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  • Circuses and innovation have more in common than you thought

    Circuses and innovation have more in common than you thought

    Popcorn, cotton candy, slush and a mechanical bull wereall present in Gruva at NTNU on 22-23. August to show the playful and spontaneous side of the innovation and entrepreneurial environment that flourishes in Trondheim.

    By Pernille Svartveit Osmundsen

    With Andreas Hjertaker, leader, and Espen Hegdal, deputy leader, at the helm, FRAM has organised two days of stands and workshops that have attracted many students to peak in on what the innovation environment has to offer. FRAM NTNU is referred to as the innovation house in Trondheim and all organisations involved in innovation and entrepreneurship at NTNU are organised under FRAM.

    Espen Hegdal, deputy leader (left) and Andreas Hjertaker, leader (right) of the student organisation FRAM was very satisfied with the event.

    Hegdal says they want all students in Trondheim to get to know the entire innovation environment. Both Hegdal and Hjertaker talk about long and busy days before the start of the event, at the same time it has been a lot of fun and they are very satisfied with the event. The two of them have volunteered for several organisations under FRAM and say they do it because they get so much in return. The feeling of getting something back for the effort you put in is part of what they hope people takes with them from these two days. Hjertaker says the aim is to arouse engagement and joy and refers to FRAM’s core values; Play, share, create.

    When it comes to the circus theme, it was selected based on how playful FRAM experiences the innovation environment. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on and many committed people around you who love to innovate, Hegdal says. This made them want to create a playful arena where people feel they are entering a circus. He says this is how it should feel when you are in the innovation environment as well.

    Hegdal hopes this event will emerge all the activity and the close cooperation there is among the organisations in the innovation environment. FRAM works to ensure that the innovation environment feels like a community and that you can be proud to be part of it. Not only are the innovation days an opportunity for students to get to know the different organisations, it also is an opportunity for the organisations themselves to get to know each other better.

    The circus themed event was well received by the participants.

    Many organisations and start-ups promoted themselves during The Innovation Days, one of them being Orbit, a student organisation that designs and builds small satellites that are launched into space. Two of the students representing Orbit was Marie Eriksen Grude and Tim Matras. They say they encounter engaged students who are passionate about new and upcoming projects. Grude says the Innovation Days are a great opportunity to both show off within the student community and recruit new members. Orbit is keen to develop and get a hold of new talented people, and The Innovation Days are a great place to meet committed students with an interest in new companies.

    Orbit has participated both days and says they have had many fine people come by. They talk about committed students and are pleased they have met so many people who are interested in something as specific as building satellites. They brag about the event and are confident it will tempt new qualified applicants, like it did last year.

    The Innovation Days was an opportunity for many student organisations to promote themselves to students and others interested in innovation.

    The circus theme was not only well received by the organisations, it turns out it was also a good sales trick to get brand new students to visit Gruva. Two of the students who made the trip to The Innovation Days were Othilie Lunsæter and Mathilde Mikland Ekeberg. The two of them are both in their first year at Mechanical Engineering and were just on their way to a lecture when they saw there was slush coming from Gruva. They thought it was interesting to see all the organisations at the event and inspiring to hear about different start-ups and their achievements.

    It wasn’t just students and student organisations present at The Innovation Days, established companies such as SpareBank 1 attended as well. Bente Birkestøl and Solveig Eidsvik Tvedt, who work for SpareBank 1, says they try to be close to the student environment and the innovation environment. They want to show that they have expertise in business development and follow the trends and visions of the future the students are interested in. Birkestøl says there can often be quite a distance between the bank and the student environment, and when they work with the innovation environment, it is important for them to be in the arena where ideas begin to take shape early on.

    Several companies were also present at the event to show they are part of the innovation environment and understand what is important to the students.

    Students from many different directions has attended these two days, which Tvedt and Birkestøl think is very positive. The two brag about the event and the concept FRAM went with and Birkestøl emphasizes that the success of the event probably has to do with the fact that it is an event by students for students.

    Birkestøl says there are many people who are curious about the link between banking and the student environment. There were also many who pitched their ideas and several who asked for advice on how they could start up and how SpareBank 1 could contribute to that. Tvedt emphasizes that SpareBank1 not only provides normal banking services, but also advice and help to start a start-up. It is important for us to let them know we are in Trondheim and it is possible to come down to our office and get advice on ideas, budgeting, accounting, and costs, Birkestøl says.

    SpareBank 1 are not newcomers to The Innovation Days and it has been important for them to attend an event like this one to get a sense of what is happening and understand what the students are concerned with. Tvedt says innovation has never been more important considering everything we are facing with climate, war, and crises from all sides. She says it’s extremely important that people want to try fixing everything we face. Birkestøl explains the importance of them leaning a little forward to see what’s around the corner and says they sometimes find potential partners among the students involved in innovation at NTNU.

    The Innovation Days concluded the circus event with two well-executed days where Gruva showed itself from its best side, alongside what the innovation environment has to offer. The leaders of FRAM, Hjertaker and Hegdal, emphasizes that if anyone wants to do something a little more out of the ordinary, Gruva is the place to start. And they hope people see that when they get there, they will be met by lots of energy and be introduced to talented and engaged people.

  • The status quo of entrepreneurship and innovation in different disciplines – new report from Engage

    An important part of Engage’s vision is to spread entrepreneurship competence into different disciplines in higher education, so that philosophers, economists, nurses, social workers and engineers, to name a few, can see themselves as a part of the change they would like to see in the world. This is in line with the strategy of one of our host universities, NTNU. Last year, the Pro-Rector for innovation at NTNU therefore asked us to explore the status quo regarding the inclusion of entrepreneurship and innovation in education at the university.

    By Gunhild Marie Roald

    The report shows an increase in the number of courses that use the word entrepreneur or innovation from 2017/2018-2021/2022. In 2021/2022 the number was 18%. A follow-up study among the educators who use the word entrepreneurship or innovation in their course descriptions shows that there is a need for more knowledge about how entrepreneurship and innovation can be included in different disciplines. Furthermore, it appears that particularly the word entrepreneurship is, by educators and students, often associated with great achievers such as Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, or with construction companies, which shows the need for a wider range of role models and a need to open people’s eyes for what entrepreneurship can be and how it concerns us all.

    Click here to read the full report in Norwegian.

  • “Perhaps the best collection of pitches I have seen at NTNU!”

    “Perhaps the best collection of pitches I have seen at NTNU!”

    By Pernille Svartveit Osmundsen

    This event not only provided startups with the opportunity to compete for prize money but also served as a platform to initiate early-stage dialogues with investors, giving them a crucial stepping stone to raise the capital necessary for building a sustainable business.

    Out of 19 applicants, 10 startups were selected to attend the event, where they pitched their business ideas and participated in an intense speed-dating round with a selection of Norway’s foremost early-phase investors. Among the investors who evaluated the startups were well-known names such as “Bring Ventures” and “Equinor Venture”, as well as new investment funds like “GNIST Capital”.

    Lots of people present at The Mine for this year’s Student Investor Day.

    6AM Accelerator, co-host of the event, also offered participation in their accelerator program to one of the startups. Marcus Nickelsen from 6AM explains that they observe many encountering similar problems in the early stages of business development, such as financing strategy, sales, legal issues, and raising capital. Therefore, 6AM created a program that provides startups with expertise in these areas and introduces them to their network of investors, partners, and customers. Nickelsen mentions that choosing a winner was a bit difficult. Their assessments focused on the team, their potential, and the social impact they could have, which is important for the world. NAYA, which offers human labeling of high-quality training data for customers developing machine learning models, won the opportunity to participate in the accelerator program. Nickelsen explains that the timing, along with early customer validation, made them a good fit within the scope where 6AM can deliver the most value to a startup.

    Mille Isaksen, NAYA’s Business Strategist, highlights their need for guidance in developing the technical aspects of their product. They are looking forward to receiving guidance from 6AM to further develop NAYA’s platform, delivering the specialized labeling services they offer.

    Participating startups given the opportunity to connect with some of Norway’s foremost early-phase investors.

    Kelpinor, which has developed a method for harvesting and launching kelp, enabling economies of scale, won the award of NOK 100.000 for “Best Business Concept”. NTNU Discovery’s main project grant of NOK 300.000 was awarded to Røynd, which develops advanced movement platforms for the professional market, e-sports, and competitions. Arctic Protein, which utilizes insects to convert waste into valuable resources, also managed to win the “Sustainability Award” along with NOK 50.000. CEO Eirik Kristoffer Myking explains that they did not expect to receive the sustainability award after leaving the jury’s room. He adds that receiving the award made them happy and relieved, and being part of a day like this was important for Arctic Protein. CPO, Jens Nygaard, emphasizes the significant amount of equipment and funds required to start production, and the money will contribute to that. Additionally, the relationships they built during the day will be of great value in the years to come.

    Hermann Schips, CEO & CO-Founder of Kelpinor, receiving the “Best Business Concept” award from Sparebank 1 SMN.

    The event was not only meaningful and positive for the startups but also received praise from attendees. Anders Ganes from Boitano and Kristian Næss from Arkwright X spoke highly of the event, mentioning that great ideas and exciting entrepreneurs with lots of potential came forward. Ganes thinks it is positive that investors are engaged with student organizations and startups from an early stage. Nickelsen from 6AM, who is both a sponsor and a previous awardee, says he can be a bit biased. Nevertheless, he highlights his involvement for a few years, including his connection with the innovation environment through the NTNU School of Entrepreneurship and his previous role as a manager at Spark. He adds that today’s event showcased perhaps the best collection of pitches he has seen at NTNU since he started.

    The team behind Arctic Protein receiving the “Sustainability Award” from Sparebank 1 SMN.

    In addition to these prizes, eight promising entrepreneurs also received SpareBank 1 SMN’s talent grant worth NOK 50.000. The aim of this grant is to promote, develop, and inspire local talent to help them achieve their goals. The recipients of the talent grants were:

    • Christian Hallvard Dahl Nielsen (BEV/ART)
    • Daniel Hansen (Leasi)
    • David Phan (Tomatosharp)
    • Eirin Fossberg (NAYA)
    • Henriette Einevoll Husby (Business Talk with Henriette)
    • Sander Haukdal Larsen (ENVE)
    • Patrick Gimmestad Emblem (XperiTech)
    • Heidi Grande (Hera Solutions)

    For future entrepreneurs and startups interested in applying to be part of future Student Investor Days, today’s entrepreneurs offer the following tips:

    Marcus Nickelsen from 6AM believes it is important to maintain high ambition levels that are within realistic limits. If you manage to achieve something new every time you meet investors, there is a high probability that things will only get better. Eirik Kristoffer Myking from Arctic Protein emphasizes that the most important thing is to believe in what you are going to do and not sell something you don’t believe in. Mille Isaksen, NAYA’s Business strategist, explains how crucial it is to highlight your achievements, be aware of what you have accomplished, and focus on that.

    We are proud to offer our congratulations to the winning startups and recipients of the talent grants, and cannot wait for next year’s Student Investor Day!

  • Engagers’ granted the “Best PDW award” at this year’s 3E Conference

    Engagers’ granted the “Best PDW award” at this year’s 3E Conference

    3E is an entrepreneurship education conference, and many participants from Engage contributed with presentations and workshops.

    By William Husby Hoven

    Each year, the 3E Conference – ECSB Entrepreneurship Education Conference is held. This year’s edition was hosted by Aarhus University and VIA University College, taking place in Aarhus, Denmark from 10-12 May. With an innovative and non-traditional format, the 3E Conference aims to establish a new paradigm for entrepreneurship conferences. It provides a distinct and engaging opportunity for researchers, educators, and policymakers to discuss and share their experiences regarding the significant challenges and advancements in enterprise education, with a special and unique focus on Europe. In 2023, the 3E Conference celebrated its 10-year anniversary and returned to the city of Aarhus.

    Engagers’ exploring every aspect of the game.

    The theme of this year’s conference was: “Back to the Future of Entrepreneurship Education,” and numerous Engagers’ were in attendance. Ingrid Oline Sivertsen, Dag H. Haneberg, Åshild Wilhelmsen, Sølvi Solvoll, and Ole Andreas Alsos were the minds behind the idea and development of the game that was tested during the workshop. The title of the article and workshop was: “How can we re-think assessment of students’ work in entrepreneurship education?”. The game itself draws significant influence from design and architecture education and serves as a tool for discussing and collaborating on innovative assessment methods in higher education courses. The game is called: “SUPER Assessor”.

    Although there were many excellent workshops at 3E, this particular session stood out with its high level of engagement, laughter, competitive spirit, and satisfied participants who felt they gained a lot from their involvement. The games were in such high demand that they quickly disappeared, as entrepreneurship educators from Brazil, New Zealand, the Netherlands, England, and various other places around the world eagerly claimed their copies.

    Regarding the game itself and the “Best PDW Award”, one of the developers stated: “We will continue to further develop this and hope to receive many valuable inputs. One team member has reached out to the TTO at NTNU. So far, we have received feedback from more than 60 educators across different disciplines and will be testing the game in the upcoming period during pedagogy courses at Nord University, an engineering conference at NTNU, and other contexts. After the summer, we hope to test it with many other instructors in Ireland.”

    The game itself was developed through the “SUPER” project, where we focus on student-active learning and assessment methods. One of the game’s standout features is its “mission cards”, which offer participants a range of engaging agendas, including effective student assessment methods and cost-saving assessment strategies. This element sparks numerous fruitful discussions.

    The “Best PDW Award”.

    Congratulations on being awarded the prize: Ingrid, Dag Håkon, Ole Andreas, and Sølvi, well done!

  • What is an ecosystem within the innovation environment?

    What is an ecosystem within the innovation environment?

    Earlier in May, we invited students and educators to the seminar: “Student-driven ecosystems for innovation and entrepreneurship”. This was an academic seminar where we explored the question: “How can we best utilize ecosystems for student innovation in formal entrepreneurship education?” The day was filled with lectures, discussions, and group work.

    By Pernille Svartveit Osmundsen

    The event was a success involving great conversations, lots of inspiration and presentations of new opportunities for many outside NTNU. There were several who came from far distances to participate and get inspired so that they can take this experience with them to their own universities. One of them was Ingvild Åmås Høiby, working with the “Studentinkubator” (student incubator) at the University of Stavanger (UiS). Among several other things, their work involves providing students a safe environment to develop innovation and helping them connect with an innovation ecosystem. She goes into how an ecosystem is important for learning how others have done it, knowing what works, creating a network, and getting to know others who might become part of your team. In the context of an ecosystem, according to Høiby, it is important that it is safe and that you can get to know others who are interested in the same thing. This seminar has given her inspiration for how she can work with the ecosystem at UiS where they want to get more students involved.

    Throughout the day, the participants were given several opportunities to share valuable insights with each other.

    Marie Levin Matre, Joakim Marthinsen, and Manuel Alfaro are three students from Norges Idrettshøyskole (NIH) who are studying a bachelor’s degree in training, health, and performance. They came to the seminar because they have experienced, both during practice and bachelor’s work, that they could be useful for companies and have something to contribute. During their studies they have experienced that students feel a lack of clear connection to working life, and they want to do something about this. Alfaro says that it is a real problem that people don’t understand what they study and what they become. He further explains their vision, which is a student lab where companies can come up with products, applications, and everything within sports technology, and students can help solve real problems and help them develop their products.

    The participants working together in groups.

    When asked what they associated with the ecosystem, Alfaro said an ecosystem is a collaboration involving several parties. Ragnhild Nordeng Fauchald, who is a scholarship holder at NTNU in her third year and is researching in her doctorate how students learn from engaging in an innovation ecosystem, says the same thing, stating that it is a collaboration. More specifically, she describes this ecosystem as all the activity taking place both in specific activities, but also between actors within the ecosystem generating a form of commitment. She has heard that what this ecosystem is built on is clearer to the employees at NTNU and less clear to others. This is because what happens at other universities is less developed, and then there is less awareness of how one can work with other partners because the values one can provide across different players in the ecosystem are not as visible.

    Fauchald further explains that it is equally important for the companies contributing money that they get something in return from the students. An ecosystem is continuous, just like in biology; the death of a species affects the entire ecosystem. It is vulnerable, being worked on and further developed at all times. This is something corresponding with the vision of the students from NIH. Matre talked about the benefits the student lab will generate for both students and companies. Students get work experience and the opportunity to get in contact with companies, while the companies become more familiar with the fields of study and what the students can provide them through the practise of real-life problem-solving.

    Furthermore, the students talked about how this seminar has given them inspiration, motivation, and introduced them to a network. They have observed how others have succeeded and been shown how to start up and the process from an early idea to being placed into a system. Matre, Marthinsen, and Alfaro said that they are in the starting phase of the innovation environment NTNU has built up over several years, and therefore it was educational to hear from people who have succeeded and how they managed to do so.

    Ken Singer, from the University of California, Berkeley, sharing his knowledge and insights with the audience.

    Moreover, we were lucky enough to have Ken Singer with us at The Mine (Gruva), the Managing Director and Chief Learning Officer of the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the University of California, Berkeley. With his unique expertise and strong professional background in entrepreneurship and innovation, he shared some of his knowledge and insights on the topic: “Entrepreneurial Mindset and Culture: A Silicon Valley Perspective”. Additionally, he addressed the topic: “Shift Happens: Innovating in a Time of Crisis”, and held an interactive talk providing tips to students about how to be an entrepreneur in the US. We are very grateful for Ken’s motivating and inspiring lectures.

    To address the question of how to utilize ecosystems for student innovation in formal entrepreneurship education, the seminar successfully connected students and educators from across Norway, fostering inspiration, networking, and knowledge-sharing, thereby facilitating mutual learning and contributing to the growth of the ecosystem.

  • The future innovators through student volunteering?

    The future innovators through student volunteering?

    Innovative solutions and businesses are central to a welfare society, and to make it happen in the future today’s students have to work up own innovation competence. Unfortunately these are skills that are not necessarily is emphasized developed during it formal course of study.

    By Ingrid Berg Sivertsen, Dag Håkon Haneberg and Sølvi Solvoll.

    Our findings show how engagement beyond the studies contributes to the students acquire knowledge that they do not get through the studies. Increased competence in work in interdisciplinary groups, security in handling conflicts, action skills and larger networks are some experiences the students are left with which is in accordance with innovation competence. We therefore believe that student volunteering
    can provide important innovation competence for future working life.

    Click here to read the full article in Norwegian.

  • Start Sirkulær 2023 – engaging students to focus on circular economy

    Start Sirkulær 2023 – engaging students to focus on circular economy

    By Pernille Svartveit Osmundsen

    Circular economy is about reusing the resources we have so that they run in an eternal cycle, and one of the goals is that it should be profitable to operate sustainably. “Circular economy is incredibly important in order to minimize all consumption and extraction of natural resources. Accordingly, that is important in order to ensure sustainable social development and a brighter future”, says the project manager of Start Sirkulær, Astrid Nitter.

    The background to this event was Start NTNU’s yearly event called Start X, where you can apply as a project manager within any topic. One year ago, Astrid submitted the topic “circular economy” because she believed it was in the wind at the moment, and saw it as an extremely important topic to bring forward as we are currently in an area with a great need of innovation and new ideas. Obviously, she was not alone in having these thoughts and became project manager for Start Sirkulær. Engage was working on a similar event with Sara Grette and Anas Ani as project managers, who contacted Start NTNU and proposed a collaboration. The final result took place in the form of the event being launched back in February.

    The students working together during the business simulator.

    During Start Sirkulær 2023 the students got to participate in a 24-hour business simulator/case solution with mini-workshops and pitch courses. There were held two different pitching competitions where one was in connection with the business simulator, while the other was about ideas that could contribute to one or more of UN’s sustainability goals. At the evening there was arranged a quite successful “change-of-clothes-party”, and the whole event was concluded with a banquet at Britannia hotel. There the winners of the business simulator and the pitching competition were chosen, as well as being awarded prizes – including a trip to Germany, with TOMRA.

    The students about to pitch their solutions in line with the problem presented by TOMRA.

    The main problem TOMRA presented to this year’s case participants was: How can one create circularity in the textile industry, while at the same time being profitable? The participants had to familiarize themselves with a segment of the value chain in the textile industry. During the 24 hours the participants were given, they were able to participate in professional workshops with Trondheim Municipality, StartOff and Equinor, in addition to pitch courses with 6AM Accelerator.

    Two of the participants were Mathias Bjønnes and Matias Ashour studying Electronic System Design and Innovations, joining the event because they thought it was exciting to learn more about entrepreneurship. Their experience was that it was challenging, but fun to work with, and as students who for the most part have theoretical courses it was a fun, new and challenging experience. They elaborated that they hadn’t thought about how difficult it was to recycle textiles and to what extent it is done. The two students added that the experience has made them become a little more observant about it, which can be said to be a small start on a journey towards a world operating from a circular economy point of view. “What makes me most satisfied and proud in retrospect is when I hear that the participants had fun while at the same time learning a lot about the circular economy, and specifically how big an impact the textile industry has on the climate and environment”, Astrid Nitter says.

    The panel judging the solutions presented.

    The goal from both the organizers and the main collaboration partner, TOMRA, was to reach out to all students from as many different fields of study as possible, at NTNU. “Different types of students can contribute to the topic from diverse points of view, backgrounds and angles” Nitter stated, and added “I am incredibly impressed by the solutions the participants were able to come up with in just 24 hours, and how good they were at pitching these solutions. The clothes-swap-night was also a nice addition to show how individuals can contribute to a circular textile industry. Last but not least, we think the banquet was very successful”.

    To reach a brighter future Nitter talked about when explaining circular economy, we need to start thinking now. Everyone must do their part, and regarding the question of what is the most important thing that entrepreneurship and innovation can contribute to when it comes to developing this circular economy, Nitter responded: «To develop a circular economy, an incredible amount of innovation, new ideas and new start-ups are needed. Therefore, I hope Start Sirkulær has inspired students to continue investing in this field!”

  • NTNU Student Investor Day: 12 May 2023

    NTNU Student Investor Day: 12 May 2023

    Once again we are proud to invite the top 10 student-driven startups from NTNU to meet a selection of Norway’s foremost early phase investors.

    By William Husby Hoven

    Together with Sparebank 1 SMN and 6AM Accelerator we are glad to be able to repeat 2021 and 2022’s success; the NTNU Student Investor Day!

    Every student-driven startup from NTNU are invited to apply for the event according to the application criteria listed below. Of the applicants, 10 startups are selected to attend the event where they will get to pitch their business idea and be a part of an intense speed-dating round with a selection of Norway’s foremost early phase investors.

    When?

    12. May 2023

    12:00 – 13:30: Introductions and pitching
    13:30 – 13:45: Snack-break
    13:45 – 15:30: Speed dating
    15:30 – 18:30: Prize ceremony, food and drinks

    Where?

    Gruva, Oppredningen, NTNU Gløshaugen
    Sem Sælands vei 1, 7034 Trondheim

    What?

    3 minute pitching from startups.
    8 minute speed dates between startups and investors.
    Prize ceremony.
    Mingling, food and drinks.

    Who?

    Student-driven startups from NTNU.
    Norwegian early phase investors.

    Prizes?

    Total of 150.000 NOK!
    Participation in the 6AM Accelerator program!

    NTNU Student Investor Day is intentionally set to the same date as “Tech, Hugs & Rock’n Roll”. We hope that as many as possible of you will join us continuing the evening there, as we celebrate the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Trondheim!

    More info about Tech Hugs & Rock’n Roll can be found here:
    https://www.facebook.com/events/562928849104821

    Why NTNU Student Investor Day?

    The goal of NTNU Student Investor Day is to create an arena for student-driven startups at NTNU to meet investors, and vice versa, so that we together can commercialise technology from NTNU. 

    In doing so, we aim to facilitate for the startups to learn more about what investors look for. Even more so, we want to aid the startups to start a dialogue with investors early on – hoping that it will be a stepping stone for them to raise the capital needed to build a sustainable business.

    Awards

    There are two award categories:

    • Best Business Concept
    • Sustainability Award

    A total of 150.000 NOK will be awarded to the winners.

    Additionally, one of the participating startups will automatically be accepted into the 6AM Accelerator program (valued at 120.000 NOK!)

    Read more about 2021’s winner of best business concept,
    Aviant’s, successful trip to Stage Two in Berlin here:

    Stage two: Succeeding in the entrepreneurial world

    How to apply

    Applications are sendt as a “3-pager” (pdf-format) where all elements listed below should be addressed. You choose yourself how the format and structure of the 3-pager are.

    The deliverable should be maximum 3 pages – hence the name “3-pager”. We prefer that you write in Norwegian, but you may also write in English. Note that the event will be held in Norwegian.

    Value proposition
    Briefly, what is your business idea?
    What value does your business idea offer to the market?

    Team
    Who is behind the idea and why are you fit do succeed?

    Problem
    Which problem(s) do you aim to solve with your idea?

    Solution
    What is your concept, product or service?
    What makes it unique, is it scalable, is it doable, is it new?

    Customer and market analysis
    Who is your customer, user, and what market need do you fulfill? How large is the market, who are the players in it, and how can you address it?

    Business model and value chain analysis
    What does your business model look like, and where do you place yourself in the value chain

    Sustainability
    What makes your idea more sustainable – either environmental, economical or socially – than others in the market.

    Additionally, in the email with the application you will have to answer the following questions.

    Question #1 (max 500 characters)
    What new value will your business idea offer to the market?

    Question #2 (max 500 characters)
    Which sustainability goals does your startup address, and how?

    Question #3 (max 500 characters)
    Why is it important for your startup to meet investors right now?

    Thus, the mail will answer the three questions above, and have one pdf with maximum 3 pages attached.

    Applications are sent to henning.p.patricksson@ntnu.no before the 9th of April, 23:59.

    Mark the subject of the mail with:
    “NTNU Student Investor Day: [insert your startup’s name]”

    Requirements for applying startups:
    The majority of the team is required to be a registered student (Bachelor, Master) at NTNU.

    The same startup can only attend NTNU Student Investor Day 2 times. If the startup applies for a third time, the application will not be considered.

    You can find the event on Facebook here:
    https://fb.me/e/2qh3nbDUG

  • Norwegian forum for entrepreneurship in higher education reinvented!

    Norwegian forum for entrepreneurship in higher education reinvented!

    By Gunn-Berit Neergård


    In autumn 2019, the Norwegian Forum for Entrepreneurship in Higher Education was founded by representatives from 14 various colleges and universities that met for a seminar in Trondheim. At this meeting it was determined that we will develop the network as a competence forum for educators and researchers who have practical experience with entrepreneurship education. When the seminar ended in 2019, the participants went their separate ways with one plan to meet again in 2020. Then came the pandemic.

    The isolation is over, and it is with great pleasure that we at SFU Engage pick up the thread again!

    We look forward to replicating the success of 2019 and revitalizing this important network. This year’s seminar deals with student-run ecosystems for innovation and entrepreneurship. We ask: How can we best use an ecosystem for student innovation in formal entrepreneurship education? We look forward to an educational day of lectures, discussions and group work.

    For educators

    Read more about the parallel for educators and researchers here. (In Norwegian.)

    The event takes place in Norway’s largest area for student innovation, Gruva/The Mine, NTNU Trondheim. The Mine is a meeting place for students and staff across subjects, subjects and faculties, as well as actors from the public and private sector. We look forward to meeting you in Trondheim, and hope to see you there!

    For students

    A large part of student life takes place on campus and in the teaching you participate in, and innovation and entrepreneurship is on the agenda like never before. An ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship on campus is important for students, but so can be wise to create links between this ecosystem and what gives us study credits.

    We ask: How can we best use an ecosystem for student innovation in our educations?

    Read more about the parallel for students here! (In Norwegian.)

    How to join
    Save the date Thursday 4th of May 2023, and register for the seminar via this link. The registration deadline is 28th of February. Tickets cost NOK 1,195 for educators and researchers, and NOK 590 for ph.d-students. Students participate for free. The ticket price includes the professional program, lunch and dinner.

  • “STUD-ENT” kick-off at The Mine – in collaboration with Innovation Norway

    “STUD-ENT” kick-off at The Mine – in collaboration with Innovation Norway

    By Nicole Monavari

    On the 24th of January Engage hosted an event at The Mine regarding the annual “STUD-ENT” application process, in collaboration with Innovation Norway. Both students at NTNU who are to apply, and employees assisting students in the application process across different universities and colleges in Norway, were invited. During the daytime there was a workshop scheduled for the employees, while students from the NTNU School of Entrepreneurship were invited later on in the evening, given the opportunity to ask questions to Innovation Norway, learn more about the application process and to pitch their ideas. Our overall ambition was to host an event where employees from different universities and colleges could get together and exchange thoughts and experiences related to the “STUD-ENT” application process, as well as entrepreneurship in general.

    A former receiver of the “STUD-ENT” grant, sharing tips from their application last year.

    Granted by Innovation Norway

    For the event we collaborated with Innovation Norway, a state-owned organization and the main contributor to sustainable development, assisting Norwegian start-ups with funds and expertise. Every year, students at universities or colleges involved in a start-up or with ambitions of developing a business idea, are given a chance to apply and receive up to a total of 1 million NOK grant from Innovation Norway. This is a great possibility for the recently established start-ups to further develop their idea. The students who are qualified to apply, must have an idea on how to solve a need or problem on the market today, and should involve the market acceptance in their application. Last year a total of 24 start-ups received 22,7 million NOK, and most of the applicants were from NTNU!

    To kick off the event, a representant from Innovation Norway in Trondheim, Reidar Milan Hegle, presented the application and informed the employees about the process. Furthermore, he shared some advice regarding what the students should include in their applications. We had a chat with Reidar and asked him about what it takes to receive a grant, and to stand out from from the other applicants:

    “It’s a holistic assessment, so it’s a bit difficult to point at one or two things. But you should be able to show that you have an idea or product with a great market potential, that there is value creation in Norway, that the team has a composition and a plan to ensure implementation, that the idea is innovative and that you add something new to the market. It must be a solid project and it must be what we believe in. We must believe in both the idea and in the people behind it.”

    Reidar Milan Hegle, Innovation Norway

    The primary focus of Innovation Norway is to invest in developing the future, where Hegle added: “They don’t apply for a grant, they apply for their future”. Both Engage and Innovation Norway especially focus on motivating students working within the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, and the grants offered by Innovation Norway will be of great significance when the fresh students and start-ups are to realize their ideas on the market.  

    “We are in touch with many students and student communities, and we sense a lot of positivity. Many students who want to change the world, want to influence their own everyday life by achieving something good. We notice that it rubs off on us, and “STUD-ENT” is one of the happenings we look forward to every year”.

    Reidar Milan Hegle, Innovation Norway
    Representatives from different universities and colleges discussing and sharing experiences about their work with innovation.

    An arena for exchange and inspiration

    After the lunch break and some small talk, we held a workshop where the representatives discussed issues related to the application process. One of the topics up for discussion was how to influence and motivate the students to apply, in the best possible way. Engage tried to organize an arena where the employees could cooperate and discuss potential difficulties on the road, and be inspired through the exchange of different opinions and experiences. At the end we had a talk with some of the employees to hear what they had to say about the event:

    “It’s fascinating to meet people from the community who are involved with student innovation in Norway, as it’s amazing how different all the organizations are. It is also exiting to see that those who are currently in an early phase at their institution, can obtain inspiration and knowledge guiding them in their further development. This exchange of information saves many organizations both time and resources off what we have spent a lot of time figuring out. It is very important that we have such an arena where we can exchange knowledge and learn from one another, both the good and the bad.”

    Kristoffer Liland, Incubator Manager, UiA

    In the evening, the students interested in applying for “STUD-ENT” from the NTNU School of Entrepreneurship, and students from different start-ups, came to The Mine to learn more about the application process and to pick up some tips from former applicants of the programme. In addition, the students also got the opportunity to pitch their amazing ideas!

    Reidar Milan Hegle from Innovation Norway, providing the students with some advice about the application process.