Ready to become a game-changer in the business world? The Future-focused Business Innovator (FBI) minor is your gateway to mastering the skills and knowledge needed to tackle the biggest challenges in creating a future-proof, sustainable and circular economy. Imagine a world where waste is a thing of the past, and everything is reused and valued. That's the future you'll help build! 

In this minor, which is integrated with the minors Designing Circular Value Chains and Circular Transition in Healthcare, you'll dive into real-world projects with companies, participate in hands-on workshops, and learn the art of effective networking. The skills you gain here will set you apart in any career path you choose.

This minor is offered as a hybrid English-Dutch minor. We do this because we believe that everyone should be able to participate in this minor, and that language should not be a barrier to participation. What this means in practice is that all group activities will be in English, but that you are always welcome to ask any questions in Dutch; we will assist with translations so that everyone will always be able to follow everything. Your individual coaching and deliverables can be done in English or Dutch.

 

Why choose this minor?

Our current "take-make-waste" economy is outdated and harmful. We're running out of resources, polluting our planet and accelerating global warming. The circular economy is the future, focusing on reusing and maintaining products at their highest value. The best part is that this approach does not just benefit the economy, but also the environment and society.

The world also recognizes the need for this shift. The Paris Climate Agreement aims to keep global temperature rise well below 2°C, and the Dutch government is pushing for a fully circular economy by 2050, with major progress to be made by 2030.

This transition impacts everyone—consumers, policymakers, businesses and educators. This is where you come in: in the FBI minor, you'll be at the forefront of this change. You'll work on exciting circular projects with organizations and solve real-world problems, be they in healthcare, the supply chain or elsewhere.

 

Exciting Projects Await You:

Every year, we team up with partners to create projects that fit into three key themes: changing consumer behaviour, designing sustainable business models and transforming the value chain. You'll spend about half of your time working on such a group project. Here are some examples of past projects:

• Changing Consumer Behaviour: Help reduce textile pollution, create eco-friendly menus for restaurants and develop marketing strategies for second-hand stores.
• Designing Sustainable Business Models: Find innovative recycling solutions for batteries and windmill blades, develop market strategies for biobased materials and explore the use of rotor blades for noise reduction.
• Transforming the Value Chain: Research blockchain applications, design sustainable business collaborations and investigate the future of textile waste.
• Reducing Waste: Eliminate the use of many kilograms of paper by enabling hospitals to work with sticker-free blood tubes.
  The good news here is that choosing Future-focused Business Innovator means you will be able to see and experience the broader impact of the transformation to circular, which will provide input again for your own project. This way, we try to make use of interdisciplinary insights for mutual benefit.

Programme Structure:

In the first week, there will be a kick-off programme that will help you get into the right mindset and will also help in getting to know each other.

You'll work on a group project 2-3 days per week with support from a coach and the client organisation. After an initial orientation phase, you'll present your project proposal in week 5 and then work on implementing it.

You'll also build a solid theoretical foundation with workshops in areas like research methods, systems thinking, sustainable business modelling, impact assessment and tools for the circular economy.

In the second block, you'll deepen your knowledge on a circular topic of your choice and share your findings in a format of your own choosing, be that e-book, podcast, or something else entirely.

Throughout the minor, you keep track of your progress so you can share what you have learned during an interview at the end.

By the end of the minor, you'll:

• Have a thorough understanding of the circular economy.
• Be able to share your knowledge on various platforms.
• Possess strong research skills.
• Demonstrate problem-solving skills for circular projects.
• Evaluate circular solutions from financial, environmental, and social perspectives.
• Collaborate effectively with stakeholders.
• Develop a network of circular-minded individuals.

Level of thinking of a final-year Bachelor student or equivalent.

One fixed morning or afternoon every week (3 hours)

There are two assessments in this minor, both of which are worth 15 ECs:

• RBSFBI01 – Group Project
  • Report 90%
  • Final client presentation 10%

The weighted average needs to be 5.5; no assessment may be lower than 4.0.

• RBSFBI02 – Professional Development
  • Final Interview based on delivery of several products (100%)

The final interview will be held on the basis of a knowledge product to be designed by the student and a professional development portfolio, which contains the learning journey of the student, with reflections and evidence that serve as input for the final interview, where the full learning journey is discussed in detail.