Successful premiere of the course "Technology Entrepreneurship"

This semester, the course "Technology Entrepreneurship", a collaboration between Hahn-Schickard and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research (ENI) at the University of Stuttgart, took place for the first time. Our students learned about the potential of current developments in microintegration technology and developed their own concepts for entrepreneurial perspectives in new microintegration technologies. At the same time, the institute team focused on the commercial side in order to be able to identify the business potential.

Together with Hahn-Schickard's technology mentors, the students delved into how three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field and light sensors could find application in industrial automation or energy-efficient buildings. The course combined academic input on identifying and developing market applications for promising technologies, with hands-on work and feedback from Hahn-Schickard mentors.

As described by Dr.-Ing. Karl-Peter Fritz, one of the Hahn-Schickard mentors, the course gave students the opportunity to explore new applications for technologies developed at Hahn-Schickard. It was great to see that all the students were highly motivated. 

"The course is designed to build on previous courses, but scientists and students work together as a team here," emphasizes Dr. Ferran Giones of the ENI Institute. "The collaboration between the Institute and Hahn-Schickard in this course perfectly represents how we want to increase collaboration in entrepreneurship and innovation across the university, together with our stakeholders," explains Prof. Alexander Brem, Director of the Institute.

Participants in this first edition highlight that this course offered them "a unique opportunity to collaborate with academics and have a hands-on educational experience." They liked that this "provides a bridge between intellectual property and the prospect of starting your own science-based business." This skill is essential to link university research and the commercialization of science, said Philipp Häßler, expert in technology transfer at the University of Stuttgart.

The next edition of the course is already in preparation and promises to further expand this collaboration and its results, and to develop the concept further.