Please use GATE 2 (Bus entrance: GATE 1)

On arrival: on arrival at the Birchwood Hotel you will require a driver’s licence to gain access.  Please follow the signage to the allocated venue.

Accommodation: For sleep-in guests – early arrivals should check in at the main reception with proof of identification.

Shuttle Service: The Birchwood Hotel offers complimentary shuttle services from the airport to the hotel, operating on a specific schedule. For details, please visit their website: https://www.birchwoodhotel.co.za/airport-hotel-free-shuttle-bus. For more information, please visit their website: https://www.birchwoodhotel.co.za/

Entrance & parking: The hotel offers secure and security-controlled parking and no parking fee is charged.

Annexure 1: EDHE Awards Summary 2019 -2024 Year
View here >

Contact Details

Registrations:

Project Coordinator

Ms Lerato Makgonyane:

Project Coordinator

Ms Gillian Pilusa:

Marketing & Communications:

Marketing & Communications:

Ms Khutso Moleko:

EDHE Awards 2024 Video Highlights

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