Developing innovative strength: The path from innovation semester to practice-oriented course
Realignment of the innovation program In 2023, we as Wissensregion Düsseldorf transferred our previous “Innovation Semester” program into the format of an “Innovation Course” in a pilot project due to an insufficient number of applications.
We made a virtue of necessity in order to stick to our core idea and basic conviction that promoting innovation is synonymous with promoting the potential of talent and that these skills are essential for preparing people for the working world of today and tomorrow, whether as founders or specialists.
We are less interested in generating actual innovations than in encouraging people to think and act innovatively and to be open to new ideas and learning from other people – “the journey is the reward” and “we learn best from people who think differently from us”. The innovation course as a new focus A topic originally planned as part of the innovation semester was continued as an independent “innovation course”.
Conducted by the FOM University of Applied Sciences and its Center for Innovation, Business Development & Entrepreneurship (CIBE), particular emphasis was placed on promoting motivation and self-efficacy among participants.
The aim is to generate innovative ideas and strengthen entrepreneurial skills in order to prepare participants for the development of sustainable business visions and the creation of prototypes.
The participants came from a wide range of universities in the region and from a wide variety of disciplines.
The reorientation of the program aims to create a practical and focused learning environment that promotes individual development and creative work. [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to create innovations.
We have tried to communicate this freedom.” [/perfectpullquote]
Successful final event and exchange of experiences The final event of the innovation course on February 7, 2024 provided an impressive platform for the presentation of the projects developed.
The diverse and creative solutions developed by the participants deserve special mention: from digital travel assistants that inform ski enthusiasts before their trip, sustainable urban development initiatives and environmentally friendly mobility solutions to the automation of laboratory processes using advanced robotics.
The innovative concepts for bridging the gap between young people’s career orientation and the current shortage of skilled workers are also particularly noteworthy.
These projects show the enormous potential of the participants and reinforce the importance of a focused approach to innovation.
The event was also enriched by the testimonials of two FOM graduates and founders with practical insights into the start-up process.
Their stories about challenges, successes and the importance of a supportive network served as inspiration and motivation for the participants.
Inga Hennrich, research assistant at CIBE, who co-supervised the course, commented in an interview: “Prof. Dr. Michael Friebe (founding director of CIBE and head of the innovation course) was the provider of the methodological tools and the ‘encourager’. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to create innovations. We have tried to communicate this freedom. All ideas can be considered and either pursued or discarded in the course of further development. Innovation generation and entrepreneurial action are agile processes.”
Prof. Friebe sums up: “The most important thing is learning itself and the equal value of positive and negative experiences.” Outlook and future plans in cooperation with Wirtschaftsförderung Düsseldorf The experiences with this pilot “innovation course” have encouraged us to further develop this programmatic idea.
As a next step, we will discuss our experiences and proposals in detail at our next association committee meetings and have them reviewed.
Andreas Brauer, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderung Düsseldorf, and his colleague Nadine Thees, Coordinator of the Startup Unit, were impressed by the results of the innovation course presented.
We see the Economic Development Agency as an important partner in this context, particularly because it is currently conducting a survey at Düsseldorf’s universities to assess student interest in business start-ups.
The results of this survey, which should be available by the end of March, together with the successes of the innovation course, offer us the opportunity to present our promotion of innovative thinking and action by the knowledge region on a broader public stage and thus stimulate “desire for start-ups”, “desire for innovative thinking” and “desire for the work of the future”.
We look forward to the exciting developments and success stories that will emerge from this program and are positive that the realignment of our program will lead to a stronger and more effective promotion of innovative strength, entrepreneurial spirit and future viability of specialists and managers in the long term.
Photos: Tim Stender/FOM
