Passionate about sustainability and eager to develop a concrete business idea? The new edition of Entrepreneurial Change-making starts online in November, and it might be exactly what you're looking for.
Open to all MA and PhD students across the alliance, this course trains you to become an entrepreneurial change-maker: someone who integrates sustainability and the green transition into real entrepreneurial projects, including measurable sustainable metrics.
Through a critical thinking approach and flipped classroom method, you'll learn to identify and evaluate sustainable innovation challenges, then develop and pitch innovative solutions with a full business model, all within a multicultural and multidisciplinary team.
What to expect:
- Online seminars led by professors from various European universities, with a wide range of expertise
- International, multidisciplinary student teams
- Team facilitators to guide your business idea design
- A final presentation of your project at Mons Campus, UCLouvain
Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
- Identify and critically evaluate sustainable innovation issues within various environments, utilising a wide range of techniques, concepts and models
- Come up with and present innovative solutions and apply competitive strategies using an entrepreneurial mindset
- Design the full business model of their solutions using canvas that integrate all the dimensions and challenges of sustainability
- Demonstrate an understanding of possible uses of new and emerging technologies in sustained innovation
- Demonstrate an understanding of the special challenges in the implementation of sustainable solutions in healthcare
- Demonstrate an understanding of the modern artificial intelligent solutions taking sustainable challenges into account
- Promote and facilitate the adoption and maintenance of the strong sustainable change maker orientation with measurable sustainability metrics: SDGs (UN sustainable development goals), TBL (Triple Bottom Line), and ESGs (Environmental, social, and corporate governance)
- Summarise various strands of sustainable innovation knowledge and skills in developing an effective business solution with case solving methodology
- Design and perform an efficient business pitch
- Work in international and multidisciplinary teams
Information
Online webinars:
The first webinar will exceptionally take place on Thursday, 12th November 2026 at 5:30 PM (due to a public holiday on 11th November). The next three webinars will be held on Wednesdays, 18th November, 25th November, and 2nd December from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
On-site week:
The final event at the Circle U. partner (UCLouvain, Belgium) will take place from Monday, 7th December 2026 to Friday, 11th December 2026.
5 ECTS recognised by UCLouvain; other partner universities may adapt this according to their local programme constraints.
Attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
Recommended readings:
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G. de Jong , N. Faber, E. Folmer , T. Long , & B. Ünal (Eds.), De Gruyter Handbook of Sustainable Entrepreneurship Research, De Gruyter Handbooks in Business, Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110756159-001
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Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. Crown Business.
- https://flourishingbusiness.org/flourishing-business-canvas/
The Moodle link will be sent to the students a few days before the first webinar.
Combination of literature search, introductory videos, webinar lectures, and study groups (online) and a final five-day event at UCLouvain (workshops, groups work and projects presentation)
For 40% of the final grade: evaluation of group deliverables to be submitted at the end of each webinar
For 20% of the final grade: evaluation of an individual entrepreneurial mission to be carried out during the final event in Louvain
For 40% of the final grade: assessment of the final project presented in Louvain (several group deliverables and final pitch in front of the jury)
Participation in the course is without cost for Master and PhD students from the Circle U. universities.
Please be aware that your registration for the course not necessarily equals your admission for the course.
You will receive an e-mail after the registration deadline regarding whether you are admitted for the course or if you are registered on the waiting list.
At Aarhus University, the deadline for registration is 15th of August 2026. Information regarding admission will be sent out no later than 22nd of August.
At University of Vienna, the deadline for registration is 14th August 2026, and information regarding admission will be sent out no later than the 1st of September.
At Pisa university and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the deadline for registration is 18th of September 2026, and information regarding admission will be sent out no later than 30th of September.
For all the other universities, the deadline for registration is 15th of September 2026. Information regarding admission will be sent out no later than 22nd of September.
For registration, please send your motivation letter to your local coordinator:
- Aarhus University: Morten Foss, foss@inano.au.dk
- University of Belgrade: Melina Krusic mkrusic@tmf.bg.ac.rs
- Humboldt Universität zu Berlin: berlin@circle-u.eu
- UCLouvain: Amélie Jacquemin, amelie.jacquemin@uclouvain.be
- University of Oslo: Are Bye-Andersen, areby@uio.no Apply at https://nettskjema.no/a/uiochange2025
- Université Paris Cité: Laurice Alexandre, laurice.alexandre@u-paris.fr
- University of Pisa: Alessio Cavicchi, alessio.cavicchi@unipi.it and Alessandra Meoni, alessandra.meoni@unipi.it
- University of Vienna: Clara Conrad-Billroth, clara.conrad-billroth@univie.ac.at
If you have any questions, please contact the course coordinator, prof. Amélie Jacquemin (UCLouvain): amelie.jacquemin@uclouvain.be
