New Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship programme offered from 2012

A new programme being introduced into the Business School’s offerings next year will address local and international calls for ongoing entrepreneurship and commercialisation education to be offered to the next wave of New Zealand leaders and innovators.

A PostGraduate Certificate and Masters in Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship course will be offered for the first time next year and is designed to specifically teach IP creation, protection and commercialisation to working professionals, as well as providing an understanding of business fundamentals.

Another new programme to be introduced is a Graduate Certificate/Diploma in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation course aimed at recent university graduates. Two new staff members have been appointed to produce the programmes.

Whilst the School has for many years offered extra-curricular opportunities that have changed the face of entrepreneurship in New Zealand, the next natural step is the targeted set of award qualifications that will recognise the critical role the subjects will play in New Zealand’s future, Business School Dean Professor Greg Whittred says.

“This is a further evolution for the Business School and the contribution it is making to the transformation of this country into a knowledge-based, high-value economy,” he says.

“This programme is a result of an enormous amount of work from a dedicated team, and it is extremely exciting that our Business School is once again leading the way in top quality education for the next wave of entrepreneurs poised to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.”

The new PostGraduate course aims to provide students with the core knowledge and skills needed to commercialise and take to market new products, services and processes based on research discoveries, inventions, innovations and new ideas, Professor Whittred says.

There are two target groups that designers of the programmes have kept top-of-mind whilst developing each. One is postgraduate students (particularly those from science, engineering and medical science), post doctorate researchers and university staff.

The other is ‘working professionals’ such as practicing scientists and technologists employed in universities, CRIs and other research organisations plus science and technology-based enterprises; business developers employed in CRIs and corporations; technology-transfer specialists; and policy makers.

“Participants will also become ‘business informed’ by developing an understanding of business concepts and how business decisions are made,” he says.

“This will include learning how to work with business people to test and validate customer need and market demand, protect intellectual property, obtain funding, sell research-related innovations into national and global markets, and develop a successful entrepreneurial venture.”

An important part of the Masters programme is a project that investigates the commercialisation of research or innovation from a university or CRI lab or private sector organisation, Professor Whittred says.

Professor Kenneth Husted from the Department of Management and International Business will become co-director of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning alongside Geoff Whitcher, and will primarily be responsible for academic activities.

Professor Husted will lead the development and launch of the new programme, and will facilitate the development of a faculty-wide, multi-disciplinary research agenda and portfolio within the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship.

To assist the Centre to cope with expanded activities, Brian Karlson has joined the Business School on a three-year appointment as Programme and Relationship Manager with a mix of academic and support activities.

Darsel Keane, Manager of the Centre looking after many ancillary activities related to projects and extra-curricular activities that support commercialisation and entrepreneurship, has now been appointed to a permanent role.

The Business School offers a world-class entrepreneurial eco-system that includes student and staff entrepreneurial education and competitions, The ICEHOUSE incubator, capability-building, internships and research projects.

For more information, you can contact Darsel Keane (d.keane@auckland.ac.nz).

Alternatively you can download Prospectuses and handbooks.