Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models
About us
Innovations at the boundaries of different fields of knowledge and technology have the potential to enable new technology and innovation systems as well as entirely new entrepreneurial eco-systems. For example, the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals adopted in Paris can only succeed through new technologies and new value chains that enable a more efficient use of resources. Against the background of this motivation, the team of the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models deals with the entire transformation or start-up process from the emergence of new "Technological Innovation Systems" and the associated transformation of established firms to the identification of entrepreneurial opportunities and the underlying mental models of managers/entrepreneurs.
We aim at closely linking theoretical and practical questions in research and education. Our research projects are based on a wide array of quantitative as well as qualitative methods to analyze management questions in the diverse applications fields.

Team
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Bröring
Chair of the department, Professor
Vanja Mati
Employee in technology and administration
Dr. Michael Rennings (geb. Wustmans)
Academic council, Scientific assistant
Dr. Vera Jahn
Post-Doc, Scientific assistant
Dr. Vivian Peuker Steinhäuser
Post-Doc, Scientific assistant
Philipp Baaden
Scientific assistant
Lucia Brandt
Scientific assistant
Lev Kalishchuk
Scientific assistant
Teaching
The registration for the modules at the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models is done via Moodle. If you are interested in a module, please enroll in the corresponding Moodle course.
Information on:
Bachelor and Master Theses
Further information on bachelor and master theses are here.
Please contact Vanessa Thybussek (vanessa.thybussek@rub.de) if you are interested in writing your bachelor or master theses with us or have any further questions.
Acceptance of credit points
In general, there are two different types of credit recognition:
- If you take a module at a foreign university that is equivalent to one of the modules offered by our chair in terms of content and requirements, you can have it credited as the corresponding RUB module.
- If you take an economics module at a foreign university for which there is no equivalent module at our chair in terms of content and requirements, you can have it credited as a so-called “dummy” module (“(Advanced) Applied Management/Economics”).
Basically, our chair will determine in which form we can credit your module. Students who need credit for a module taken at another university or department for a subject offered by the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models, please contact Ms. Vanja Mati: sekretariat-eship@ruhr-uni-bochum.de.
In order to be able to provide information about the credit, the following information is required:
- Your RUB degree (Bachelor, Master, etc.)
- Your exchange type (Erasmus, change of university, etc.)
- Completed application for recognition, available at the examination office
In order to assess the content and level of the non-RUB module, we need the following information about the non-RUB module:
- Name of the module
- ECTS or credits
- Contact/teaching hours (“semester hours per week”)
- Study program to which the module belongs
- Syllabus
- Literature
- WWW link of the module
Teaching offers
The focus of this course relates to the ability of organizations to innovate, including the tools, frameworks, processes, strategies, and structures that are relevant. Thus, this course will provide a detailed overview of strategic technology and innovation management tools, explore how these tools help to support and design the management of innovative projects and organizations, assist in the creation of an innovation-oriented and innovation-supporting environment, and facilitate the development and evaluation of appropriate strategies for the implementation of new product and technology development processes. Discussion of how to appropriately utilize tools for the development and implementation of strategic technology and innovation concepts in the context of specific industries receives specific emphasis, by means of case-study discussions, in-class assignments, and guest lectures.
Strategic Technology and Innovation Management (MSc)
Seminar
6 contact hours
-
Die Sicherung einer guten wissenschaftlichen Praxis bildet das Fundament für qualitativ hochwertige und anerkannte Forschung. Deshalb werden die Studierenden in diesem Seminar grundlegend an wissenschaftliches Arbeiten, am Beispiel der Entrepreneurship- und Innovationsforschung, herangeführt. Hierzu werden den Studierenden der Aufbau sowie die Struktur wissenschaftlicher Texte dargestellt und die Grundlagen systematischer Literaturrecherche und Literaturverwaltungsprogramme (bspw. Citavi) vermittelt. Außerdem wird dargestellt, wie ein Thema einzugrenzen und Forschungsfragen zu definieren sind. Studierende lernen formale Richtlinien des wissenschaftlichen Schreibens sowie Zitierens und Kriterien zur Bewertung wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten kennen. Zudem werden Präsentationstechniken gezeigt, welche die Vermittlung wissenschaftlicher Inhalte unterstützt. Neben der Erstellung und Präsentation eigener Inhalte werden Studierende ihr erlerntes Wissen transferieren, indem sie Peer-Feedback geben und die Moderation einer Präsentation durchführen.
Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten im Entrepreneurship und Innovationsmanagement (BSc)
Seminar
6 contact hours
SS
Neue Technologie-Start-ups sind wichtig für eine nachhaltige Transformation der Zukunft. Universitäten, wie die forschungsstarke RUB, bieten ein großes Potenzial für die Generierung neuer Technologien, doch nur wenige Ideen finden den Weg in die Praxis. Hier setzt dieses Modul an und zielt darauf ab, Studierende in die Lage zu versetzen, ihre Ideen in die Praxis umzusetzen, indem eine Geschäftsidee in ein erfolgreiches Geschäftsmodell überführt wird.
Start-up creation (BSc)
Seminar
6 contact hours
SS
The fundamental objective of this course is to explore current trends in entrepreneurship research as well as examine and evaluate research gaps in the field of technology-based entrepreneurship to better explain entrepreneurial phenomena in different settings. Participants will develop their own research idea in a term paper by applying different theory lenses and concepts. Therefore, the seminar includes literature studies, preparations of research concepts, and the state of the art in entrepreneurship literature. The course contributes to understand the emergence of entrepreneurial processes and how new insights in entrepreneurship research enable the implementation of new services, products, or processes.
Advanced Seminar Entrepreneurship (MSc)
Seminar
4 contact hours
WS
WS 2023/24
This course introduces various qualitative and quantitative research methods which are particularly relevant for entrepreneurship and management research, whether in an academic or corporate setting. Some examples of such methods are comprehensive literature review, expert interviews, expert surveys, qualitative content analysis, quantitative data analysis, group concept mapping, and choice modelling. In this way, the course is set up to introduce and facilitate the application of these exploratory research methods for different units of analysis, such as individuals (e.g., entrepreneurs and managers), actors (e.g., start-ups, established companies and research institutions), or the entire ecosystems. Where applicable, students will become acquainted with relevant software and databases to apply the methods to their own research in the field of entrepreneurship.
Exploratory Methods in Entrepreneurship Research (MSc)
Seminar
4 contact hours
WiSe
WS 2023/24
Foundations of Entrepreneurship serves as the gateway course to the entrepreneurship education at CEIT. The main focus of this course is to consider and discuss entrepreneurial processes in established firms as well as newly created ventures. This course thus focuses less on the 'how' of entrepreneurship, but on the 'what' and the 'why'. It considers theories on the nature of entrepreneurship that explain entrepreneurial success and how entrepreneurship relates to innovation. Each lecture is devoted to a particular topic, which we cover through a combination of lecture, case-based discussion, and in-class activities. Over the course of the semester, students will work in teams to work on case studies, culminating in an end-of-term individual case development and presentation.
Foundations of Entrepreneurship (MSc)
Seminar
6 contact hours
WiSe
WS 2023/24
Research
Given the increasing need to implement sustainable development goals and the pressing urge to mitigate challenges such as climate change, new technologies and innovations are not only increasingly necessary but also a fascinating research subject.
Research focus
Technology Dynamics and Transformation
New technologies have the potential to disrupt and thus change the logic of various industries. On the one hand, this dynamic leads to opportunities for start-ups; on the other, it poses major challenges for established companies.
Business Model Innovations
The combination of different knowledge and technology areas holds great potential for technology-based business models and at the same time poses major challenges for the transformation process of established companies.
Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition
Identifying and realizing entrepreneurial opportunities in the context of interdisciplinary high-tech fields helps to link diverse fields of knowledge and technology.
Publications
Moretti, D.M., Baum, C.M., Ehlers, M.-H., Finger, R., & Bröring, S. (2023). Exploring actors' perceptions of the precision agriculture innovation system – A Group Concept Mapping approach in Germany and Switzerland. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 122270.
Appio, F. P., Bröring, S., Sick, N., Lee, S., & Mora, L. (2023). Editorial Deciphering Convergence: Novel Insights and Future Ideas on Science, Technology, and Industry Convergence. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 70(4), 1389-1401.
Jahn, V., & Steinhardt, M. (2023). Immigration and New Firm Formation – Evidence from a Quasi-experimental Setting in Germany. International Migration Review.
Moretti, D.M., Baum, C.M., Ehlers, M.-H., Finger, R., & Bröring, S. (2023). Exploring actors' perceptions of the precision agriculture innovation system – A Group Concept Mapping approach in Germany and Switzerland. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 122270.
Appio, F. P., Bröring, S., Sick, N., Lee, S., & Mora, L. (2023). Editorial Deciphering Convergence: Novel Insights and Future Ideas on Science, Technology, and Industry Convergence. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 70(4), 1389-1401.
Jahn, V., & Steinhardt, M. (2023). Immigration and New Firm Formation – Evidence from a Quasi-experimental Setting in Germany. International Migration Review.
Latest news
Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models
Suttner-Nobel Allee 4
(ehm. Opelring 1)
44803 Bochum
Phone:
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