"We offer clear prospects to those starting new IT businesses"
What is the study profile of the web start-up course?
The Faculty of Information Technology has supplemented the standard information technology course with special modules. In this context, students are given intensive training in starting up a new business. To my knowledge nothing else comparable is on offer anywhere else in Germany. We are the first to make web start-ups part of a course of study and to integrate them in the curriculum. To this end we are working closely together with support organisations such as a venture capital firm and the Business Angels Network.
Why is this course profile being offered?
In this country there is a great potential for new business start-ups in the IT sector. We are offering this because nowadays it is possible to become an independent professional with a very low level of cost and complexity. The internet means it is now possible to do many things that were previously impossible. Examples such as Twitter, Google and Facebook show how young entrepreneurs can be very successful. And we are just at the beginning of this development.
What specifically does the web start-up course involve?
It lasts seven semesters. The specialist modules start in the fourth. The students then learn about business IT, E-business, innovation and the development of business ideas. The highlight is the seventh semester which is dedicated to preparing a new business start-up. Students work in teams and thrash out business ideas. They build a prototype which involves them programming software. We provide them with a specialist laboratory for their work in this area. At the end of the project and their course they demonstrate their academic expertise to the professors. They also show them their prototypes. Through a cooperation with the State, the students with the web start-up profile automatically participate in the business plan competition enabling them to make contact with interested investors. This means we are also able to attract students from other federal states in Germany.
So no sooner than they have graduated, the students are directors of their own companies - does that actually work?
Yes of course it does. The students can also start up a new business during their studies. We want to show them that it really isn't a difficult thing to do. They can also, of course, start up a new company on graduating, which has the advantage that all of the preparations have already been made. Their business plan is ready, they have contacts and they have a product. We also support and encourage the students once they have graduated. The 'EXIST' start-up grant from the German federal government welcomes applications from students or university workers who have a business idea. It gives everyone one year to create a marketable product from a business idea. We want to support students to apply for this grant and offer them business space in our innovation and start-up laboratory so they have a rent-free office for the start of their business. We work hand in hand with a wide range of support programmes and maintain close contacts with the Investment Bank of Saxony-Anhalt. The big advantage to this sector is that you don't have to invest much, you don't need a warehouse or machinery - all you need is a computer and an internet connection.
What kind of web services are set to be in demand in the future?
Two key focal points are currently crystallising. In the future, all possible apps will have to be designed for mobile devices such as the smart phone or the iPad. Mobile devices that can do everything will replace expensive auxiliary equipment. There are many possible business applications for a smart phone. Warehouse management, for instance, is easy with an app. And the so-called Cloud Computing is also important. Computer services are made available in the internet that everyone can use.
What kinds of companies are conceivable for new IT business start-ups?
There are lots of possibilities. There will be companies that discover applications and make the corresponding apps. There is an immediate market for these apps since companies can save money by fitting an app to reasonably priced devices, thereby omitting expensive devices. Other companies can focus in on creating specialist software for contractors. Some companies are already doing this in Magdeburg, but demand is so big at the moment that there could be many more.
Why should new business stay in Saxony-Anhalt when they can go online anywhere?
We work together with partners from Saxony-Anhalt's own "ego" start-up organisation and the world of business. From the very start, we want to show students that offers are available here such as the Saxony-Anhalt Business Plan Competition. We show them that there are solid prospects for their time here straight after they graduate. Everything is laid on here, with work awaiting in three years' time. The students can devote all of their energy to their business.
Author: Manuela Bock
Contact:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Graham Horton
Faculty of Information Technology
Universitätsplatz 2
39106 Magdeburg
E-Mail: graham.horton.ignore@ovgu.de
Web: www.cs.uni-magdeburg.de