The business courses offered by the OSP give students useful tools and educate them in innovative thinking and entrepreneurship. Participants develop career skills that will be fundamental to their future work as entrepreneurs or employees, and will be inspired in the country that created successful products like PillCam, Waze, ICQ, and the Intel Pentium MMX chip technology, as well as developed the cellphone and voicemail technology. These courses are in collaboration with the Bengis Center for Entrepreneurship and Hi-Tech Management.

Read an article about the entrepreneurial spirit at BGU.

Why Study Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Ben-Gurion University?

  • Israel, known as the “Start-up Nation,” is the leading country in high-tech and start-ups per capita, and with more than 3,000 high-tech companies and start-ups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world aside from Silicon Valley. On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech start-ups and is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds, right behind the US. It has the 3rd highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world and the highest rate among women and people over 55 years old.
  • BGU, in partnership with the Municipality of Beer-Sheva and KUD International LLC, has begun work on the Advanced Technologies Park, which will promote technology and commercialization of cutting-edge research and innovation being developed through the University and affiliate institutions. In the last few years research and science centers have blossomed at BGU so much so that Israel’s prime-minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared that Israel’s cyber command center will be placed at BGU.
  • Every year BGU hosts the Innovation Un-Conference, the leading innovation event in the Negev and Israel, where attendees can engage with young entrepreneurs and veteran industry leaders. With an agenda including presentations from global corporations, booths representing the participating companies, open lecture rooms, and presentations from BGU business and engineering faculties, this is a rare opportunity to take part in a meeting between two forces that drive the innovation arena: leading global corporations and Israeli companies/entrepreneurs/investors/researchers.
  • One of the fields in which BGU has become a leader is cybersecurity. Check out Negev Stories: Cyber Solutions to learn more about the University and the Negev’s role in the area.

Goals:

  • Participants can expected a number of learning outcomes such as experiencing business procedures, grasping the principles of formulating business ideas and turning them into viable business ventures, learning about the unique factors of the hi-tech industry, and understanding the processes that have led Israel to be described as the ‘Start-up Nation’.

Examples of Previous Courses:

  • Technological Entrepreneurship
    The workshop provides a comprehensive view of technological entrepreneurship in order to help students build a solid understanding of all aspects associated with the building of a high-tech startup company. It covers various stages and topics of high-tech start-up ventures throughout the venture life cycle, from idea to exit. We offer the unique perspective of Israel, dubbed as a “Start-up Nation,” and share the experience gained and lessons learned by successful innovative Israeli high-tech companies and entrepreneurs. Emphasis will be given to the challenges associated with establishing the start-up, adding value throughout the life cycle of the company and leading it to successful exit. The workshop will present the success factors that have helped position Israel as a technology powerhouse. This workshop will take place at the beginning of the semester, over the course of one week. It will focus on preparing students for the course to come and providing them with the tools they will need to excel.
  • Strategy in Technology Management
    The objective of this course is to present and analyze the unique aspects of strategy in technological entrepreneurship and management, exposing students to theories and models of strategic management in the technological context of various business sectors, while highlighting Israeli knowledge and experience. The course will aims to advance the ability of students to manage technological research, entrepreneurship, development and marketing, as well as generate understanding of the sources and processes of the Hi-Tech world and the way technology develops and creates wealth in a rapidly changing global environment.
  • From Idea to Start-Up
    Many innovations, ideas and technological ventures never reach their full business potential. The reasons for this include lack of knowledge and managerial tools required in the preliminary stages of the venture, necessary to transform the innovation into a business venture. “From Idea to Start-Up” focuses on the preliminary phases of venture development. The goal is to develop the skills and tools needed by entrepreneurs when beginning a start-up venture, through close academic guidance. This begins with the primary stage, having an idea and formulating a business strategy, and continues through the stage of establishing a profitable business.
  • Innovation
    Innovation in each firm is generally based on internal considerations. Still, the advancement of innovation in industry is heavily influenced by the mutual relationships within the business sector (the business ecosystem includes relationships with other firms, financial institutions, etc.) and the public environment: relationships with the academy (cooperation in research, acquisition of knowledge, etc.) and with the government (laws and regulations, financial support, technological infrastructures). The objective of this course is to understand the essence of innovation, its characteristics, its various types and the strategies used for its implementation within the global system. The firm will then be able to build the appropriate structures that would lead to an optimal use of this system (innovation ecosystem), in order to optimally achieve innovation advances. The course will relate to the situation in Israel, with comparisons to other countries in the world.

Click here to view the current course offerings and their syllabi. Note that the course selection may change in future terms.

Can’t spend an entire semester abroad but still interested in studying business? The OSP also offers a summer program in Entrepreneurship & Innovation.