1.4.1 – Does your university as a body provide assistance in the local community supporting the start-up of financially and socially sustainable businesses through relevant education or resources? (e.g. mentorship programmes, training workshops, access to university facilities)?

1.4.1 University Assistance to the Local Community for Sustainable Business Development

The University of El Oued actively fulfills its role in fostering regional economic and social development by providing direct, targeted assistance to emerging businesses within the local community. This support is channeled through the University Business Incubator and the Artificial Intelligence House (AI House), ensuring that local entrepreneurs have access to the advanced education and technical resources necessary for creating financially and socially sustainable start-ups.

Institutional Oversight and Sustained Commitment

The University’s top leadership ensures continuous, high-level support for entrepreneurship. On January 22, 2024, the University Director, Professor Omar Ferhati, conducted an inspection visit to the University Interfaces headquarters, where the Business Incubator is located. He monitored the evaluation process for projects registered for the 2023-2024 academic year. During the visit, the Director issued directives to the administrative and evaluation teams, emphasizing the necessity of supporting and supervising student project holders. Crucially, he met with the students, motivating them to realize their projects on schedule and promising continuous follow-up and support from the University administration and faculties to ensure the harvesting of the maximum possible number of successful start-up enterprises. This demonstrates that the promotion of sustainable businesses is a strategic priority actively managed by the highest governing body.

Targeted Education and Financial Sustainability

The university body initiates and hosts intensive training workshops specifically designed for enterprise project holders registered with the Business Incubator. This ensures the assistance is targeted toward active start-up development. The specific program, demonstrated by the event on May 4, 2024, focused on an Artificial Intelligence Training Workshop. The workshop was led by the university’s own specialized academics and researchers from the AI House, transforming academic expertise into immediately applicable practical skills. The central objective of this educational initiative was explicit: to teach entrepreneurs the mechanisms to utilize AI effectively to serve their projects, specifically by improving their overall productivity and reducing their financial burdens. This direct focus on lowering operating costs and enhancing efficiency serves as a crucial factor in ensuring the long-term financial sustainability required for the success of these new businesses.

Social Impact and Institutional Commitment

By providing free, specialized education and access to advanced technological resources, the university supports the creation of socially sustainable businesses rooted in innovation and high-value skills. The commitment extends beyond mere training; the faculty and supervisors involved expressed their continuous readiness and commitment to providing all facilities and support for every project that employs Artificial Intelligence. This confirms that the AI workshop is part of a sustained, coordinated institutional program aimed at building a robust ecosystem of technologically modern enterprises. The operation of this program entirely within the university’s established facilities (the Business Incubator and the AI House) further confirms the direct role of the university body in supporting local economic empowerment and innovation.