Course content

The course explores how digital technologies and platforms enable new forms of entrepreneurship, collaboration and value creation across sectors.

Main topics include:

• Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystems
• Platform Economy: Network Effects, Scalability, and Governance
• Data-driven innovation and digital sustainability
• Business model development for digital and biological contexts
• Interdisciplinary collaboration and co-creation methods
• Case: blue and green digital start-ups (e.g. aquatech, biotechnology, digital services)
• Ethics, Regulation and Sustainability in Digital Platforms

The course provides students with an interdisciplinary understanding of how digital technology, entrepreneurship, and the platform economy contribute to new forms of value creation and sustainable development. Students learn to develop digital business concepts and collaborate across fields such as business, technology, and biology. The course supports NTNU's strategy on digitalization, sustainability, and blue/green innovation.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

After finishing the course the students shall:

• Shall have a basic understanding of principals in digital entrepreneurship and platformeconomics
• Know how digitalization effects various industries, like marine, biotechnology and service production
• Be able to explain businessmodel innovations and value creation in digtal ecosystems
• Have knowledge of ethical, socialtal and sustainability aspects of digital platforms

Skills:

After completing the course the students shall be able to:

• Develop and evaluate digital business- and innovation concepts that address real world challenges
• Integrate insight from technology, business development and biological sciences to create interdisciplinary solutions
• Bruke digitale verktøy for prototyping, datavisualisering og forretningsmodellering.
• Use digital tools for prototyping, data visualization, and business modeling.
• Analyze platform strategies and apply methods such as lean startup and agile co-creation.

General competence:

After completing the course, the student should:

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate and communicate across disciplines.
• Critically reflect on the opportunities and limitations of digital entrepreneurship in a sustainable development context.
• Be able to present and communicate innovation ideas to professional and industrial stakeholders.

Learning methods and activities

The teaching will consist of:

• Lectures and seminars
• Interdisciplinary group project work
• Workshops in digital tools (e.g., Figma, Miro, Business Model Canvas)
• Guest lectures from entrepreneurs, industry, and research environments
• Pitch session at the end of the semester

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Prerequisites:

Basic knowledge in at least one of the following subject areas:

• Innovation and management (business students)
• Programming, data analysis, or digital tools (ICT students)
• Biology, biotechnology, or environmental sciences (biology students)