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Social Innovation
© Bayer Foundation

Innovation and Social Innovation at WFI

»WFI nurtures Social Entrepreneurs in Germany and Africa to address global and local social challenges through innovative, sustainable business solutions. We aim to educate, inspire, and empower a new generation of founders who are committed to social impact and who can envision, launch, and scale ventures effectively.«

The open and collaborative culture at WFI provides fertile ground for innovation and creativity to thrive in all aspects of scholarship. The governance model at WFI, through the elected Faculty Council body, guarantees involvement of all internal stakeholder groups (faculty, staff, and students) on a regular basis. Our governance structure allows for a spirited, respectful exchange of ideas across all internal stakeholders, resulting in multiple innovative initiatives each year. In contrast to strategic decisions made centrally through a hierarchy, or in silos, the governance structure gives voice to all groups within the school and promotes robust discussion and input on all ideas that are discussed during the monthly Faculty Council meetings. Indeed, innovation can come from anywhere in the organization.

How We Innovate…

Societal Impact through our Social Innovation Curriculum

SISTAC

One exemplar of our Social Innovation initiatives is the Social Impact Start-up Academy (SISTAC), an initiative developed by Bayer Foundation and WFI. It enables master’s students in the “Social Innovation” course at WFI to work with social entrepreneurs in sub–Saharan Africa over a 12-month period to jointly address challenges of upscaling the African social innovator’s business model. Creating remarkable social impact over a sustained period, this unique action learning program supports UN Sustainability goals #2 (zero hunger) and #3 (good health and wellbeing) while creating real impact.

Here are other exemplars:

Select Examples of Social Innovation through our Curriculum

  • Two action learning seminars (Social Innovation I and II) are offered in cooperation with Bayer Cares Foundation and consulting agency 8020.
  • The action learning approach from the Social Innovation classes has been applied to an Action-Learning Master’s thesis format at the Chair of Christian Social Ethics and Social Policy. Master students dedicate six months to the development of a business solution and prototype for a particular social impact start-up in cooperation with the founder, as part of their final paper.
  • WFI’s International Summer School, on the theme of Responsible Innovation in Firms in Society, was supported by Erasmus+ grants and was offered in a blended learning format. Featuring participants and faculty from international partner universities, it includes business immersions in Munich, coursework in Ingolstadt, multiple cultural immersion visits in Bavaria, and a truly international atmosphere on a socially relevant and impactful topic.
  • Students in the Bachelor’s Course “Innovating for Sustainability”, as well as the Master’s Courses “Innovation & Creativity” and “Start-Up School” offered by the Chair of Innovation and Creativity Chair each semester have the opportunity to work on exciting and innovative projects in partnership with companies to solve real world problems posed by these partners.

Innovative Programs, Courses, and Teaching Formats

Students

The foundation of our programs at WFI is to create and seek innovative ways of teaching, so we can offer our students the best with the tools at our disposal. To that end, we take great care in providing education that is high in quality, accessible, future-focused, and relevant.

Some recent, select examples of our innovative initiatives within the academic community include:

Innovative Hybrid MBA with Business Immersions in the Silicon Valley and the German Mittelstand

WFI offers a MBA program (weekend, in-person format) in a hybrid format that includes 50% in-person and 50% digital learning modes. This creatively re-designed program includes a global immersion in the Silicon Valley in collaboration with the Graduate School of Management at the University of California at Davis, and a business immersion in the German Mittelstand (Middle Market Firms). A Hybrid format for the MBA, though available in many schools internationally, is uncommon in Germany. This program is poised to offer a differentiated, value-laden educational experience that offers a balance of flexibility and experiential learning, not found elsewhere in German business schools.

Innovative Programs, Courses, and Teaching Formats

Innovation based on Collaborations and Partnerships

At WFI we put great value into creating relationships with different institutions, organizations, and partners of all kinds. This allows us to not only offer important experiences and resources for our students, but also to contribute to a variety of communities.

Some recent, select examples of our innovation initiatives based on collaborations and partnerships include:

Unique Collaborative Innovation Activities

Student and Faculty Led Innovation and Initiatives

Student Organization

For a business school with less than 1000 students, we claim the national spotlight with the WFI Summer Challenge, and the WFI Consulting Cup, which are not only among the two most prestigious university events in Germany that attract student participants from all major universities in Germany to WFI but also bring in keenly sought after recruiters and business leaders to interact, mentor, and engage with students. These annual events at WFI have an outsized reputation for engagement, professional development, and exposure to the business community.

At WFI, we prioritize providing our students with exceptional tools and opportunities, such as the UNICEF campus group or international programs like the Double Master’s degree with the Toulouse Business School. We emphasize developing intercultural skills and preparing students for global careers. By fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, we aim to increase university-related start-ups and strengthen our students' capacity to innovate.

Innovation initiatives from students and by our faculty. At WFI, we prioritize providing our students with exceptional tools, opportunities, and engagement possibilities. This includes the UNICEF campus group of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, a student engagement organization that actively supports UNICEF's work in Ingolstadt and the surrounding area. 

Our study programs are designed to prepare students for an international career and for working in intercultural teams. In particular, this is achieved through international and intercultural content in the courses, and language modules as well as intercultural preparation, support, and follow-up for students going abroad. Our Double Degrees (DICE, and International Management) provide the students with bi-national professional training and strengthens their intercultural competences.

Other select examples of innovation initiatives from our students include:

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