Teaching, research and transfer activities

The UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship and Intercultural Management takes an interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship research and education. This is characterised by active cooperation with regional, national and international partners, which contributes to the realisation of the overall UNESCO goals.

Teaching

The primary target group in entrepreneurship education are students of the University of Wuppertal. The application of innovative, student-oriented teaching and learning approaches is intended to meet modern demands on the quality of teaching and to contribute to intercultural dialogue in international cooperation. Sustainable development in a business context, based on ethical norms and values, is a core topic, both in terms of research and teaching and with regard to the cooperation activities of the UNESCO Chair.

 

Research

One focus of the UNESCO Chair at the University of Wuppertal is the acquisition of research-related third-party funding. In this context, the foundation of the inter-faculty and internationally active Jackstadt Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research, which was conceived by the Chair and initialised in 2011, should be emphasised. The centre's task is to conduct forward-looking research in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship. Findings from the research support the further development of the activities of the UNESCO Chair. The centre is funded by the Wuppertal-based Dr Werner Jackstädt Foundation. In this context, the UNESCO Chair also contributes to the transfer of scientific knowledge in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship from the university to the region.

One example of current research is the project "Collaboration for Social Innovation: Scaling for Impact". It explores collaborations between non-profit organisations, for-profit organisations, NGOs, governments and other relevant actors in different institutional and cultural contexts that aim to introduce and disseminate social innovations to address global sustainability challenges. The UNESCO Chair is also involved in various national and international research projects. For example, the Chair is currently working on a project to promote entrepreneurship education and women entrepreneurship on behalf of the European Commission.

 

Transfer

In all activities of the UNESCO Chair, special attention is paid to social responsibility in the entrepreneurial context. For example, since 2020 founders have been supported by the staff in the Start-up Centre on their way to setting up a sustainable business. In addition to start-up advice, a wide range of events are held to raise awareness of sustainable start-ups among members of the university and to develop Wuppertal into a hotspot for socially responsible entrepreneurship. Another focus in terms of gender equality (SDG 5) is the establishment of a NRW-wide cross-university network for female entrepreneurs, starting from the University of Wuppertal. For the Start-up Centre and the project "Women Entrepreneurs in Science", the UNESCO Chair was able to raise a total of around 4 million euros in third-party funding.

In addition, the chair actively supports the student initiative Enactus Wuppertal. The worldwide initiative Enactus is represented in 37 countries and pursues the combination of social commitment and entrepreneurial action. It gives its members the opportunity to develop and implement creative and sustainable entrepreneurial projects.

Further examples of the various activities of the UNESCO Chair can be found in the overview of the Sustainable Development Goals and under Teaching, Research and Transfer.