Pilot Program TUM Entrepreneurship Advisor
As one of the most successful start-up universities in Europe, TUM excels at supporting entrepreneurs launch their ideas onto the market. With the founding of the TUM Venture Labs, technology-based spin-offs now receive additional support. Excellently trained innovation and entrepreneurship managers play an important role to the success of start-up activities at TUM. They promote entrepreneurial activities at the university and support entrepreneurial teams as they translate technological developments and scientific findings into business ideas.
The TUM Entrepreneurship Advisor pilot program aims to further strengthen experienced innovation and entrepreneurship managers to master their complex tasks. TUM Entrepreneurship Advisors promote the transfer of technology from universities to industry, support entrepreneurial activities in new and existing ventures, and thus ensure the progress of knowledge in Germany.
Target Audience
The TUM Entrepreneurship Advisor pilot program is aimed at members of academic mid-level staff (temporary/permanent employees in pay group E/A13 or higher) with three to five years of professional experience in innovation and entrepreneurship management, preferably with a completed doctorate. Your professional experience should be post-doctorate and include activities in innovation and entrepreneurship management.
This program is designed for active TUM employees wanting to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and support entrepreneurial talents in founding new ventures, especially in the technology sector. It is ideal for those who are seeking to continue their education in innovation and entrepreneurship management and position themselves as experts in these areas. There is no age limit for application.
Overview of the Pilot Program
The pilot program has a duration of at least 12 months, although the delivery of the content can be extended to a maximum of 24 months. Courses, workshops and job shadowing will generally take place during working hours. However, certain qualification elements such as career coaching and peer mentoring may require commitment outside of normal working hours.
In order to expose you to diverse perspectives in innovation and entrepreneurship management, this program will take place partly in cooperation with the Otto Monsted Foundation. Together with a group of Danish innovation managers and university employees, the participants of the TUM Entrepreneurship Advisor Track will participate in a one-week block event (in English), where they will attend workshops on topics such as the development of entrepreneurial teams and innovation cultures.
Structure and Contents of the Pilot Program
In this pilot program, you’ll acquire concrete tools and techniques for the successful support of entrepreneurial activities with a focus on coaching and developing entrepreneurial teams in their start-up process. In addition, we address frameworks in scientific innovation and knowledge transfer and work with you to further develop best practices. Our pilot program addresses the latest research findings while taking into account current trends in knowledge transmission and lifelong learning. This up-to-date approach will energize and assist entrepreneurship advisors aiming to fortify their skills.
The pilot program focuses primarily on the development of coaching and consulting skills that enable the effective initiation, implementation and management of consulting processes. It will enable participants to guide entrepreneurial teams and foster entrepreneurial action more effectively. In this way, we prepare you not only for a job at TUM, but also for promising careers in research & scientific institutions of the state and the federal government, or further education in industry. The contents of the pilot program include:
- Entrepreneurial Mindset & Behavior
- Development of Entrepreneurial Teams
- Entrepreneurial Leadership & Development
- Strategic & Creative Decision Making
- Coaching Tools for Enabling Teams
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation Ecosystems
- Technology Scouting & Transfer
- VC Savviness & Legal Aspects
- Ethical & Sustainable Thinking
- Innovation Culture & Intrapreneurship
Qualification Elements in the Pilot Program
The following elements are part of the TUM Entrepreneurship Advisor qualification program:
The course program provides you with the skills and competencies relevant to your work as an entrepreneurship advisor. Different formats (workshops, keynote/impulse lectures and exchange forums) are offered. The lecturers are researchers and experienced practitioners from TUM and external organizations. The course program comprises 10 content modules, each with a duration of approximately 8 to 12 hours.
The self-study element deepens your expertise, considers current trends and helps you navigate current and future challenges. Select materials that meet scientific quality standards are available on Moodle. We also support you in reflecting on your learning behavior and effectively shaping your own learning process during the program.
The job shadowing element enables you to discover new perspectives and areas of work as you come into active contact with best practices. You will also gain a better understanding of cross-departmental and cross-divisional processes. A total of ten days of job shadowing is included in the program. A stay of several days in a row or a regular day of the week is recommended. Work shadowing takes place during regular working hours, and participants are responsible for scheduling this element by themselves.
You will meet regularly in small groups of 3-4 people to share your experiences and give each other advice and support in your personal development. Together you will reflect on your experiences and the challenges in your daily work. Furthermore, you have the opportunity to experiment with new teaching methods and receive feedback. In exchange and discussion with the other participants you will receive valuable impulses from different perspectives.
Career coaching with a professional coach will help you plan your personal and professional development. You and your coach will take stock of your current position, plan further steps and future career perspectives. The program includes up to four free coaching sessions.
In the transfer project, you apply learning content to your everyday work and reflect on the training transfer. Structured guidance and our "project workshop" will provide the framework. The transfer project comprises approximately 40 hours and concludes with a report.
Application
- Employment at TUM in pay grade E/A13 or higher for the standard duration of the qualification level, usually one additional year from entry into the program
- Diploma, Master's degree or comparable degree
- A completed doctorate degree is preferable (applicants without a doctorate should have more relevant professional experience)
- Qualified professional experience of at least three to five years in an academic environment
- Very good knowledge of German and English, as the program will include elements in both languages
- Prior knowledge and required skills:
- Experience in innovation and entrepreneurship management
- Experience in advising and supporting start-up teams
- Basics in start-up financing and legal aspects
- Business management skills
- Familiarity with design thinking and lean startup methods
- Fully completed online application form
- Certificates of all academic degrees
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form, summarizing your academic education and previous work experience
- Letter of motivation (maximum 2 A4 pages) in which you explain your motivation, interests and previous experience and convincingly elaborate why you have chosen the TUM Entrepreneurship Advisor track
- Letter of recommendation from your direct supervisor & a letter of recommendation from another TUM
supervisor; please have the supervisors sent these directly to careerdesign(at)lll.tum.de - Evidence of basic teaching competencies (usually by means of a certificate in university teaching); in addition, a one-page (DIN-A4) written outline can be enclosed, which covers the acquisition of competencies through practical activity
- Evidence of previous qualification measures in line with the contents of the desired track
Self-assessment is a mandatory part of the application process. The self-assessment guide aids in the evaluation of your interests and skills in order to identify your strengths as well as areas for development. At the same time, it helps you to work out your motivation for applying for the TUM Entrepreneurship Advisor pilot program. The contents of the self-assessment remain confidential, of course, and are only accessible to you.
Self-assessment form download
Please note: At present, we have to assume that third-party funding is a possible hurdle for participation, especially if a participant is fully financed by third-party funds. This program might not be compatible with the stated purpose of third-party funding.
We ask you to clarify directly with the funding body whether participation is possible for you. If you are unable to clarify the matter yourself, please contact us.
Selection Process and Criteria
The selection process is intended to ensure that the qualification program fits to you. For the pilot program, we will admit 10 to 15 TUM employees.
Please send us your complete application in one PDF-Document via our online application form.
In the first step, we check the completeness of your documents and ask you to submit any missing elements. This is followed by a review and evaluation of your application by the CareerDesign@TUM team. If you achieve at least 20 points in this step, we will invite you to a personal interview to better understand your motivation, your commitment and your professional experience. We are also happy to discuss mutual expectations for participation during this interview.
Based on the review process, we create a ranking list and recommend participation (or rejection).
The CareerDesign@TUM Board decides on the ranking list and admission to the program. Of course, upon request, we will be happy to take the time to explain the reasons for a possible rejection and suggest alternatives to participation in the pilot program.
Letter of Motivation (10 points)
- Special readiness and motivation to perform
- Specific talents, interests, previous experience
- Justification for the desire to participate
Professional Qualification (10 points)
- Relevance of previous professional experience
- Special willingness to perform
Previous knowledge and further qualifications (10 points)
- Fulfillment of the expectations for previous knowledge
- Stringency and fit of the qualification path to date
Individual interviews with a duration of 30 minutes (30 points)
- Justification and motivation for the choice of qualification path and qualification level
- Commitment and dedication to the qualification pathway
- Work experience and previous experience
Additional information and expectations about the program will also be discussed.
You can find everything at a glance in our factsheet. Information for supervisors can be found in the document information for supervisors.
Contact:
For any questions on our course program, please do not hesitate to contact us!
![[Translate to en:] Eva-Maria Knipfer](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/b/csm_Profilbild_Eva-Maria_Knipfer_20c11993e0.jpg "[Translate to en:] Eva-Maria Knipfer")
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