Technopreneurship for everyone

TECHNOPRENEURSHIP FOR EVERYONEUIIN Entrepreneurial universities – 30/9/2014

Jolien CoenraetsGhent University

Technopreneurship for everyone - Ghent University

About Ghent UniversityFounded in 1817

11 departments

41 000+ students


TECHNOPRENEURSHIP


Technopreneurial course

Project course in which students create a product / service with

market value. The course combines prior knowledge with

entrepreneurial skills.

• Tackle real societal & economical problems

• Acquire entrepreneurial skills

• Enlighten entrepreneurial spark

• Develop early prototype


Become an entrepreneur

Think about being an entrepreneur

Start the entrepreneurial fire

Technopreneurial courses

Elective courses

Status student-entrepreneur

Intensive coaching

Extracurricular activities

Coaching

Dissertation subject

Extracurricular activities

Business plan courses

Entrepreneurial ecosystem


Technopreneurship in computer science

• Two separate courses

• Business side of software + technical side

• Theoretical approach

SoftEnterprise (9 years)

• Two separate courses

• Entrepreneurial mindset & skills

• Embedded in the course structure

Transfer to technopreneurial

course (1 year)• One mandatory

course• Embedded in the

course structure• Entrepreneurial

skills & mindset

Technopreneurial course

1st master year


Technopreneurship in computer science

First semester

• From idea to technical design

• Idea generation & designing

• Changing groups

• 3 ECTS credits

Second semester

• From technical design to prototype

• Development & prototyping

• Fixed group

• 6 ECTS credits


Out of the comfort zone teaching

• Failure

• Termination of projects

• Ambiguity

• Insecurity

• Explain complicated things in simple ways

• Work in team

• Execute a given role

• Being creative & innovative

• Take initiative

• Make your own choices

• …

Simulate real life experiences:



OUTCOMES & IMPACT


Facts & figures for 1 course10 years 575 students220 completed questionnaire 38%


Did this course make you think about a career as entrepreneur or intrapreneur?

No (47,73%)

Positive direct

(18,18%)

Positive indirect

(24,55%)

Negative direct (5,45%)

Negative indirect (4,09%)


Yes (34,55

%)

No (65,45

%)

Did another course or person at the university inspired you?

In general With positive influence (42,73%)


Which of the following tasks have you executed?

0 <1 1 2 to 3 4 to 5 6 to 7 8 to 9 > 100.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00% Start & run your own companyHigher managementWork for a startupResearchTeachingNew product developmentInnovation

Years of experience

% o

f peo

ple


Job creation

+/- 150 jobs created


On project levelNew technopreneurial courses (2015 – 2016): geography & bio-informatics

Technopreneurial ‘light’ course in Medicine & health dep.

Seasoned entrepreneur teaching in Bio-engineering.

Entrepreneurship will be embedded in all curricula.

Ghent University is the university with the most student entrepreneurs in Belgium.


LESSONS LEARNED


Success factors

Techno-preneurial course

Extra-curricular activitiesStudent-

entrepreneur status

Starters wallet

Elective courses

Coaching

Competitions


Success factors

Traditional approach

Force STEM students into business course

Technopreneurship

Add entrepreneurial sauce to prototyping course


Success factors


Challenges

1. Teaching staff needs different skillset

2. Convince professors & board members

3. Creating new courses takes time


Costs & funding

Ghent University

53k €

Flemish government

111k €

Site visits & best practice conferences

Teaching staff events

Two part-time employees

• Course design

• Best practices

• Student coaching

• Promoting elective courses

Two year budget

164k €


Sustainability & transferabilitySustainability

• Change management

• New courses are put in place

• Course manuals are written

Transferability

@ Higher education


CONTACT & QUESTIONSJolien Coenraets

[email protected]

@JolienCoenraets

Education

Technopreneurship for everyone