Meet the Team: Maarten Hogenstijn
7 Dec 2023 15:15 | EntrepreneurshipWho are the researchers from the Professorship Entrepreneurship and what do they do? In this new column, we would like to introduce you to one of the researchers from the professorship! We kick off this 'Meet the Team' series with Maarten Hogenstijn. This passionate runner travels by train as much as possible for environmental reasons, and has also written a book on social entrepreneurship. He began studying Social Geography at Utrecht University, where he obtained his doctorate, and later studied journalism. Since 2015, he has been working at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), where his career started as a self-employed person (zzp-er) with the assignment of writing a research plan on social entrepreneurship.
Current projects
During the interview, Maarten explained his current research. An important aspect of his work is the IDEEC project, IDEEC is an international project that focuses on developing impact driven entrepreneurship education for children, working with five different countries. He is also involved in the SCENTISS project (Social and Community Driven Entrepreneurship for the Transition to an Inclusive and Sustainable Society), a NWO-funded scientific research project in the Netherlands. This project focuses on improving the ecosystem for social entrepreneurs and measuring the impact they have.
Within the IDEEC project, Maarten is currently working with partners to develop a toolkit for teachers to use to create their own educational programs. The research currently has nine partners in five different countries, but the hope is to create a broader community that can directly benefit from the results of his research.
Social Entrepreneurship
Maarten gave insight into his motivation for this topic. He emphasized the need for more social entrepreneurs in the world, people who put creating social value above making financial profit. This is why he teaches and is involved in a minor on social entrepreneurship. He considers this a personally important pursuit and believes in the crucial role social entrepreneurship plays.
The importance of social entrepreneurship research was also discussed. Maarten emphasized that colleges from the AUAS provide a suitable environment for this type of research because colleges do practice-oriented research and universities tend to focus more on theoretical research. Social entrepreneurs need practical research and knowledge development. He pointed out that relatively little research has been done in this area.
One of the aspects he most appreciates about his work at the professorship is the diversity of disciplines he deals with. He is able to collaborate not only within the lectorate, but also with the entire college, which allows him to be social with the entire school community.
Passionate runner and passionate train traveller
Besides his professional pursuits, Maarten has some personal interests and hobbies. He is a passionate runner and has already completed 10 different marathons. His last marathon was in Hannover, Germany and he hopes to run his 11th marathon in the spring of 2024. Travel is also a great passion of his, and whenever possible he tries to travel abroad by train as much as possible. He has also written a book on social entrepreneurship and plans to re-write this in December to keep the book current and relevant.