Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Info

The Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) at WU Vienna is one of the leading research and teaching organizations in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation research.

Geschichte

Entrepreneurship is the driving force for business start-ups and innovation processes. These dynamic activities are of particular importance for the economy as a whole. New ideas can be successfully implemented by new companies, but existing organizations also have to reinvent themselves through innovations in order to be successful in international competition.

In research, we are working on open problems in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation. Due to the dynamism and the goal of entrepreneurial processes, this research field is challenging, but there are laws and patterns that can be discovered. Our scientific approach is realtheoretical. This means that we focus on problems of general relevance, structure them by economic and behavioral theories, and empirically test them against reality. We publish the results of our research activities in top scientific journals such as Management Science, Organization Science, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Research Policy or Journal of Business Venturing. Our research partners are international researchers from Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Bocconi University, Copenhagen Business School, EPFL Lausanne, VU Amsterdam, Penn State University, Universität St. Gallen and WHU Vallendar.

In teaching, our goal is to provide our students with first-class knowledge in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation. In doing so, we are guided by the leading international universities and business schools. We teach theories, methods and scientific knowledge in our courses. However, we do not stop with the knowledge transfer, but rather shape the entrepreneurial thinking and behavior of our students in real innovation projects with multinational companies, SMEs, start-ups and research organizations.

Through their entrepreneurial profile, our graduates qualify for various career paths. In addition to owning or acquiring an existing company, occupations such as innovation managers, assistants in management, analysts in venture capital companies or company consultants are typical starting positions.

"The driving force behind company formation and the innovation process is the entrepreneurial act. In a fast-changing and increasingly complex world, emerging and established companies must continuously challenge and rediscover themselves through innovation.Our teaching programs present students with state-of-the-art knowledge in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation. Our teaching is informed by our research, in which we tackle highly relevant open questions. We continuously communicate our findings in top international journals and conferences.In research and teaching, we can rely on our extensive network of well-known partners from international corporates, start-ups, distinguished academic institutions and government bodies."