Instilling innovation and entrepreneurship in engineering graduate students: Observations at the University of Calgary

Abstract

Today's employers not only want graduates who are critical thinkers and problem solvers that are able to work in teams, but also individuals that understand innovation and how to use entrepreneurial activities to move innovations to become benefits to society. For research-based graduate students, this is even more desired, with emphasis on an understanding of innovation processes and the realization of the role that innovation plays for the survival and growth of existing corporations as well as the key contribution it makes in start-up companies. Many engineering programs focus on traditional engineering attributes, and although these are essential elements that engineering graduates should learn through their training, little attention is paid to innovation and the conversion of innovations to realized impacts. Here, we review innovation and discuss our experience with trainees (graduate students and post-doctoral scholars) and how to engage them in innovation activities. Our observation is that innovation is coachable and can be cultivated in research-based trainees. We recommend nine actions (understanding the challenge, motivation, safe and mentored local environment, tolerance to failure, diversity, rewarding of passion, awareness of the external, internal-external environment, and creative destruction and preservation) that trainees should be exposed to in order to promote innovation and entrepreneurial activities so that they can establish and/or strengthen their innovation and entrepreneurship muscles, which hopefully continues after they leave university.

Impulsionamento da inovação e empreendedorismo em universidade brasileira no contexto da pandemia do Covid-19

“…O desejo de melhorar e modernizar as universidades é expresso expressa em seus planos estratégicos com dizeres que remetem a "inovação", "empreendedorismo" e "transformação", mas, muito embora sejam palavras frequentes, planos ousados capazes de gerar mudanças significativas nem sempre são a realidade (Hall & Lulich, 2021). Fato é que o movimento em prol da inovação é beneficiado de um pensamento empreendedor ou de uma exposição ao empreendedorismo, no sentido de ser, o pesquisador, apto a reconhecer oportunidades e aplicála em prol de um objetivo permitindo não somente o risco, mas também a paixão e desenvoltura (Gates et al, 2021).…”

“…A conversão da pesquisa em empreendimentos é um desafio que deve ser tratado com a promoção de atividades inovadoras em que a comunidade acadêmica possa vislumbrar sua pesquisa não somente no âmbito acadêmico, mas também em sua área de aplicação fora da universidade (Gates et al, 2021). O desafio ocorre, pois, a inovação exige distanciamento dos padrões tradicionais e aceitação de risco (Gates et al, 2021).…”

The theory of innovation and entrepreneurship education practice with the integration of modern information technology and new engineering

“…The purpose is to meet the needs of future emerging industries and new economies and to cultivate highquality composite new engineering talents [3][4]. Since the Ministry of Education promoted innovation and entrepreneurship education in 2010, innovation and entrepreneurship education have provided many talents to China [5][6]. Local governments have also attached great importance to innovation and entrepreneurship education development and provided strong support in platform building, system protection, service environment, and talent supply [7][8].…”

Analysis of the impact of college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship on human resource index of science and technology enterprises based on logistic regression model

“…How to integrate products and start an undertaking what one does fresh instructional notion import the change of advanced inculcate is a matter that deserves our great attention and in-depth consideration [1]- [2]. Applied colleges and universities are student academies, and universities with undergraduate advancement inculcate what one does the principal part, with the plow and sow of utilizing qualified personnel as a typical feature and the improvement of education quality as a significant assignment.…”