The climate is changing rapidly and resources are depleting. The only way to stop this is for people, businesses and governments to become more sustainable. Join an international group of students, lecturers, scientists and entrepreneurs, and discover the possibilities to make the switch to a circular biobased economy.

The body of the broadening minor Biobased Technology and Business Development consists of a multidisciplinary group project. In this project you work for a company that wants to become more sustainable and/or introduce a new sustainable product on the market. It is the task of you and your group to come up with a business plan for your client looking at marketing, finances and technical aspects. To be able to do this, your group will consist of 4-5 students with different backgrounds (engineering, environmental science, business, marketing, …).

 

To help you realize an excellent business plan and advice for your client:

• your group will have weekly meetings with your group tutor;
• you will be able to confer with marketing, financial and technical specialists;
• you will get several skills workshops and games;
• you will have guest lectures;
• you will take several courses (depending on your educational background).

 

More information about the courses can be found under ‘testing’.

 

Testimonials:

“I liked the project and working with a team with different backgrounds. It allows you to learn from each other.”

 

“This minor was really interesting and I really learned a lot about the way a biobased economy works and what you need to do to realize one.”

 

“This minor helped me to improve my English skills.”

 

"I really liked it that all the courses are related to the project. The new knowledge that you gain helps you to improve the end result of the project for you project client”

 

“We did a very fun project that was really applicable for our client. I liked the different fields of research that we had to do for the project.”

 

Learning goals

This unique multidisciplinary semester program prepares you for entrepreneurship and marketing in a more sustainable world. Discover how you can help companies make a successful transition to a sustainable and circular approach. You do this together with a group of international students from different study programs. Broaden your knowledge. Strengthen your international network and focus. Be future proof!

Students from all over the world are invited to register for this minor. All communication (both oral and written) will be in English.

Open to students who have a sufficient level of English in speaking and writing.

 

This minor is tailored to the needs of students with a business management and/or marketing, financial, technical or environmental science background. But if you have a different background and are interested in sustainable entrepreneurship and a circular biobased economy you are very welcome to join this minor.

Not applicable

This minor will start at the 28 August 2023, and finish at the end of January 2024.

The minor consists of the following subjects.

 

For all students:

• Introduction weeks (2 ects): In the first two weeks you will have an introduction program. During this program you get to know your fellow minor students and Breda (social program), we introduce you to working in multidisciplinary project teams or a client, and we offer you different games on entrepreneurship, sustainability and creativity to introduce you to the theme of the minor.
• Group project Biobased chains (12 ects): Case study for a company that wants to become more sustainable and/or introduce a new sustainable product on the market. This video gives you an example of a project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd8t6hcTAhQ
• Group project CO2 neutral cities (4 ects): How can you make a city climate neutral and how you can convince the people involved to go for your ideas? With your group you will choose a city and come up with a plan within 2 weeks to make this city climate neutral.
• Investment Decisions (1 ects): This course will teach you all about how to write a sound financial section for your business plan. You will learn that your marketing choices will have effect on the business revenues and that costs follow logically from the choices you make regarding partners and resources.
• Marketing and branding instruments (2 ects): this course gives an overview of the different marketing and branding instruments to market a new (biobased) product or technology. You will apply one or more of these instruments in the group projects. For students who do not have a marketing background this is an introduction to marketing.
• Introduction to biobased technologies (1 ects): In this course, you look into the biobased and/or circular part of your biobased chains project. Which question(s) does you client have and how could they be solved. For students who do not have a technological background this is an introduction to biobased technologies.
• Sustainable challenges (2 ects): Course that discusses the challenges that companies face when switching towards sustainability (including the role of the different stakeholders).
• Biobased Business Development (MOOC) (1 ects): This online course teaches you how to use the marketing function as a pivotal tool in building better customer relationships.
• Guest lectures (1 ects): guest lectures from companies from different sectors that are focussing on a biobased and circular economy.

 

Depending on your educational background you can make a choice from the following subjects to complete the 30EC of this minor:

• Think Biobased (MOOC) (1 ects): online course that gives an introduction of all technological, financial, marketing and social aspects of a biobased economy. Mainly for students with a non-technical background.
• Biobased battle Brazil (1 ects): During this one week project, you work together with Brazilian students to find a solution/idea for a Brazilian company that want to become more sustainable. The video gives you more information on this course.
• Biobased business models (1 ects): a successful introduction of biobased products/innovations requires new innovative business models. This course will discuss the latest developments. How can you value the fact that a product reduces CO2 emissions, has less impact on the environment or uses less valuable resources. And how do you relate this to a financial plan? This course will discuss the latest developments.
• Doing business with your talent (1 ects). During this training you will find out more about your talents and entrepreneurship qualities. Can and do you want to become an entrepreneur?!
• Communication instruments (1 ects): when you work for a client or when you want to market a product, there are different ways of presenting your results such as infographics, blogs or story maps. This course will give an overview of the different options for you to apply in the projects.
• Advanced biobased technologies (2 ects): This course is a combination of a MOOC (you can choose from two MOOCs on biobased technologies) and classes that go deeper into the technologies that are subject of the group project. For students with a technical background.

 

The different courses of the minor are assessed separately and are each awarded a number of ECTS. You are awarded the ECTS if you receive a final grade of 5.5 or higher or a pass for a subject. You are assessed both individually and based on group work. We use different assessment methods depending on the course (written assignment, oral assessment, presence, presentation). There are NO exams.

 

Students from all over the world register for this minor. All communication (both oral and written) will be in English.

The Avans study program linked to this minor module is: Milieukunde (ESSET). You will need this information for the enrolment in Studielink

For Avans students: you need to enroll via Osiris. You can find the minor under the faculty of ‘School of Life Sciences and Environmental technologies’(Or “Academie voor Technologie gezondheid en Milieu”). If you do not succeed, do not hesitate to contact us.