Trend Seminar in Digital Technology and Management
The subject "Trend Research" is composed of 2 descriptors:

1. Trend Seminar in Digital Technologies and Management, 6 ECTS.
It takes place in two phases:
¿ First, a Basic Seminar that looks at the near future, summarizes the status quo and identifies upcoming trends. An interdisciplinary approach ensures that for example technological, economic, social, political, legal and environmental trends are taken into account.
¿ Second, a Scenario Planning Seminar in which students build upon the trend analysis from the Basic Seminar and analyze the trend report topic with a perspective lying further in the future. They investigate possible developments in areas such as economy, technology, politics, law, environment or society in the future. Based on the results, the teams develop innovative products or service ideas for which technical as well as business considerations are analyzed. The teams summarize their findings in a report.

2. Facilitation I - Academic Trends and Futures Research in Interdisciplinary Teams, 3 ECTS.
Its goal is twofold:
¿ First, due to the interdisciplinary nature of the course, students with different foci in their main studies receive an introduction to topics of complementary fields of study.
¿ Second, students train soft skills and learn to apply tools and methods that are fundamental for the Trend Seminar descriptor. Since the students work in teams, the necessary soft skills that improve the performance and results in team setups are introduced. These soft skills may include topics like team dynamics, feedback sessions, reflections on team experiences and presentation skills. The taught skills aim at allowing the students to productively work in a team environment as well as to present their work results in a professional fashion in a team presentation. Students are taught how to present their research results in a written report in an academically correct way. This includes information on how to gain access to academic information, how t
Managing Product Development
This subject "Product Development" is composed of two descriptors:
1. Managing Product Development, 6 ECTS.
Participants are teamed up to groups of approx. 5 students with interdisciplinary background and work on a specific product development task brought in by an industry partner. During this project they get insights into important product development areas as for example:
¿ Idea generation techniques.
¿ User need study techniques.
¿ Techniques of market and competitor analysis.
¿ Mockup demonstration techniques (paper based, PowerPoint based, small program).
¿ Technical implementation of prototypes.
¿ Interdisciplinary team work.
2. Facilitation II - Skills and Tools Facilitating the Product Development Process, 3 ECTS.
Students demonstrate their progress by completing several practical assignments that are relevant to the product development cycle, e.g. creating a mockup or writing a business plan. The assignments are completed in interdisciplinary teams consisting of approximately 5 students. In addition, each team has to present the results in front of the participants of the course and the lecturers. Topics include knowledge and abilities facilitating product development, such as project management, prototyping or business planning. According lectures demonstrate tools and techniques and impart knowledge and abilities enabling the efficient and substantiated execution of the different product development cycle steps.
Entrepreneurship Laboratory
This subject "Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship" is composed of two descriptors:
1. Entrepreneurship Laboratory, 6 ECTS.
¿ Introduction to challenges when founding a company: evaluating business ideas, choosing the right team, adopting the right mindset, choosing an adequate legal form and financing strategy, writing a business plan.
¿ Hands-on experience in solving strategic problems in high-tech companies and coming up with clear recommendations.
¿ Exercises and coaching in project management and structuring content in a way that it can be easily grasped by recipients.
2. Facilitation III - Professional Communication and Business Modeling, 3 ECTS.
¿ Theoretical frameworks in the areas of communication (e.g. the Minto Pyramid Principle), moderation, interview techniques, leadership, negotiation and business planning.
¿ Application of theoretical frameworks in real life and project work.
¿ Advice how to structure and design a business model and to implement it.
Interdisciplinary Competences
A set of insights that complete the program is offered, covering topics such as:
¿ Technologies, Product Development and Engineering,
¿ Information Systems Management,
¿ Economics, Management and Entrepreneurship
¿ Ethics and Humanities
¿ Interpersonal Skills
Project Management in Practice
Students work in teams on a concrete project within the context of the Technology Management program.
¿ Introduction to a specific project and corresponding tasks, e.g. organization of events with several stakeholders such as internal and external guests, speakers, etc.
¿ Hands-on experience in a specific project within the framework of the Technology Management program.
¿ Coaching in management of the specific project.