Entrepreneurship skills are not only important for people that want to start their own company or work in a startup. Entrepreneurship skills like deciding in uncertain circumstances, taking responsibility, taking risks, being visionary, creative and open to change, are crucial in daily life. Either if you are an employee, student, part of an association or active in NGOs or politics, even in your family life, this know how is helpful. And if you don’t need to adapt the skills right away, you will still broaden your horizon at one end or another.
We collected some courses that
- you can join from your couch, beach office or desk
- are free of charge (more info below)
- come in small bites 🙂
Managing Innovation with John Bessant
What is innovation? Why is innovation important? Where does it come from? How do we deal with uncertainty? Where are spaces for innovation?
It is free of charge online course for FAU and EELISA students by Professor Bessant.
A total of up to 75 students can participate, start their innovation journey together and work on 10 modules online independently within 12 weeks. Each module consists of short explanatory videos, case studies, application tasks and additional reading and learning material. A total of three live online sessions are planned at the beginning, middle and end of the course. The dates for these will be announced in the coming weeks.
The online course corresponds to 5 ECTS if you participate throughout – you will receive these through a digital e-exam at the end of the course. You will need to discuss in advance with your degree program coordinator whether the course can be credited to your degree.
This course is for students of FAU and EELISA partner universities.
In order to better grasp the term Innovation and discover the multitude of possibilities behind it, be part of the first batch.
–> FAU Students can enroll via StudOn.
–> EELISA Students find a form here.
Professor John Bessant is an FAU-Ambassador. He is one of the most renown experts on entrepreneurship and innovation management with an impressive transnational network.
Originally he is a chemical engineer with a PhD for work on innovation within the chemical industry. Prof. John Bessant has been active in research, teaching and consultancy in technology and innovation management for over 30 years. He currently holds the Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Exeter University and is Adjunct Professor at the University of Stavanger, Norway. In 2003, he was awarded a Fellowship with the Advanced Institute for Management Research and was also elected a Fellow of the British Academy of Management. He served on the Business and Management Panel of both the 2001 and 2008 UK national Research Assessment Exercises.
Intellectual Property with Andrea Zehetner
Protecting Intangible Assets & Applying for Intellectual Property Rights
The live online course consists of Basic- and Workshop Modules and is aimed at all researchers and those interested in learning more about protecting and exploiting intellectual assets.
The courses are designed in easy-to-digest 30-minute units. Each offered multiple times on various days and times per semester to allow everyone interested to attend.
Participation is for free.
Basic modules
The four basic modules are designed to help you understand the basic concepts that are essential to protecting intangible assets and filing for intellectual property rights.
You can pick whatever topic and time suits your schedule best.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | |
| Introduction and teaser – The Power of Patenting
The role of patents in innovation and technology transfer |
BASICS: Overview of the Patenting Process
Focus on European Patents |
BASICS: Introduction to Key Terminology and Concepts
Novelty, Inventiveness and Freedom to Operate, Infringement etc |
BASICS: What can be patented? | |
| Thursdays 6 pm | Oct 17 | Oct 24 | Oct 31 | Nov 07 |
| Mondays 10 am | Oct 28 | Nov 04 | Nov 18 | Nov 25 |
| Wednesdays 12 pm | Nov 27 | Dec 04 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 |
Workshop modules
The workshop modules are designed to dive deeper into specific topics, with workshops consisting of an introductory session (30 min.), then self-study with recorded lessons, followed by a wrap-up session (~30 min.) with ample opportunity for discussion and questions.
Prerequisite for the workshops is a basic knowledge in patenting. If you don’t have it yet, join the Basic Modules mentioned above.
The dates below are the intro and wrap-up live meetings via zoom. The time between is reserved for your self-study.
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | |
| Workshop: Prior Art Search
Navigating the Patent Search (Tools and databases for conducting a prior art search / How to interpret search results). |
Workshop: Understanding the Concept of Novelty and Inventiveness | Workshop: Freedom-to-Operate – Understanding Claim Language | Workshop The Patent Process Demystified | |
| Intro | Jan 09, 25 | Jan 20, 25 | Feb 05, 25 | Feb 20, 25 |
| Wrap-up | Jan 16, 25 | Jan 27, 25 | Feb 12, 25 | Feb 24, 25 |
This course if for all members of FAU and EELISA partner universities.
You can register for each session by submitting the form below. You will than get an invite with the zoom link.
Dr. Andrea Zehetner has been working in the field of intellectual property since 2002. She is admitted to practice before the European Patent Office (EPO), the European Trademark and Design Office (EUIPO), and the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) and the European Unified Patent Court.
As the founder and managing director of her own patent boutique firm, she has particular experience in advising on complex matters, in particular the development and implementation of national and international IP strategies, the management of complex patent portfolios, the preparation of due diligence analyses, validity and infringement opinions, the drafting and negotiation of technology agreements, and in the field of the German Employee Invention Act.
Dr. Zehetner began her IP career as an in-house patent attorney for research-oriented multinational corporations and innovative medium-sized companies. Her responsibilities included drafting IP for numerous development projects, advising on IP strategies for commercial products, and drafting and negotiating technology transfer and licensing agreements.
Since 2014, she has been sharing her experience as a guest lecturer on IP strategy at several universities, including RWTH Aachen University, TU Hamburg-Harburg, or the Maastricht School of Management.
As a board member of “women in ip e.V.”, she promotes the networking of female IP professionals. She was also an advisor to the entrepreneurship network KATERVA. She is a member of several professional organizations, including EPI, FICPI and LES.
Dr. Zehetner holds a M.Sc. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.
Business Design with Orange Hills
The efficient method to bring your innovation to society.
Business Design is an agile innovation management approach that works best when you are confronted with many uncertainties while building something new. Irrespective of whether you are about to develop a new business model, product, service or software application, the Business Design approach guides you through a structured but flexible innovation journey and helps you find your next big opportunity beyond the resources you currently control.
This course is for students of FAU and EELISA partner universities.
–> FAU Students can watch the videos on FAU TV.
–> EELISA Students can fill the below form to access it.
Orange Hill helps to close the gap between ideas and your first revenue with Business Design. They are a group of engaged innovation practitioners and scientists who keep adding fresh content week by week based on real-life experience in corporates and universities throughout Europe. You can also check out their Business Design courses here.
Starting your business idea
Entrepreneur, intrapreneur, freelancer, project team, founding team, start-up?! – this platform is for you.
Starting Business Ideas: Kick off your startup journey with this online workshop series that covers everything from defining a value proposition and business model, prototyping, financial modelling, pitching, feedback and 1-on-1 consulting. The series consists of eight workshops delivered virtually as Zoom events. You can register for the events through the SBI website.
The Digital Tech Academy is the overarching HUB for digitization and entrepreneurship at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. It is embedded into the university department of strategic planning S-Outreach as ‘Knowledge and Technology Transfer’ which is the single point of contact for Spin-off services, Joint R&D projects, IP management, continuing education and event management.
Leadership with Prof. Dr. Kathrin Möslein
Why is leadership important in fostering innovation?
Leadership is vital in driving innovation within organizations as it provides a clear vision, values and strategic direction that align efforts towards innovative goals. Effective leaders cultivate a culture that fosters creativity and experimentation, promoting values like openness and risk-taking while ensuring psychological safety for employees to share ideas freely. By allocating necessary resources and removing obstacles, leaders create an environment where innovation can thrive, ultimately steering the organization towards sustained growth and competitive advantage.
This course is taking place in the winter semesters for students of FAU and EELISA partner universities. Deadline for enrolling is/ was October 11, 2024
–> For FAU students this course is conducted in person and can be enrolled via this link.
–> For EELISA students this course is offered hybrid. Please fill the form below to enroll in this course.
Matthäus Wilga earned a Master (M.Sc.) in International Business with a specialization in strategy and innovation from Maastricht University School of Business and Economics as well as an International Master (M.Sc.) in Management from Nova School of Business Economics in Lisbon / Portugal. As an undergraduate, he studied International Relations and Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Regensburg, where he focused on business, international politics as well as culture studies, and gained international experience at the Novia University of Applied Sciences in Turku / Finland.
He gained international practical experience in multinational corporations like ProsiebenSat.1 Media or Philips, in the start-up context and as a freelance consultant in the manufacturing sector. His research will concentrate on business models and strategy in the context of artificial intelligence and data-driven business opportunities.