Dukenet was first established as a Socrates network in 1996, under the coordination of the Hogeschool of s’Hertogenbosch (Netherlands). The Socrates programme was an educational initiative of the European Commission; it has run until 2006 and was replaced by the Lifelong Learning Programme. The first Dukenet activities were a marketing simulation implemented as a one-week “Intensive Programme” and a “European Module” consisting of a common market study conducted for a company in several countries. Dukenet first president has been M. Ton Perlo.