Within the scope of the Specific Collaboration Schemes developed in the GADGET project, FH JOANNEUM decided to offer three free training courses to SME industry members on various topics to foster university-industry collaborations. The first training took place on June 4th, 2014 with 10 SME representatives from various industries in attendance.

The afternoon was opened by Mag. (FH) Lisa Mahajan and Mag. Rene Wenzel, who introduced the GADGET project to the attendees and explained the purpose of the trainings. The 6-unit training session was led by the experienced marketing lecturers Mag. Hildegard Liebl and Mag. Ing. Denny Seiger, who varied between direct lectures and interactive group exercises to enhance the learning effects of the participants. Specific topics covered included external and internal marketing analysis tools, experience curve analysis and the Stage-Gate model among many others.

Participants were able to ask direct questions about their own enterprises and receive advice on how to handle specific situations. The trainers and participants entered into lively discussions that went beyond the GADGET project and revolved around collaboration in the fields of bachelor papers or student projects. Feedback collected at the end of the training session showed a general satisfaction and a willingness to return for the other events.

It is furthermore planned to conduct a training session on June 26th, 2014 on the topic of “Internationalization, Development of market understanding and market potential analysis” and one on July 3rd, 2014 on the topic of “Project management, planning & controlling of R&D projects”.