Students travel to Austria to learn about sustainable entrepreneurship with the Erasmus BIP programme

13/12/2024

4th year students have participated for the third year in the SEED Lab, a hybrid training initiative, with an exchange in Klagenfurt, which is part of the Erasmus+ ‘Blended Intensive Program’ (BIP).  This think tank is designed to plant the seeds of critical thinking in students across Europe and to foster sustainable entrepreneurship.

Carla Ortiz, Julia Rubio and Judit Elias, from the Degree in Hotel Management, and Paula Gómez and Diana Vera, from the Degree in Tourism, participated in virtual sessions with professors and students from the other universities involved, and lived a face-to-face exchange experience during the week of 2-7 December in Klagenfurt, Austria.

The meeting took place in the Makerspace of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, which organised the event together with the FUAB Formació School, Startup Carinthia and Global Case Study Challenge as partners.  The lecturers involved were Eithne Kneppitsch, from the Austrian Centre, and Anna Zinenko, from the Tourism and Hotel Management programme at the FUAB Formació School. Zinenko, together with Albert Vancells, coordinator of the Bachelor of Tourism and Tourism in English, led the students' participation in this exchange.

A total of 47 students from Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (FH-Kaernten) (Austria), the University of Udine (Italy), the Hellenic Mediterranean University (Greece), Kauno Technikos Kolegija (Lithuania) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) took part. The students were divided into 5 teams of 7 participants who had to find solutions to challenges proposed by different companies or create a social or environmental business from scratch, and then present their innovative ideas to a jury.

The VIRIDI project, funded by Austria and Slovenia with the aim of accelerating the green transition in the cross-border area between the two countries, helped to provide the SEED Lab's circular economy companies.

47 students from five different universities met in Klagenfurt, Austria, from 2 to 7 December.

 

Innovative and alternative solutions to real environmental problems

The experience was an opportunity that was highly valued by the young participants and helped them to identify and solve real problems in a business context: 'an essential skill for future employment'. Carla Ortiz, from the Hotel Management course, said that she had been able to 'interact with students from different nationalities and academic backgrounds, which helped me to broaden my horizons and work very effectively in a team, as well as practising English, tackling real business problems and learning about business, marketing and entrepreneurship'.

Carla's team, snow2road, chose the snowboard company CAPITA to take on the challenge of preventing an average of 3,000 dented snowboards a year from being incinerated and finding a more sustainable alternative. After reflecting on the company's challenge and holding several meetings with their colleagues, the group concluded that they could create a system that would turn the 3,000 leftover boards into a gift: they would be given to members of an exclusive club among CAPITA's customers. This would differentiate them from the 100,000 ordinary snowboards the company produces each year.

The inclusion of guest experts such as Andreas Lehner, an entrepreneur and serial environmental author, greatly enriched the learning experience. Andreas shared insights from his career and his book on sustainable investing, 'Mind Your Money', giving the future graduates a real-world perspective on how to navigate the complexities of this type of venture.

 

Recognition of the National Ars Docendi Award for the SEED Lab project

Professors Anna Zinenko and Eithne Knappitsch were invited to a dinner with the Rector of the Kärnten University of Applied Sciences, Peter Granig, to celebrate the Ars Docendi 2024 National Award for Teaching Excellence in the category of Social and Sustainability Education, which the SEED Lab project won in September.

During the dinner, the Rector congratulated the two professors on their initiative, which is already generating ideas for next year's edition. Professor Anna Zinenko said: "Understanding sustainable entrepreneurship is vital for tourism students as the industry moves towards more environmentally responsible practices. This programme will provide them with the essential skills to innovate and lead sustainability initiatives in the hospitality industry”.