Examination arrangement

Course content

As a PhD student, you are expected to develop new knowledge, expand the research frontier and suggest theoretical and practical implications based on your understanding as an expert in your field. Your research is of course a personal intellectual journey, but it should also be a contribution to developing the society to the better. Dissemination of new knowledge can take many forms, e.g. publication, popular science, lectures, conferences and through new innovations. In this course research-based innovation is highlighted. This includes your role as an innovator, the academic cornerstones of innovation, and the entrepreneurial behaviour related to the skills needed to implement the innovation in the society.

Learning outcome

One of the key goals with this course is to increase the understanding of innovation and entreprepreneurship among doctoral students (at the individual, project and societal level). The increased understanding will enable the PhD candidate to connect own research with potential useful application and the process leading towards realization of this. The course provides an introduction to entrepreneurial thinking and action. It aims to enhance the students' understanding of what it takes to commit oneself and take on a role as an innovator. Furthermore, it is also goal is to make the participants assess their own relationship with entrepreneurial thinking and action, which is understood as an idea and opportunity-creation process rather than purely an economic business activity.

On completion of the module, candidates will possess the following:

Knowledge:

• In-depth understanding of the PhD student's role as an innovator.
• Understanding of the origin of a business idea.
• Knowledge about different theoretical cornerstones related to innovation and commercialization, including resource acquisition (e.g. knowledge, funding).
• Knowledge about problem understanding, identifying and understanding user and customer needs.
• Knowledge about different innovation processes.
• Knowledge about possibilities and boundaries related to intellectual property.

Skills:

• Ability to identify what role you as a PhD student can take/not take.
• Ability to identify different applications related to your own research.
• Ability to define different business models related to your research, and to analyse pros and cons regarding these.
• Develop your entrepreneurial mindset and skills.
• Ability to see your research in the context of practical issues for users, customers and other practitioners.

General Competence:

• Ability to reflect on own research practice and your own role as an innovator.

Learning methods and activities

The course will be offered in the spring semester. The module will consist of a day of lectures combined with self-study and a final seminar day.

The module will be taught based on a combination of lectures, class discussions, presentations and workshops. The term paper will rely on literature self-study guided by the module leader(s). The results of the term paper will be presented, reflected and discussed in a seminar. The student is expected to take a vital role to develop own and others knowledge in the module.

Compulsory activities:

Candidates must 1) before the course start read selected practical oriented entrepreneurship literature and hand in a note where elements from this reading is related to their own (or their research groups) research, 2) Submit a short (max 3000 words) paper where they a) reflect on their learning outcome of the course and b) reflect on how they as researchers can take their own (or their research groups) research further towards innovation.

Total number of participants: 20.

Further on evaluation

Assessment will be based on the term paper to be graded Pass/Fail

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Participation requires admission to one of these PhD programs:

PHOL - Economics and Management, PHCOS - Computer Science, PHISCT - Information Security and Communication Technology, PHELKT - Electric Power Engineering, PHET - Electronics and Telecommunication, PHMA - Mathematical Sciences or PHTK - Engineering Cybernetics

IMPORTANT: The course fee is 5 000 NOK. Faculty of Information Technology and Eletrical Engineering (IE) is covering this fee for their students.