Innovation School

INS420 Innovation School

Autumn 2024

Spring 2025
  • Topics

    The program educates students on how to facilitate innovation within an organization. Innovation is a crucial ingredient for sustainable value creation. The program starts with the process of idea generation, extends to questions of organizing and financing innovation, and ends with different ways of profiting from it. The teaching portfolio is further strengthened with workshops developing soft skills, focusing on career and personal development.

    The Innovation School is a program for students who are curious about innovation. The program combines a modern academic study program with a study trip and an internship in Germany. The partner portfolio consists of companies from a wide range of industries. It includes start-ups, venture capitalists, hidden champions from the "Mittelstand", but also large companies with well-known brands.

    The program consists of four parts starting in Spring 2025. First, the Spring term starts with a blocked week on personal and professional development - including the application trainings for the internship and intercultural communication (week 3). This part prepares students for the application process with the participating companies, for potential cultural challenges during the stay in Germany, and for their future career (in an innovative environment) in more general. The Spring term also includes another blocked week focusing on an introduction to innovation management (dates to be determined).

    Second, the study week in Munich will be devoted to Innovation Management. The third part is an eight week long internship in a German company. Finally, the program concludes with a weekend workshop in Frankfurt.

  • Learning outcome

    Upon course completion, the student can:

    Knowledge

    • Discuss complex processes and dynamics of innovation processes and how they contribute to a sustainable value creation.
    • Recall practical insights in innovation-related processes within organizations.
    • Explain how to profit from innovation.

    Skills

    • Apply theories, knowledge and tools relevant within innovation.
    • Address practical problems, using acquired academic methods and theories.
    • Reflect on their own and others' behavior styles and create and follow-up personal development plans.

    General competence

    • Contribute to innovation processes by communicating ideas and projects to different audiences.
    • Cope with challenges related to mobilising resources.
    • Cope with intercultural challenges in business settings.

  • Teaching

    The program combines an internship and three additional academic parts. One of the parts take place at NHH. The internship and the two other parts take place at two partner institutions in Germany.

    More information can be found on the https://www.nhh.no/en/for-students/international-opportunities/innovation-school/Innovation School website.

  • Restricted access

    Application is required. See https://www.nhh.no/en/for-students/international-opportunities/innovation-school/

  • Credit reduction due to overlap

    INS410

  • Compulsory Activity

    • Completion of the internship
    • Class attendance is mandatory

  • Assessment

    (Individual) Home Assignment (1/2 of the grade) - two weeks duration - due in September 2025.

    (Individual) Internship report (1/2 of the grade) - due in September 2025.

  • Grading Scale

    A-F

Overview

ECTS Credits
22.5
Teaching language
English
Semester

Spring (extended to autumn). Offered spring 2025

Course responsible

Assistant Professor David Heller, Politecnico di Milano

Professor Steffen Juranek, Department of Business and Management Science, NHH