Transfer and Entrepreneurship
Overview / Introduction
Training resources / tools
Useful links
Publications
Transfer and Entrepreneurship
Keywords: Business, copyright, intellectual property, networking, (general/limited) partnership, patent, patent law, start-up, trademark
Overview / Introduction
If you are thinking about starting your own business after or during your PhD, questions about entrepreneurship, intellectual property or copyright will arise. Sometimes your doctoral project may automatically lead to your application for a patent. Other times your project might serve as inspiration for further work in your field of expertise and give you an idea of how to build a business. We wish to help you along the way with the following resources, online courses and information on where to get support for your business idea at Heidelberg University.
Training resources / tools
hei_INNOVATION, Heidelberg University
- Entrepreneurial Skills Modules: https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/transfer/service-transfer/entrepreneurial-skills
OpenSAP
- Enabling Entrepreneurs to Shape a Better World: https://open.sap.com/courses/sbw1
- New Work and Purpose https://open.sap.com/courses/nw1-tl
Coursera
- Patenting in Biotechnology (Technical University of Denmark): https://www.coursera.org/learn/patenting-bio-ipr
- Introduction to Intellectual Property (University of Pennsylvania): https://www.coursera.org/learn/introduction-intellectual-property
- Protecting Business Innovations via Copyright (Hong Kong University): https://www.coursera.org/learn/protect-business-innovations-copyright
edX
- Idea Development: Create and Implement Innovative Ideas (University of Queensland): https://www.edx.org/course/idea-development-create-and-implement-innovative-i
- Entrepreneurial Mindset (Tecnológico de Monterrey): https://www.edx.org/course/entrepreneurial-mindset
- Intellectual Property Law and Policy (University of Pennsylvania): Part 1 https://www.edx.org/course/intellectual-property-law-and-policy-part-1, Part 2 https://www.edx.org/course/intellectual-property-law-and-policy-part-2
- Der Start-up CFO (RWTH Aachen University): https://www.edx.org/course/start-up-cfo
- Launching New Ventures (EPFL): https://www.edx.org/course/launching-new-ventures
OpenHPI
- Human-Centered Design: From Synthesis to Creative Ideas: https://open.hpi.de/courses/ideas2018
- Patentrecht: So schützen Sie Ihre Innovation: https://open.hpi.de/courses/it-recht2019
- Business Processes: Modeling, Simulation, Execution: https://open.hpi.de/courses/bpm2019
- Digital Entrepreneurship: https://open.hpi.de/courses/digital_entrepreneurship2021
- Beyond Brockhaus Thinking: With Design Thinking to a Networked Culture: https://open.hpi.de/courses/designthinking2019
Udacity
- Get Your Startup Started: https://www.udacity.com/course/get-your-startup-started--ud806
- How to Build a Startup: https://www.udacity.com/course/how-to-build-a-startup--ep245
Alison
- The Elements of Entrepreneurial Success: https://alison.com/course/the-elements-of-entrepreneurial-success
- Becoming an Entrepreneur: https://alison.com/course/becoming-an-entrepreneur
- Sustainable Business - Entrepreneurship and Innovation: https://alison.com/course/sustainable-business-entrepreneurship-and-innovation-revised
- Introduction to Patents: https://alison.com/course/introduction-to-patents
- Introduction to Intellectual Property and Intangible Economy: https://alison.com/course/introduction-to-intellectual-property-and-intangible-economy
Future Learn
- Technology Entrepreneurship: How to Start a New Venture: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/technology-entrepreneurship-start-a-new-venture
- Success and Failure in Entrepreneurship: Discover the Key to Business Success: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/success-and-failure-in-entrepreneurship
- Build a Startup from Scratch: the Venture Design Process: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/venture-design-how-to-create-venture-backable-businesses-from-scratch
Khan Academy
- Start a business or go freelance: https://www.khanacademy.org/college-careers-more/career-content/career-profiles-start-a-business
- Interviews with entrepreneurs: https://www.khanacademy.org/college-careers-more/entrepreneurship2#interviews-entrepreneurs
Linkedin Learning (fee)
- Understanding Intellectual Property: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/understanding-intellectual-property
- Employee to Entrepreneur: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/employee-to-entrepreneur
- Entrepreneurship Foundations: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/entrepreneurship-foundations-2
Open Classrooms
- Decode the entrepreneur's DNA: https://openclassrooms.com/en/courses/2709621-decode-the-entrepreneurs-dna
Shaw Academy (fee)
- Entrepreneurship Fundamentals: How to Start a Successful Business: https://www.shawacademy.com/courses/business/online-start-business-course/
Harvard Business School Online (fee)
- Entrepreneurship Essentials: https://online.hbs.edu/courses/entrepreneurship-essentials/
Udemy
- First pitch checklist to present your startup idea: https://www.udemy.com/course/ideapitch/
Useful links
Heidelberg University
- Transfer Agency hei_INNOVATION: https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/transfer/heiinnovation
- Technologie Transfer Universität Heidelberg: https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/research/technology-transfer
- Patente und geistiges Eigentum Universität Heidelberg (in German): https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/forschung/transfer/patente/
- Start-up Messe Universität Heidelberg (in German): https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/studium/imstudium/careerservice/startup-messe/
- Consulting Services for Founders: https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/transfer/service-transfer/consulting-services-for-founders
- Regionale und staatliche Einrichtungen zur Existenzgründung (in German): https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/forschung/transfer/existenzgruendung/regionale_und_staatliche_einrichtungen.html
- Literatur für Existenzgründer (in German): https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/forschung/transfer/existenzgruendung/literaturauswahl.html
Further links
- Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie – Existenzgründerinnen https://www.existenzgruenderinnen.de/DE/Home/home_node.html
- Vitae.co.uk - Career stories: doctoral entrepreneurs: https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researcher-careers/researcher-career-stories/career-stories-doctoral-entrepreneurs
- Start-up BW - Academic Seed Accelerator Program: https://www.asap-bw.com/; Start-up BW Landespartner: https://www.startupbw.de/start-ups-partner/landespartner/
- LABIOTECH.eu: https://www.labiotech.eu/
- European Patent Office / Europäisches Patentamt: https://www.epo.org/ (IP Management: Recorded lectures: https://e-courses.epo.org/course/view.php?id=191; From idea to patent https://e-courses.epo.org/enrol/index.php?id=195)
- Deutsche Startups: https://www.deutsche-startups.de/
- Startup School: https://www.startupschool.org/
- Gründerinitiativen - Unternehmensgründungen aus der Wissenschaft: https://www.sab.sachsen.de/f%C3%B6rderprogramme/sie-m%C3%B6chten-ein-unternehmen-gr%C3%BCnden-oder-in-ihr-unternehmen-investieren/gr%C3%BCnderinitiativen.jsp
- Unternehmensgründung – Ein Interview mit Peter Mertens: https://blogs.fau.de/wedekind/unternehmensgruendung-ein-interview-mit-peter-mertens/
- Unternehmensgründungen (Universität Bonn): https://www.uni-bonn.de/forschung/forschungsdezernat/Drittmittelvertraege_Technologietransfer/angebote-fuer-unternehmensgruender-der-universitaet-bonn-1/unternehmensgruendungen
- How to Start a Startup (YouTube Playlist): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBYhVcO4WgI&list=PL5q_lef6zVkaTY_cT1k7qFNF2TidHCe-1&ab_channel=HowtoStartaStartup
- (Unternehmens-)Gründung nach Promotion oder Studium: https://www.thm.de/site/en/forschung/wissenschaftlicher-nachwuchs/qualifizierung/unternehmensgruendung.html#referent
- TransMIT GmbH: https://www.transmit.de/ueber-transmit
- The Lens: Tutorials and databases on how to Search, Analyze and Manage Patent and Scholarly Data: https://www.lens.org/
Publications
Articles
Democratising the Technology Education – Transforming Research into Reality, Interview with Anna Hülemeier (Falling Walls Foundation, youngentrepreneursinscience.com), 2024-07-22
https://youngentrepreneursinscience.com/2024/07/22/democratising-the-technology-education
"Starting Out at a Start-Up", Inside Higher Ed, 2020-02-17
https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/02/17/working-start-lets-you-use-your-phd-skills-different-genre-opinion
„Entrepreneurship and the humanities may feel like worlds apart. Start-ups have become somewhat synonymous with Silicon Valley, and the images they conjure don’t align well with values commonly held among humanists who aren’t typically motivated by helping businesses profit. However, after working with humanities Ph.D.s for more than 10 years, and, critically, understanding their work and training, we see more commonalities than differences. If you’re curious about the similarities between humanists and entrepreneurs, we invite you to keep reading.“ […]
Dr. Entrepreneur: Astonishing Similarities Between Entrepreneurship and the PhD Journey, Gabriel Mayrink, LinkedIn, 2019-04-07
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dr-entrepreneur-astonishing-similarities-between-phd-journey-mayrink
„Undeniably, entrepreneurship and the PhD journey differ in obvious aspects such as their respective commercial and academic ambitions, in general. However, both turn out to enjoy astonishing similarities in other domains“ […]
Teaching science and technology PhD students in entrepreneurship-potential learning opportunities and outcomes. Klofsten, M., Jones-Evans, D. & Pereira, L. , J Technol Transf, 4 April 2020,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-020-09784-8
Tips from alumni for PhD entrepreneurs, Catherine Reynolds, October 20th, 2016
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/careers/2016/10/20/tips-from-alumni-for-phd-entrepreneurs/
This Online Entrepreneur Turned His PhD Research into a Thriving Business, June 24, 2019, Jewel Lipps
http://pfforphds.com/this-online-entrepreneur-turned-his-phd-research-into-a-thriving-business/
Starting a Startup after your PhD, University of Warwick, researchex, May 16, 2018
https://phdlife.warwick.ac.uk/2018/05/16/starting-a-startup-after-your-phd/
The Graduate Entrepreneur: How to Start a Startup during your PhD, Minsoo Yoon and James Han, March 30, 2015, University of Toronto
https://www.immpressmagazine.com/the-graduate-entrepreneur-how-to-start-a-startup-during-your-phd/
Think Tank tagt zu Start-up Förderung an Hochschulen (09.01.2020)
https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilung/pid/think-tank-tagt-zu-start-up-foerderung-an-hochschulen/
Books
What's Your Bio Strategy?: How to Prepare Your Business for Synthetic Biology. John Cumbers & Karl Schmieder.
https://books.google.de/books/about/What_s_Your_Bio_Strategy.html?id=SLUbtAEACAAJ
Start-up: A Practical Guide to Starting and Running a New Business. Tom Harris.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-94547-7
Biotechnology Entrepreneurship: Starting, Managing, and Leading Biotech Companies. Craig Shimasaki.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124047303/biotechnology-entrepreneurship
Der kreative Entrepreneur: Eine empirische Multimethoden-Studie. Christian Horneber.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-8349-4373-6
Becoming an Entrepreneur. Susanne Weber.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-94-6209-596-0
Design Thinking for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses: Putting the Power of Design to Work.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4302-6182-7
The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. Steve Blank, Bob Dorf.
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0984999302
Podcasts
Business of science: Tips and tricks for a perfect investor pitch (Nature Careers Podcast, 12 May 2021)
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01003-0
