Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Advancing the entrepreneurial spirit

www.eah-jena.de

University of Applied Sciences Jena About the University The University of Applied Sciences Jena is situated in Thuringia, which is known as the "Green Heart" of Germany. The university was founded in 1991 and has currently about 5,000 students, who are enrolled in courses for bachelor and master degrees in various fields of engineering, business administration and social sciences. The profile of the university is increasingly defined by interdisciplinary collaboration, which facilitates synergetic effects between departments. Research There are six competency centers within the University:  Microsystems Technology  Technical Diagnosis  Materials and Manufacturing Technologies  Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency  Health  Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education In the interest of a scientifically profound and practically oriented education, the university cooperates with other higher education institutions in Europe and beyond. There is also an intensive cooperation with the industry: worldfamous companies like Carl Zeiss, Jenoptik, Siemens, Bosch, etc. These companies and the several research institutes in Jena represent modern technology, up-to-date management and scientific innovation.

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship The Center The creation and support of innovative business start-ups plays an important role at the University of Applied Sciences Jena. Since 1998, several projects have aimed at creating a suitable climate for the emergence of new business ventures. In this approach, the main focus is on the establishment of a comprehensive entrepreneurship education as well as on the advancement of students’ start-up intentions. One important milestone was achieved with the establishment of the „Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship“ (CIE) in 2004. It represents a cross-faculty research network concentrating on the experiences and skill sets in the area of entrepreneurship. The Vision The CIE is a first contact for anyone aiming to design a career through one’s own ideas and desire, thus striving to become an entrepreneur and starting a business. It offers various opportunities to discover one‘s own entrepreneurial skills as well as to enhance these skills and bring them into action. Innovation For anyone heading on the path to self-employment, the center provides support by professional Research Education consultation, qualification tailored to customer needs and assistance Consulting Information in the acquisition of contacts.

Activities The interdisciplinary teamwork in the Cooperation following areas contributes to an entrepreneurial atmosphere at the University and its surroundings:  Education and advanced training  Consultancy and coaching  Cooperation and networking  Entrepreneurship research

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Innovation Opportunity Recognition and Idea Development The CIE does not only offer support for the implementation of business models, but it also assists in the recognition and evaluation of new ideas. Due to the close interdisciplinary cooperation of qualified personnel from various departments and fields of research, many possibilities are available to explore innovative problem solutions and to evaluate the feasibility of new ideas. The CIE combines experts from the fields of creativity and idea development, information acquisition, innovation management, marketing and startup financing. In detail, the CIE offers the following services with regard to opportunity recognition:  Development of new business models for partners from industry or for

potential entrepreneurs  Evaluation of new product ideas

and new business models  Support in the design of market-

ing strategies for new products and businesses Measures For the purpose of identifying and developing new innovative ideas, different methods are used, ranging from an individual coaching to creativity workshops and seminars. As an outstanding event the seminar “Science to Market” was established in 2008. The basic idea of this instrument is to use the creative power of university students in order to develop and evaluate new business ideas based on university research results.

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Entrepreneurship Education Objectives The seminars of the CIE aim to increase student’s awareness on the option of self-employment as well as to convey the knowledge and the skill sets to successfully create and lead an enterprise. These seminars provide an overview of the entrepreneur's role in society and pay attention to the importance of entrepreneurial thinking. The focus of education is on the following key competences:  

Expertise (mastering specific knowledge) Methodological competence (mastering learning- and work-related techniques)  Social skills (mastering communication and cooperation techniques) Lectures and Seminars In detail, the CIE offers the following courses for students from all departments of the university:     

Lectures on the role and importance of entrepreneurs Lectures on new venture creation and business plans Trainings in opportunity recognition and business idea development Trainings in soft skills such as presentation and communication skills Business simulation games

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Consultancy and Coaching Inventor Consulting The inventor consulting offered by the Patent Information Center at the University of Applied Sciences Jena acts as the first contact point regarding questions of intellectual property law. Local patent attorneys consult inventors (students, alumni and employees of the university) at no charge. In addition, the Patent Information Center offers research by order and access to extensive databases about patents, trademarks and industrial designs. Entrepreneur Consultancy The entrepreneur consultancy assists students, alumni and employees of the University of Applied Sciences Jena. The consultancy is available in every stage of new business creation. The main objective deals with the analysis and the advancement of new business ideas to the market entry. The consultancy‘s focus is on all relevant business aspects like marketing, strategy and finance, but also on the application for specific sponsorship. The entrepreneur consultancy acts as an interface between co-operating partners within and outside the University of Applied Sciences. In later developmental stages, entrepreneurs receive support through the worthwhile participation in fairs, recruiting-events or the provision of infrastructure. Services  General Information on self-employment and business creation

 Support in the design and evaluation of business concepts  Assistance in the application for public funding programs  Interface status with partners, mentors and investors  Support in public relations matters and participation in fairs

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Collaboration and Networking National Networks The CIE is a member in several networks and initiatives in the field of entrepreneurship. It is well connected to other German universities, research institutes, innovation and technology parks, local companies, and the regional Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Special partnerships include an affiliation into:  The Thuringian Network for Innovative Business Startups  The Consultancy Network for Entrepreneurs at Thuringian Universities  The Startup Centre Jena  The EXIST network of German universities

International Collaboration In addition, the CIE maintains various worldwide contacts to other universities, industry partners, and business incubators. Cooperation partners can be found in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa.

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Research Fields of Research The research activities of the various personnel within the CIE are of major importance. The research topics can be divided into the following categories:  Entrepreneurship education  Academic entrepreneurship  Innovation management  Entrepreneurship  Small business management  International entrepreneurship

Main Focus The element connecting all research activities is the analysis of key success factors for the rise and overall existence of innovative start-ups. The resulting research themes comprise of investigations in the entrepreneurial intentions of students and researchers as well as the analysis of institutional and environmental conditions. Activities The CIE has conducted many student surveys in several German states as well as on international level with the help of universities in Japan, Portugal, Brazil and Namibia. Furthermore, it conducts studies upon the effective and efficient transfer of available competencies in knowledge technology. Another important research activity is the development and testing of new teaching concepts in entrepreneurship education. In doing so, the focus is on methods that enable action- and experience-based learning. 8

Research Workshops and Conferences Every year the CIE organizes an outstanding event to exchange experiences and knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship. Policy makers, researchers and business managers are invited to take part in this meeting. The type of event varies every year, from small workshops to large conferences, and responses to actual developments and problems. Furthermore, the members of the CIE take part regularly in conferences of other institutions to present their current research.

Publications The scientific findings, research outcomes, and project activities are published in a series of working papers, under the heading “Jenaer Schriftenreihe zur Unternehmensgründung“ (ISSN 1860-9147). All publications from this series can be obtained without charge from the Digital Library of Thuringia (http://www.dbthueringen.de/servlets/DocumentServlet?id=15051). In addition, research outcomes are published in outstanding national and international research journals. The CIE homepage provides an up-to-date list of publications.

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Projects Project Funded Activities The CIE conducts several projects in the fields of entrepreneurship research and management. Many activities are project based and depend on an external funding by third-parties, institutions such as the Thuringian State Government, the German Federal Government, or the European Union. Since 1999, quite a few public funded projects have been successfully completed. Additionally, the university itself supports the CIE with basic funding of its own. The CIE has been involved in the following national and international programs:  EXIST - University-based Business Startups  INTERREG IIIC  Fact Finding Mission (DAAD)  Leonardo Partnership

Example of Good Practice In 2009, the OECD recognized the CIE projects in the field of entrepreneurship education as a good practice initiative. The CIE was invited to present their activities at a workshop as well as to publish it in a booklet. New Ideas and Project Proposals New Ideas and project proposals are always welcome. Please feel free to contact the members of the CIE with your ideas and proposals.

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Contacts Director Prof. Dr. Heiko Haase [email protected]

Entrepreneurship education Arndt Lautenschläger [email protected] Consultancy and networks André Kabeck [email protected] Third-party projects Anika Thomas [email protected]

Address Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship c/o Fachbereich Betriebswirtschaftslehre Carl-Zeiss-Promenade 2 07745 Jena Germany Internet www.cie.eah-jena.de

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