Education in Chemical Entrepreneurship: Towards Technology Entrepreneurship for and in Chemistry-Related Enterprises

This paper reports design experience and execution of the authors’ curriculum entitled “Chemical Entrepreneurship”, actually dealing with “technology entrepreneurship emphasizing chemistry-related enterprises”, and being multi-disciplinary. Uniqueness of the curriculum shows up in its scope and addressees concerning age and levels of experience. The attendees are scientists and engineers and exhibit a broad spectrum, from university students and researchers to academic (Dr/PhD) personnel of a national research center. The pioneered “Theory-to-Practice” curriculum may serve as a new model for teaching technology entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship (entrepreneurship for firm foundation and in established firms) in an integrated fashion within a systems-, processand intelligence-oriented theoretical framework. This includes an elaboration of the specifics of technology entrepreneurship as opposed to “nontechnical entrepreneurship” and also emphasizes distinct country-specific factors of technology entrepreneurship, particularly financing and networking, through national science and technology, policy and industry systems and their interactions. Additionally, the curriculum covers also training of “soft” skills, such as presentation skills.