Eight students take part in the Erasmus+ DEVOS Programme in Klagenfurt (Austria)
DEVOS (Developing Outstanding Sustainable Entrepreneurship Competencies) is a hybrid training programme based on sustainable entrepreneurship, led by Carinthia University of Applied Sciences and the Degrees in Tourism and Hotel Management at the UAB. The bachelor’s degree students spent a week in Klagenfurt developing innovative ideas alongside academics, teachers and entrepreneurs from Austria, Slovenia and Italy.
22/12/2022
Students Helena Flo, Esther Ramírez, Daniel Sahuquillo, Ángela Sanchez, Laia Herraiz, Sofia Bijloo, Paula Herranz and Miguel Puertas joined the Erasmus+ DEVOS (Developing Outstanding Sustainable Entrepreneurship Competencies) programme, led by the teacher Anna Zinenko and Eithne Knappitsch (Carinthia University of Applied Sciences).
They spent from 1 to 6 December in Klagenfurt (Austria) taking part in different face-to-face activities based on sustainable entrepreneurship and working on innovative ideas that support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The teacher Anna Zinenko advising the student participants in one of the sessions that took place in Markerspace Carinthia, in Austria. | Photo: DEVOS programme
This is the first time that the Tourism and Hotel Management degrees have participated in a project such as this, known as a blended intensive programme, which is held partly in a classroom and partly online –in the case of DEVOS, the online sessions were held a few weeks prior to the meeting.
A total of 48 students from Carinthia University, the University of Ljubjiana, the Università degli Studi di Udine and the UAB took part.
Working with the Alps-Adriatic entrepreneurial network
During their stay in Klagenfurt, the students worked in nine interdisciplinary teams to develop an idea for a sustainable project and took part in several workshops on how to pitch a business plan, how to conceptualise a project and develop a business model canvas, among other subjects. All the sessions took place in Makerspace Carinthia, a hub for entrepreneurs and creatives from this cross-border region.
The participants were given guidance from university teaching staff and entrepreneurs from the Alps-Adriatic region, such as Alexander Mann, member of the Startup Carinthia board, Johann Schabauer, business coach, Jose Antonio Morales, entrepreneur and co-working space creator in Slovenia, Gloria Bottaro, innovation manager at Carinthia University, Iris Einöder, founder of the communication agency KNALLWEISS and Daniela Planinschetz-Riepl, entrepreneur and coach at Startup Carinthia.
On the final day, the teams had to pitch their business ideas in front of a jury of entrepreneurs and representatives from various start-ups, who then selected the winning proposals.
Student Paula Herranz explaining her group’s initiative: a digital certificate based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. | Image: DEVOS Programme
Experience exchange and practical application
Paula Herranz is one of the students who requested a grant to be able to take part in DEVOS, to meet and work with people from all over the world, having completed the Global Case Study Challenge last year. She describes it as "the best experience from my time as a bachelor’s degree student", as it has allowed her to apply the knowledge she gained during her studies in an international context, and to acquire interdisciplinary training to add to her CV.
Laia Herraiz agrees with Paula, saying that one of the best things about DEVOS is being able to work on a project at the Markerspace Carinthia facilities. Her group included university students from Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Italy and Slovenia, and together they pitched a business that manufactures ski and snowboard equipment from recycled materials. She thinks it has been the "first real experience" that has allowed her to "create" and "prepare" for a future that may offer her the opportunity to start her own project.
Anna Zinenko describes DEVOS as being an opportunity for students to acquire sustainable skills that allow them to nurture critical thinking, approach challenges from a multidisciplinary and systematic perspective, as well as “collaborate and find synergies” between organisations and actors involved in projects, businesses or social initiatives.
Video summary from Carinthia University of the blended intensive programme DEVOS | Fachhochschule Kärnten YouTube channel
UAB students who took part in the Erasmus+ DEVOS programme in Austria, after pitching their business proposals to a jury of entrepreneurs | Image: DEVOS Programme
Video of the presentations by DEVOS programme participants and promoters during their week in Carinthia, Austria | Video: Global Case Study Challenge