Academic chair: Morten Foss

Senior researcher Morten Foss, iNANO: Academic chair for Student-led Sustainable Innovation (see PURE-profile)

Why did you decide to get involved in Circle U.?

It is important to increase the awareness and to support an innovative mind-set of students in general and more specifically with respect to sustainability. I have been teaching science based entrepreneurship at iNANO for several years as well as having a background both in industry and academia. Thus, I have competences and interests, which are well aligned with the goals of this exciting and promising network in Student-Led sustainable innovation.

What are the overall objectives of your project?

I have four initial objectives in the project:

• Setup of a Circle U Challenge case competition. One important task will be to establish a “Circle U Challenge” case competition at Aarhus University. Real-life challenges with be introduced by external stakeholders including academic and non-academic partner such as public institutions (e.g. hospitals) and companies. The competition will be broadly advertised at all faculties and at the partner universities.
• Establishment of a Female Founder Network. It is important to both motivate and increase awareness among female students of the possible entrepreneurial route. We will establish a Female Founder Network with the aim to increase the number of female students in the university start-up hubs among the seven partners.
• Development of a combined on-line/on-site course focusing on sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship. Based on the mapping of existing practices a combined on-line/on-site course focusing on sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship will be developed.
• Establishment of an “innovation clinic”. The aim is to use the innovation clinic as a bridge between the students with the ideas and the tech-trans organisations at AU. As a pilot project, I will aim for establishment at iNANO, where I can participate myself. 

Are there any particular academic strengths among the Circle U. partners that make the project particularly interesting and promising? 

Several of the Circle U partners have strategic priorities within interdisciplinary innovation/sustainability. The knowledge exchange between the seven partners and the education of future innovators and leaders has great perspectives with respect to solving future challenges in e.g. healthcare.

In which areas will it be possible for your AU colleagues to get involved in the project?

It will be crucial to establish a collaboration both among the academic chairs at AU, with the colleagues at the faculties and also with Enterprise and Innovation as well as AU’s startup hub The Kitchen.

What opportunities will AU students have to get involved in the project?

AUs students will be able to engage in several of the projects: both in the Circle U Challenge case competition, the Female Founder Network as well as joining the course to-come focusing on sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship.

Have you thought about how you will get researchers and students involved in Circle U. activities?

I expect to engage both researchers and students from the partner universities in several of the WP4 activities, especially with respect to the Female Founder Network and the sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship course.