Impact Entrepreneurship for Transformational Change

As part of the course, students from various disciplines spend a semester working intensively on social, ecological or technological challenges and the question of how these can be solved with the help of social and innovative business ideas. The programme teaches methods and knowledge on topics such as system innovation, design thinking, future thinking, regenerative and impact-oriented business models, impact management and financing. The systemic perspective is of particular importance in the programme. In particular, the major social and ecological problems of our time cannot be solved in isolation as "wicked problems". Solutions are therefore only possible by viewing them as phenomena that are integrated into systems. Students work in teams on social, ecological or technological challenges and apply the methodological knowledge they have acquired to develop an entrepreneurial solution for the selected problem. This process is structured and supported by lecturers and external coaches. At the end of the semester, the students present the solutions they have developed in the form of impact-orientated business models. In this context, they receive feedback and the opportunity to apply for follow-up coaching for the business ideas they have developed. The course is held in German in the summer semester and in English in the winter semester.

The aim of the module is to enable students to develop practice-oriented solutions in the form of impact-oriented business models. The focus is on generating impact in the sense of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Students will be able to - explain the concept of impact and its implications and illustrate them using specific case studies. - develop entrepreneurial solutions for real challenges in interdisciplinary teams. - apply tools and methods from the fields of systems thinking, future thinking, human-centred design, impact orientation and business modelling to their challenges. - present the solutions developed for their challenges using professional presentation techniques appropriate to the target group. - categorise and discuss alternative economic models such as the Economy for the Common Good, Doughnut Economics and post-growth approaches. The module focuses on experience-based and problem-oriented learning and aims to promote the development of social and entrepreneurial innovations as well as the promotion and development of students' skills with regard to responsible entrepreneurship. By developing solutions in interdisciplinary teams, students also improve their soft skills such as creativity, perseverance, communication skills, and interdisciplinary competences.

The examination consists of two components. In the accompanying online course, the content of the respective units is tested and deepened through reflection tasks and research tasks (approximately 18,000 signs including spaces). This part represents 50% of the grade. Furthermore, the presentation prepared by the students at the end of the semester and its corresponding documentation (pitch deck or similar) is part of the examination (50%). As part of a final event, the teams present a solution idea for the problem they have chosen and developed in the area of society, ecology or technology. The presentation lasts 5-10 minutes. The students demonstrate that they are able to translate the information they have received into an independently developed impact-orientated business model and present this in an appropriate manner. They are supported in their preparation by regular feedback from lecturers and coaches.

- Basic understanding of entrepreneurship and its principles, such as from attending an introductory lecture on the topic, founding experience, or closely following the media on the topic - Basic knowledge in sustainability - Interest in developing innovative solutions from a systemic perspective to generate social and environmental impact

Lectures and interactive, seminar-style teaching in the form of discussions, group work, development of challenges, team coaching sessions, feedback discussions, presentations, and Q&A sessions. The variety of methods ensures that the right method is chosen for each learning content to be taught. For example, new knowledge and tools are presented by experts in the field in keynote speeches and then discussed in large or small groups before being incorporated into the development of solutions. Feedback discussions and team coaching sessions facilitate the application of the tools and methods presented. The final presentation at the closing event gives participants the opportunity to practise their communication skills and improve them through appreciative, constructive feedback. The synchronous online and face-to-face teaching is supplemented by asynchronous elements of self-learning time via the accompanying online course and associated reflection tasks, as well as by self-organised project group meetings, which are documented in the final report.