– One of the most important ingredients for success in innovation projects is to involve the right people. BTO has a lot of exciting projects, and we look forward to see how the enthusiastic and competent students from NTNU School of Entrepreneurship can contribute in these projects. Practical experience is a key to become a great entrepreneur, and NTNU School of Entrepreneurship gives this experience to the students through a practical approach to the education, says Anders Haugland, Managing Director at BTO.
– In addition, BTO has an ambition to contribute to the development of a similar educational pathway in Bergen together with the education institutions in Bergen. We already have several great initiatives in Bergen, but we think that students with interest in innovation and entrepreneurship should have the opportunity to engage in innovation through a high-quality master education. The cooperation with NTNU School of Entrepreneurship gives BTO a great insight in how they have organized the education there.
The cooperation between the two institutions was established earlier this year and gives the students the possibility to carry out feasibility studies through attacking specific challenges in each of the projects. BTO is impressed by the students’ great insight into business development and entrepreneurship, and we look forward to future cooperation with the NTNU School of Entrepreneurship.
Feasibility studies
NTNU School of Entrepreneurship writes the following about the feasibility study on their webpage:
“Feasibility studies at NSE are one of the most important and exciting activities in our program, as this is where many of our success stories begin. Our concept evaluation is a powerful and effective tool for identifying the commercialization potential and progress plan for your business idea. In addition, inventors get an opportunity to meet tomorrow’s entrepreneur’s – resourceful and hard-working business developers that want to be a part of the journey. NSE already has several success stories from collaboration with external inventors – and we want to create more!
Selected ideas will be subjected to a feasibility study over an intensive five-day period. Deliverables are a final written report and a presentation before an external panel as well as the inventor. In January, the students form startup teams and choose business ideas based on which ideas went through the feasibility studies funnel. Together with the inventor, whose involvement may vary from idea to idea, the business team sets out to commercialize and create new business venture.”
The students complete five feasibility studies in their first semester, and two of them are open for external ideas. 50 % of the graduates from NTNU School of Entrepreneurship go straight to work at their own startup after graduation. Read more about NTNU School of Entrepreneurship here.