Entrepreneurship in Future Design Education
Year: 2011
Editor: Kovacevic, Ahmed, Ion, William, McMahon, Chris, Buck, Lyndon and Hogarth, Peter
Author: Sigurjónsson, Jóhannes B.; Boks, Casper
Series: E&PDE
Section: Design Education and Business 2
Page(s): 53-58
Abstract
Design Methods and Design Thinking have become important elements in innovation and entrepreneurship processes. Introduction of design subjects into business and engineering educations shows this. One could also mention the success of IDEO publications, presenting state of the art design methodology, stressing user focus. An increasing number of innovations directly address or involve end users, by offering immaterial products; services, leisure etc. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU has focus on Entrepreneurship and innovation and is amongst the leading universities worldwide when it comes to university-business cooperation. NTNU has an active TTO (technology transfer office), the NTNU School of Entrepreneurship is well renowned after 5 years of operation, and in 2010 a new vice rector position was established with responsibility for innovation and business cooperation. Working with the Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) at NTNU education we also observe students becoming more inclined towards innovation and entrepreneurship. This paper examines two aspects of this development and discusses future implication. Several students have left the IDE programme after 3 years (compares to a BSc degree) to enter the School of Entrepreneurship. In the paper we look at their current employment situation, which largely seems to be related to communication in one way or another. The candidates also comment on the value of their combined design and Entrepreneurship education.
The possibilities of active entrepreneurship have also been explored by a number of students. Most notably by a group which has which came up with a promising product concept in a third year study project. They chose to develop the product concept further through several levels of concretisation and have now established a start up company. The project has received several innovation awards and is moving towards product/business realisation, which is actually the topic for their IDE master projects. Finally the paper discusses how apparent development should be included/met in the planned revision of the IDE curriculum.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship, design education, innovation, university-business cooperation