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Faculty Minor Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Ambitious and intensive minor programme in English for bachelor students (incl. exchange students) of:

  • Faculty of Economics and Business
  • BSc Industrial Engineering & Management (Faculty of Science and Engineering)

Why choose this minor?

Due to globalization and the increasing uncertainty about technology and market developments, companies have no other choice than to innovate in order to survive in the long term. As a consequence, innovation has become one of the key strategic tasks facing organizations of all shapes, sizes and sectors.

Innovative entrepreneurs, whether setting up new companies or in the context of larger, established firms, are needed to recognize new opportunities. They are also needed to challenge the existing order of businesses, by meeting (societal) needs that have not been fulfilled yet.

There are many good reasons to choose this minor. You may want to know more about the process of innovation and entrepreneurship, and the development of new markets or new businesses in existing markets. Or you may want to assess the feasibility of your own business idea. Or you simply feel that your personal development and future career will benefit from innovative and entrepreneurial competencies.

In all these cases, the minor Innovation & Entrepreneurship is the right choice for you!

'The biggest addition of this minor to my programme is gaining intensive practical experience in setting up a business with a group of motivated and enthusiastic students.' - Nienke Kroes
'The biggest addition of this minor to my programme is gaining intensive practical experience in setting up a business with a group of motivated and enthusiastic students.' - Nienke Kroes

What will you learn?

The minor Innovation & Entrepreneurship will provide you with insights in the process of new venture creation, from both a theoretical and practical point of view. To that end, the minor will focus on a number of core themes, for example: how to create, discover and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities, and how to develop a fitting business model for that opportunity.

In the minor, you will also discuss some special forms of entrepreneurship, like high tech entrepreneurship, and service-based entrepreneurship. Furthermore, you will discuss how knowledge is protected or shared openly, how relations are developed in the network of value creation, and how this leads to new ventures.  

All in all, you will learn core concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship, based on state-of-the-art academic and practice-oriented literature. Also, you will be able to apply these concepts to realistic business cases. And finally, you will understand the elements of the entrepreneurial process, and will be able to adapt them to a variety of business contexts (for example the focus areas of the University of Groningen: energy, healthy aging, and sustainability.)

What does the programme look like?

The minor Innovation & Entrepreneurship is offered by the Faculty of Economics and Business.

The programme is compiled out of 4 courses (each 5 ECTS) on theory and methods of innovation and entrepreneurship, and a project course of 10 ECTS.

In the project course, you will develop an empirically well-founded solution to a practical business development challenge, together with the students of the (university) minor Entrepreneurship. Hence: you will do the project course in multidisciplinary project groups. The source of your group's business development challenge could be your own entrepreneurial idea, but also an opportunity, delivered by an existing company.

You can find an overview of the programme below.

Period

Course name

EC TS

Type

Language

Semester 1a

Introduction to Entrepreneurship *
EBB124A05

5

Compulsory

English

Entrepreneurial marketing
EBB117A05

5

Compulsory

English

Technology-based offerings
EBB119A05

5

Compulsory

English

Semester 1b

Innovation management B&M
EBB107A05

5

Compulsory

English

Entrepreneurship Project *
EBB118B10

10

Compulsory

English

* These courses are taken together with the students of the (university) minor Entrepreneurship.

Please note: the courses of the minor cannot be taken individually, except for the course Innovation Management B&M (EBB107A05).

Who can participate?

The minor Innovation & Entrepreneurship is offered to a limited number of bachelor students (incl. exchange students) of the Faculty of Economics and Business, and the BSc. Industrial Engineering & Management, who completed their propaedeutics. All other bachelor students of the University of Groningen are referred to the (university) minor Entrepreneurship.

'You are encouraged to think about possibilities that exist in various areas of technology.' - Marijn Prins
'You are encouraged to think about possibilities that exist in various areas of technology.' - Marijn Prins

A. Students of the Faculty of Economics and Business (incl. exchange students) can only take the full minor programme of 30 ECTS. Whether the minor can be taken as part of the regular curriculum, varies per bachelor programme. Your programme's study advisor can tell you more about your specific situation.

Students of the following bachelor programmes can take the minor Innovation & Entrepreneurship as part of their regular curriculum:

  • BSc. Business Administration (profiles Business & Management / Technology Management only)
  • BSc. Economics and Business Economics
  • BSc. Econometrics and Operations Research

For all other FEB-students, the minor will be extra curricular.

B. Students of the BSc. Industrial Engineering & Management are allowed to take a programme of 25 ECTS, consisting of the courses Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Marketing and Technology-based Offerings in semester 1a (15 ECTS), and Entrepreneurship Project in semester 1b (10 ECTS). Your programme's study advisor can tell you more about your specific situation.

How to apply?

Final selection for the minor is based on a letter of motivation (including resume) that needs to be submitted to the coordinator of the minor via the button below . Make sure to submit your application before, but no later than the 7th of July of the academic year prior to the academic year in which you want to do the minor, at the latest. After being selected for the minor, you will be automatically enrolled for the relevant courses of the minor in Progress.

More information?

Please contact the coordinator of the minor, André Bergsma.

Last modified:21 September 2023 3.33 p.m.