Innovation for sustainability
The ISEG Futures LAB is a center dedicated to developing a community focused on creating a sustainable future through entrepreneurship and innovation. We aim to empower individuals within the ISEG ecosystem to develop solutions that address the societal Grand Challenges, create impact, and drive positive change for generations to come.
Our mission is to tackle the societal Grand Challenges through entrepreneurship, innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to sustainability.
Team
Programs and Initiatives
The Futures Lab is concerned with developing the entrepreneurship skills of the students of ISEG and Universidade de Lisboa. At ISEG we have several courses that you can enroll:
Entrepreneurship Courses offered by ISEG
| Disciplina | Programa/Grau | Semestre |
| Empreendedorismo | Licenciatura | 1º |
| Empreendedorismo | Mestrado | 1º |
| Empreendedorismo Social | Mestrado | 1º |
| Entrepreneurial Finance | Licenciatura | 1º |
| Innovation Management | Mestrado | 1º |
| Empreendedorismo | Licenciatura | 2º |
| Entrepreneurship | Mestrado | 2º |
| Gestão da Inovação | Mestrado | 2º |
| E-Business Models and Technologies | Mestrado | 2º |
| Marketing for Innovation and New Products | Mestrado | 2º |
Entrepreneurship Courses offered by other units from Universidade de Lisboa
ISEG belongs to Universidade de Lisboa which is an entrepreneurial university that aims to foster an environment and culture conducive to open innovation and entrepreneurship, leading to the co-creation of social, cultural, or economic value.
If you are an ISEG student, you can also enroll in entrepreneurship and innovation courses offered by other units from Universidade de Lisboa. You will have the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship beyond that business and management perspective and establish connections with students from different backgrounds (e.g., life sciences, engineering, technology, arts) to develop solutions for specific market segments. The full list of courses is updated every academic year and could be found here.
Main activities and Events
- “Futures Innovation Challenge”
- The Futures Innovation Challenge is an initiative organized by the ISEG Futures Lab with the purpose of creating solutions for pressing sustainability challenges. Our philosophy is to empower students with entrepreneurship and innovation tools that enable them to create solutions for specific sustainability problems.
- In teams, students will have a semester-long project to work on a solution for a particular sustainability problem. It is expected that each team focuses on one specific sustainability problem (of any kind: people, planet, organization) and develops a solution for that problem, as well as a business model depicting how that solution will work.
- The Futures Idea Challenge is open to any student of ISEG (master and undergraduate). To participate teams should be composed by 4 to 6 students.
- “Meet the founders” Events
- In these sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to meet and connect with founders, learn the stories behind launching a startup, and understand the challenges they face.
- Mentorship and Networking
- Are you an early-stage entrepreneur or student with a business idea but do not know how to start? The Futures Lab can connect you with people with experience in the industry that could expand your network of contacts to develop your business idea.
- Contact us here (futureslab@iseg.ulisboa.pt), and explaining your needs or follow us at LinkedIn.
- Future Founders: Students’ Club
- Future Founders is a dynamic student club for entrepreneurship rooted in the heart of ISEG, dedicated to igniting the flames of innovation and entrepreneurship among students, faculty, and the wider community. Our mission is clear: to cultivate a vibrant culture of entrepreneurship, foster collaboration across diverse disciplines, and empower individuals to transform their innovative ideas into impactful startups. If you wish to stay tuned on the activities organized by the club or be part of it, please contact them here.
Resources
Case Studies
ISEG Futures LAB develops cases studies about entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainability
Research
Access to research papers from our ISEG faculty:
Futre, B., & Crespo, N. F. (2025). The role of entrepreneurial alertness and temporal focus in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship in young family firms. Journal of Family Business Management.
Petrucci, F., Mutignani, F., & Santos, J. N. (2025). Sustainability–driven changes in the business incubation industry. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.
Crespo, N. F., Crespo, C. F., & Silva, G. M. (2024). Every cloud has a silver lining: The role of business digitalization and early internationalization strategies to overcome cloudy times. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 200, 123084.
López, A., & Costa, S. (2024). Perceived internal corporate social responsibility and employees’ proactive behavior: The mediating role of intentions to start personal projects and the moderating role of perceived external prestige. Human Resource Development Quarterly.
Belchior, R. F., & Castro-Silva, H. (2023). The virtuous cycle of entrepreneurial identity and experience–a longitudinal analysis. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 19(4), 1739-1770.
Crespo, N. F., Crespo, C. F., Silva, G. M., & Nicola, M. B. (2023). Innovation in times of crisis: The relevance of digitalization and early internationalization strategies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 188, 122283.
Venâncio, A., Picoto, W., & Pinto, I. (2023). Time-to-unicorn and digital entrepreneurial ecosystems. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 190, Artigo 122425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122425.
López, A., Neves, P., & González‐Morales, M. G. (2022). What does it take to start a business? Constraint appraisal as predictor of taking entrepreneurial action among nascent entrepreneurs. Applied Psychology, 71(4), 1275-1303.
Santos, J. N., Mota, J., & Baptista, C. S. (2021). The role of a strategic net in international entrepreneurship: overcoming the liabilities of foreignness and outsidership in the context of the Pharma industry. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 17(1), 63-82.
Crespo, N. F., Belchior, R., & Costa, E. B. (2020). Exploring individual differences in the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intentions: Evidence from Angola. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 27(1), 1-30.
Belchior, R. F., & Lyons, R. (2021). Explaining entrepreneurial intentions, nascent entrepreneurial behavior and new business creation with social cognitive career theory–a 5-year longitudinal analysis. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 17(4), 1945-1972.
López, A., Neves, P., & Cunha, M. (2019). A high‐growth firm contingency test of the formalization‐performance relationship. Journal of Small Business Management, 57, 374-396.
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