University Archives - Das STZ im Einsatz

Steinbeis at ifempower event in Porto

Porto, 02.02.-06.02.2020: consortium meeting, expert training and multiplier event – an intensive work program has been completed. ifempower entrepreneurship modul is ready for implementation at partner universities. ifempower mentorship program, elaborated by Steinbeis, is accepted.

Main subjects of transnational meeting of partners were focused on implementing mentorship program and on establshing entrepreneurship support points in partner countires. Staff training for entrepreneurship support points insures that responsible experts will act in line with project requirements. Representatives of Steinbeis, Roxana Boboruta and Juergen Raizner, became certified support point staff.

Juergen Raizner moderated interactive workshop on ifempower Mentorship Program. The session was accompanied by valuable points of view from entrepreneurs coming from Austria, Hungary, Germany and Portugal. Final version of mentorship handbook under the responsibility of Steinbeis was agreed. ifempower Mentorshib Program will be launched at partnering universities. Handbook is available in English. Translations into German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Romanian, Portuguese and Spanish language will follow. Steinbeis presentation on ifempower Mentorship Program is available here.

Organized by our Portuguese partner, Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovacao at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, project partners received multicultural and valuable input from stakeholders. Thus, 57 entrepreneurs from 12 EU countries offered different approaches related to answer the challenge “How to nurture the entrepreneurial potential of women?”. Various workshop methods were applied with the purpose of knowledge exchange and synergies in the field of female entrepreneurship focusing on successful mentorship and counselling programs.

ifempower aims to empower female students from higher education institutions to get engaged in entrepreneurship. ifempower investigates the main roles, hindrances, gaps and needs of female entrepreneurs to elaborate an internationally transferable module for university students from any fields to broaden their knowledge on entrepreneurship related topics and to provide hands-on training for their engagement in self-employment and entrepreneurship. The project represents an innovative and participatory approach by developing a mentorship programme for these students through the involvement of practicing entrepreneurs. ifempower will also launch personal consultancy services for any interested women and an online support toolkit available for the broader public coping with issues rooting in female entrepreneurship.

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Danube Rectors’ Conference Bucharest

Annual Conference 2019 – Consolidating the Role of Universities in Innovation Ecosystems: Challenges and Future Developments

Bucharest, 07.11.2019

Organizer: Danube Rectors’ Conference
Host: “Politehnica” University Bucharest

Danube Rectors Conference is a network of almost 70 universities in the Danube Region for fostering academic collaboration and lobby actions towards regional development. In order to perform these tasks, DRC maintains connections with national and international organizations, e.g. national Rectors’ Conferences, EUA, UNESCO, EU, Council of Europe, etc.

Jürgen Raizner as coordinator of Steinbeis Danube Competence Group (Stuttgart, Vienna, Bucharest, Uzhhorod) was invited as speaker to the annual event. Title of his presentation: “Science and Entrepreneurship. Synergies for economic growth“.

Technology transfer model applied by Steinbeis Network was explained to academic community as a feasible and proven method to connect industry with universities. Moreover, as a catalyst for better understanding, Jürgen Raizner presented examples from industy to point out what opportunities exist for universities to support enterprises in becoming innovation by solving problems (technology transfer). A challenge: What strategy should a well established enterprise with well known and traditional brands follow to keep its position on the market – taken into account growing international competition?

In compliance with EU strategy for Danube Regionk, tackling innovation gaps through technology transfer, Steinbeis implements also projects to foster entrepreneurship among scientists:

ifempower Erasmus + funded project not only tackles a gap in gender distribution in work fields but also opens a sensitive subject: women`s approach towards business environment in general. Entrepreneurship module built under the umbrella of this project will be piloted at partnering EU universities and promoted further.
Recently closed project under the leadership of Steinbeis center from Romania – European Early Innovators Initiative – aimed to support the entrepreneurship of young scientists by directing their focus closer to industry is another example of technology transfer that can be deepened by universities.

Given these two simple initiatives fostering university–industry collaboration in both directions: research and curricula focused on current industry and industry actors involved in education process.

Facts like Danubius Young Scientists Award should have priority for different industry departments in such a way that through technology transfer model, ideas become marketable products.

Besides its purposes, DRC serves also as platform for strengthening already existing partnerships. Thus, for Steinbeis event translated into a great opportunity for conversation to Ukrainian environment. Prof. Smolanka, rector of Uzhhrod university is already partner of Steinbeis network through Steinbeis Transfer Management Ukraine (led by Mike Nagorkin). Prof. Smolanka, as a reputated academician in Romania, /scientist, visited also STM headquarters in Palais Ghica Victoria and reinforced the partnership. So new actions are on the way to be designed.

ifempower. Iceland.

20./21.03.2019, Bifröst, Iceland: 2^nd Transnational meeting for ifempower project

Partnering other 8 well-reputed institutions from 6 EU countries, STC EAST-WEST Joint-Ventures from Germany is deeply involved in supporting female empowerment in the field of entrepreneurship. Thus, ifempower project which is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union is aimed to implement this concept at the academic level. An innovative module on entrepreneurship will be accredited and launched at partner universities for 2 semesters. The module is addressed to female students who will benefit also from practical guidance and knowledge though the mentorship component of this module.

Project started in September 2018 and it is designed for 3 years during which the research-based module will be piloted between March 2020 -July 2021.

STC director Jurgen Raizner participated together with project manager Roxana Boboruta at the meeting organized by the Icelandic partner in this project. Bifröst University is an active member of the Icelandic and European research communities, hosting many independent research centres.

Priority of the discussions in Bifröst were the curriculum of entrepreneurship studies and the teaching material. Main responsibility of Steinbeis in this project is to design and pilot the mentorship program.

Results of the preparatory research study conducted by HÉTFA Research Institute were presented to partners as primary basis for the 2 days of debates. Steinbeis contributed to this research with interview-based knowledge from 7 German female entrepreneurs and 3 experts from which some are very interested in playing an active role in the future mentorship program.

Mentorship program is one course in ifempower curriculum and it is recommended to be understood as an “organic part of the module”. Mentors will take students to their enterprises and they provide professional tasks or show-up during courses. Thus in terms of practice (internship), students will get opportunity to work with mentors, assist their work, and get familiar with the general way of leading an enterprise. Mentorship program in the international curricula contributes also to promote successful education models, in this case – dual education. Innovative model is to combine mentorship and internship in a project competence study what is to be understood as basis for dual education.

A mentorship handbook serving especially universities but also Entrepreneurship Support Points (as component of current project), describing the complete mentorship program will be elaborated in English language and translated into Icelandic, German, Hungarian and Romanian by February 2020.

Mentorship program will be designed on best practice examples from Steinbeis university and other already existing successful female mentorship German programs which were analyzed by our Steinbeis center in advance.

Stay tuned with the evolution of the project on www.ifempower.eu

Knowledge Society and EEII

Jürgen Raizner was invited to take part at the 16th Steering Group Meeting of Priority Area 7 (“Knowledge Society”) which was hosted by Serbian coordination team and took place in the Rectorate building of the University of Belgrade on November 22^nd and 23^rd, 2018.

Interesing for the Steering Group Members: the ongoing European Early Innovators Initiative (EEII). Jürgen Raizner presented outputs and status of the project. EEII was designed to strengthen competitivness of enterprises (PA 8) but it contributes also to a stronger knowledge society in Danube Region. SG members are invited to recommend project partners for the future European Early Innovators Program (EEIP) what is currently under construction.

Steering Group decided to revise the PA 7 action plan. Inputs from stakeholders are valueable. details