Bridging the University-Business Gap in Engineering Schools: Implementation of a Course Groupwork in Innovation Management

The gap between university and business has been mentioned recently as one of the most serious problems in Engineering schools. In this study, we propose a groupwork methodology to help bridge this gap, by allowing students to interact with start-ups, study their strategies, and apply this knowledge on a practical project. Students were asked to visit a start-up and describe its business model. Afterwards, they developed an innovative idea for a product or service, and designed a business model to exploit this idea, using the knowledge acquired in the first stage. Results were very satisfactory, with higher engagement and overall student satisfaction with the course.