Preparing Researchers for Entrepreneurship Based on Systematic Innovation Training

Abstract Preparing young researchers for entrepreneurship has become a key strategic objective in the knowledge-based economy to assure the sustained growth of successful Start-Ups and SMEs that can keep pace with the ever increasing innovation speed and pressure. As ideas are the origin of every successful innovation, students have to be trained in systematically opening their mindsets to generate and structure ideas with high innovation potentials. They also have to learn to implement them in a way that the results facilitate their entry in entrepreneurial activities. The systematic approach of TRIZ can be considered as a key facilitator towards helping researchers to generate, structure, and assess ideas related to technology-based product/service solutions. This paper presents the Europe-wide certified Education and Training Programs Idea2Enterprise and ResEUr, two successive European projects that have conceived and implemented a unique e-Learning enabled training and EU- wide certification program to sensitise young researchers and creative minds for innovation and entrepreneurship in our modern environment.