Entrepreneurship for researchers Code:  CR.001    Credits:  2
View general information   Description   The subject within the syllabus as a whole   Professional fields to which it applies   Prior knowledge   Information prior to enrolment   Learning objectives and results   Content   View the UOC learning resources used in the subject   Additional information on support tools and learning resources   Methodology   Guidelines on assessment at the UOC   View assessment model   Continuous assessment   Final assessment  
This is the course plan for the second semester of the academic year 2023/2024. To check whether the course is being run this semester, go to the Virtual Campus section More UOC / The University / Programmes of study section on Campus. Once teaching starts, you'll be able to find it in the classroom. The course plan may be subject to change.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, an entrepreneur is "a person who starts or organizes a business company, especially one involving risk". The notion of entrepreneurship refers therefore to the process of designing a new business that offers a product or a service. Notice that there are four key concepts behind this idea: (i) the definition of what can be considered an entrepreneurship process, (ii) the figure of the entrepreneur and the business idea, (iii) the business model beyond the idea and the risk management, and (iv) the development of the business plan and the raising of funding.

In a context of high youth unemployment and highly educated population forced to emigrate to find good opportunities, the competences to create new companies become every day more relevant. In this course we will focus on training the students to know in which way they can create a company introducing them into the field of the entrepreneurship.

In the first chapter, we will introduce the conceptual framework. Then we will move to the main sources of ideas and the creative process behind the development of a business venture. The third chapter is focused on the creation of the business model introducing the lean start up methodology. Finally the fourth chapter defines the business plan and the main funding sources.

The objective of the course is two fold: the students should acquire the theoretical knowledge related to entrepreneurship, and learn a minimum set of practical methodologies to create a start up with certain probabilities to reach a success.

Amunt

In Entrepreneurship for Researches, we introduce the students to the topic of entrepreneurship. Although the course was originally thought for industrial doctorate students, is has been opened to all the people interested in learning how to start their own business.

Amunt

This course has two main objectives:

  1. Training of researchers, obtaining the basic knowledge of the entrepreneurship process.
  2. Training of professionals, providing the basic training to develop a business plan, an some notions of how to fund and defend a entrepreneurship project.

Amunt

This course requires no prior knowledge on the topics, although some basic knowledge in video recording is advisable

Amunt

It also requires some knowledge of English equivalent to B1 of the European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Amunt

Competences:

The main competences of the course will consist on:

Basic competences:

 

A) Students will have the learning skills to allow them to continue studying in a self-directed or autonomous way.

 

Specific competences:

 

B) Know and apply in detail the process of technology transfer

C) Identify the product that can be transferred from a research result. 

D) Know ho to develop a business plan.

 

General Competences

 

I) Assume responsibility tasks in the management of information and knowledge.
J) Working in multidisciplinary teams.

Amunt

The course will be divided in 4 different topics, with specific activities that will be assessed at the end of each module. Essentially the syllabus will be:

1.-Introduction to entrepreneurship.

- Entrepreneurship: Presentation

- Presentation and Introduction

- Entrepeneurship: Concepts I

- Entrepeneurship: Concepts II

2.- Public funding of research projects.

      - Entrepreneurship: Creative process

      - Entrepreneurship: The entrepreneur

      - Entrepreneurship: Idea + Team + Funding

3.- Finding a Business Model.

      - Entrepreneurship: The Business Model

      - Entrepreneurship: The Lean Startup

4 .-The business plan.

      - Entrepreneurship: The Business Plan

      - Entrepreneurship: Funding

Amunt

Material Support
Entrepreneurship (VĂ­deo) Audiovisual

Amunt

The materials located in space Classroom resources will help further the goals of the course.

The tutors will use the Message Board, which is classroom space communication, and will provide documents and other information to complement previous and explanatory videos on specific topics.

Amunt

The teaching methodology will be based in the continuous assessment of a set of activities that will be provided in the virtual campus. This is an activity based online course, you fix your on pace and you decide when you dedicate your time to the module. There are only specific deadlines for delivering the activities. Essentially you will be provided by:

-   A set of learning resources: video lectures, pdf documents and examples.

-   Specific delivery instructions for each activity.

The student is supposed to visualize the video lectures and resources, and ask any doubt in the forum boards of the course. The active participation in the forum, asking questions, answering questions from other students and posting opinions in the open debates is highly recommended in the course.

You will have academic tutors that will answer your questions in the forum boards, and they will guide you through the learning process.  Many of the activities delivered will be corrected and appropriate feedback will be provided.

The nature of this course involves the delivering of a short oral presentation (elevator pitch). Students should prepare an appropriate environment to record themselves delivering oral presentations. The basic methodology of the course is learning practicing.

Amunt

The assessment process is based on the student's personal work and presupposes authenticity of authorship and originality of the exercises completed.

Lack of authenticity of authorship or originality of assessment tests, copying or plagiarism, the fraudulent attempt to obtain a better academic result, collusion to copy or concealing or abetting copying, use of unauthorized material or devices during assessment, inter alia, are offences that may lead to serious academic or other sanctions.

Firstly, you will fail the course (D/0) if you commit any of these offences when completing activities defined as assessable in the course plan, including the final tests. Offences considered to be misconduct include, among others, the use of unauthorized material or devices during the tests, such as social media or internet search engines, or the copying of text from external sources (internet, class notes, books, articles, other students' essays or tests, etc.) without including the corresponding reference.

And secondly, the UOC's academic regulations state that any misconduct during assessment, in addition to leading to the student failing the course, may also lead to disciplinary procedures and sanctions.

The UOC reserves the right to request that students identify themselves and/or provide evidence of the authorship of their work, throughout the assessment process, and by the means the UOC specifies (synchronous or asynchronous). For this purpose, the UOC may require students to use a microphone, webcam or other devices during the assessment process, and to make sure that they are working correctly.

The checking of students' knowledge to verify authorship of their work will under no circumstances constitute a second assessment.

Amunt

You can only pass the course if you participate in and pass the continuous assessment. Your final mark for the course will be the mark you received in the continuous assessment.


Weighting of marks

Option to pass the course: Continuous assessment

Final course mark: Continuous assessment

Amunt

The course will have 4 deliverables for the continuous assessment.

Amunt

And the final mark will be obtained by a weighted combination of the grades of each activity. By a way of guidance, we are planning to use the following weights:

- Comments and debate (divieded in four debates): 3 points.

- Business model in a Canvas: 2 points.

- Brief business plan: 3 points.

- Elevator pitch (2 min.): 2 points.

Final Mark = Debates (5% each, 20% in total) + Business Model Canvas (20%) + Business Plan (30%) + Elevator Pitch (30%) 

Amunt