Mondragon University sets in motion a program to motivate interdisciplinary entrepreneurship between students

Mondragon University sets in motion a program to motivate interdisciplinary entrepreneurship between students

It is about a four months’ duration program in which 20 students of different faculties will learn how to create enterprising projects by practical activities and multidisciplinary teams.

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Mondragon University has set in motion a program called Changemarker Lab. The aim of the program is to motivate the entrepreneurship in multidisciplinary teams between students of different faculties. The program will be developed in 4 months, the presentation will be today in Oñati and it will conclude in June in Madrid. 20 students will take part, they will be called “change markers”, and their objective is to motivate the development and the evolution of entrepreneurship teams to stimulate the creation of companies.

The program in based in the methodology MTA (Mondragon Team Academy), the international red of entrepreneurship of Mondragon University. It proposes a process of innovational formation based in the students –change markers-, the coaches or tutors –they are not teachers-, the interdisciplinary spaces –this are not classrooms- and real challenges –no material challenges-. The program is sponsored by KIMU BERRI and promoted by GAZTENPRESA.

Entrepreneurship is one of the priorities for institutions and economical agents and societies of different countries. In fact, the development of entrepreneurship culture in all society levels and in all the periods of live is now a common objective and it is the heart of the economic development, wealth and society development. It is a lot of years now that Mondragon University is very involved in the field of entrepreneurship and it is now the leader university in the Basque Country in educational programs and other initiatives to train and inspire enterprising. This is made by degrees and postgrads and programs of entrepreneurships with the aim to motivate students to an enterprising spirit and strengthen the capacity of human enterprising.

The Government of the Basque Country approved not long ago the Interinstitutional Plan of Entrepreneurship 2020. The objective is to motivate the enterprising people and small companies to plan and set priorities to make all the Basque agents include entrepreneurship in the priorities and to strengthen the enterprising capacity.

In fact, the last information about entrepreneurship in the Basque Country tells that there is a decreasing tendency and the creation of new companies in the territory is having some years without evolution. This evolution is much lower than in Spain. In Spain the evolution is of 1,1% and in the Basque Country it is of 0,2%.

Change Makers Lab

This initiative has two basic characteristics: the interdisciplinary nature (given the origin of the assistants of different disciplines) and its multilocation (it allows the contact with the different faculties of Mondragon University).

The program is composed by six modules, they will be developed in the format “bootcamps” which are intensive activities of a day or a day and a half in which there are theoretical parts and activities by experts in the field, to apply it to projects. In addition, there will be an assignment: challenges, readings, investigation or team works… The participants will work about real projects in intensive activities (bootcamps), they will visit companies, they will assist to events and so on.

Work in modules

The presentation of the program has been today in Oñati with the objectives to present the participants, the groups and the work dynamics. The second module, which is called Akelarre, will take place in Bilbao in the 1^st and 2^nd of March, where they will start with team activities and the projects will be presented. The third module will be in Polo Garaia, 5^th and 6^th of April, where they will work in the design area. The fourth module is about the brand, marketing and sales. In the fifth module they will learn about the pitching (how to defend a project in public in between 3 and 5 minutes).

To finish with it, the days 6^th, 7^th and 8^th of June the evaluation of the teams will be made in Madrid.