COMING up with the right idea at the right time is key for entrepreneurs. Modern-day society is full of innovative ideas, and almost every aspect of everyday life can become a source of inspiration. Demand for anything novel only seems to be growing. In fast-paced economies like China, business opportunities for new talents with the “right” idea are plentiful. Often, it is those who have just started out come up with the best innovations — perhaps because their creativity hasn’t been restricted by too many rules and regulations.

It’s not surprising then that academic institutions, universities and science parks, home to some of the country’s young elite, are at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship.

But fostering their talents and providing the right environment to see entrepreneurs flourish is often at odds with strict academic timetables and set ways of studying. Thus, universities themselves are trying to introduce some innovative ideas to create a better environment for future entrepreneurs.

Last month, Shanghai University of Engineering Science (SUES) hosted its first “Education for Enterprises and Innovation” forum, an effort to boost communication between local, regional and international experts who are at the helm of pushing for new talent, creative ideas and entrepreneurship.

Central to the forum was a complex, yet long-known issue: How can classroom knowledge bear fruits in the real world?

Senior professionals from as far as the United States, Sweden and Belgium joined local experts, including from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Nankai University and Shanghai University, in a heated discussion.

Xian Jianguo, dean of SUES, shared his university’s strategy on fostering entrepreneurship on the opening day of the forum.

“SUES has been promoting the cultivation of practical talents for many years. The trend goes hand in hand with demands from modern society,” Xia told the forum.

“The power of innovation can only be executed by daily practicing,” he said.

SUES has started several initiatives to support young talents.

A weeklong event organized by SUES and featuring several activities for students was the starting point for many, he said. Often, the very idea of becoming an entrepreneur has to be planted first.

“Through a week of activities, we aim to hatch dreams of entrepreneurship among youngsters and we provide resources for them,” Xia said.

People who have already turned their dreams into successful businesses are invited to the weeklong event. “It’s also a platform to share thoughts for those senior people who are already successful and can give some guidance to the younger ones,” he said.

After the seeds have been planted, it’s vital to create an environment that enables students to develop their ideas, rather than restricting innovation through strict schedules and educational pressure to graduate within a short period of time.

SUES has introduced a flexible curriculum that allows students to stay and study longer, without worrying too much about getting a diploma within a certain time frame.

“We have prolonged the practical qualifying time span for graduation to up to six years, as long as a student accumulated enough credit hours,” Xia said, adding that the university now also features a center that offers specific internships for those with entrepreneurship in mind.

SUES is also working on an executive plan that will better train students in how to put their acquired knowledge into practice, making way for a new style of learning for students.

That, Xia said, is in stark contrast to the traditional education system in China, well known for its strictness, grim curriculum and dull memorizing of texts.

SUES, Xia said, doesn’t stand alone in its effort to allow more room for creative, forward-thinking minds.

“Our efforts to help the young realize their ambition of owning a successful business of their own is part of a nationwide campaign to innovate the way students are treated academically at universities. We are exploring a new system of teaching methods in which knowledge and practice are very much intertwined,” Xia said.

Yuan Wen, deputy director at Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, said it wasn’t just institutions of higher learning that foster entrepreneurship. The 17th China International Industry Fair, which was held in Shanghai recently, was a case in point, he said at the forum.

“There was a special booth dedicated to showcasing the creations of youngsters,” Yuan said.

“The craze of entrepreneurship does not only originate from entrepreneurs, it also comes from government institutions, companies and other social sectors.”

“Now it is the best era for entrepreneurship in China, especially for the younger generation. Even my 50-year-old colleagues are considering the idea of starting a business of their own,” he said, adding that his colleagues sometimes joked that it is “better to start later than never.”

Yuan said that he expects the discussion on how to boost entrepreneurship to take a center stage in the coming years as innovation is a major drive for economic development.

Despite the role all sectors should play, Yuan agreed with Xia that the education sector was particularly vital.

“The role of senior educational institutes in nurturing entrepreneurs is evident,” he said.

To further develop this nurturing ground, universities will have to rethink their approach to learning, he said.

“We ought to figure out how to insert the education of entrepreneurship into the current functions of China’s university education. It is not just about adding a few lessons but a change in the whole academic design.”

“Of course, we won’t turn every student into an entrepreneur, but it’s the spirit that matters,” Yuan said.

Pei Xiaoqian, vice Party secretary at SUES, said the problems concerning entrepreneurship and education have long been obvious: Theory is separated from practice, and traditional values take the lead, while innovative ideas get left behind. Overall, efforts on helping students to create startups are still falling short.

Pei said the existing obstacles for cultivating entrepreneurship have fundamentally blocked the path for certain creative talents. Therefore, he said, it was important to open up more channels, including events that promote a culture of entrepreneurship, out of campus internships, overseas training and online classes that would allow students to join remotely. In the long run, such initiatives would help students discover their own strengths and talents, and put them on the right track to become successful entrepreneurs.

Besides revamping universities’ approach to learning, Pei said it was equally important to create space for students to put their ideas into practice. Furthermore, he said, the approach had to be inclusive of students of all backgrounds.

“A while ago, China’s first mass entrepreneurship week was held in the country’s Silicon Valley — Zhongguancun in Beijing. Premiere Li Keqiang encouraged young people to become heroes of entrepreneurship despite their residence, ethnicity, age or social class. The event triggered the start of a golden era for China’s entrepreneurship,” said Pei.

Currently, SUES has more than 700 cooperative bases to provide internships for students.

During the university’s last summer break, more than 9,400 SUES students took advantage of such internships and acquired valuable work experience.

Teachers, who often act as mentors for students, get extra appraisal points if they manage to cultivate an entrepreneur.

According to the university’s own statistics, the efforts are bearing fruit. Since 2011, students from SUES have opened up a total of 47 enterprises. And the number of students seeking to start their own business appears to be skyrocketing. Between 2013 to 2015, the number of newly registered business by SUES students was nearly as high as during the five-year period prior.

E-commerce, culture-related ideas, IT and trade are the most popular sectors, taking up 63 percent of the total.

As the national economic growth is slowing down, entrepreneurship is exactly what’s needed to spur new momentum, Pei said. And why wait to turn your dreams into reality?

“We are living in an era of rapid technological reform. Every element or resource demands a new appeal. In its essence, entrepreneurship gives every young person the chance to realize his or her personal dream,” he said.