Press 2015

The prestigious SPSU University in Udaipur/India has appointed MCI Rector Andreas Altmann to the University Management BoardWith more than 200 partner universities, students from 49 and teachers from 35 different countries, and thousands of graduates throughout the world, Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) is one of the most international universities in the German-speaking world. The international commitment of the Entrepreneurial School® has now been rewarded with yet another distinction.Sir Padampat Singhania University (SPSU), which is located in picturesque Udaipur (Rajasthan, India), has appointed the Rector of the Entrepreneurial School® to its University Management Board. The SPSU is a private university with 3,000 students in the fields of business and technology at the Bachelor, Master and doctoral levels.Rector Andreas Altmann’s appointment to the University Management Board was preceded by an agreement on academic cooperation in teaching and research, intensive talks on the scope for additional cooperation activities and finally an invitation to hold the keynote speech as “Chief Guest” at the SPSU’s 2015 graduation ceremony.Sir Padampat Singhania University (SPSU){phocagallery view=category|categoryid=955}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Spirit of partnership between Management Center Innsbruck and the Raiffeisen Banking Group in the Tyrol finds expression in attractive scholarships for MCI studentsAs an MCI partner and sponsor of many years’ standing, Raiffeisen Banks see academic training as a significant social asset and a central resource for corporate development. For that reason, the banking group has created an annual award in support of motivated people with an outstanding professional and personal record who are studying at the MCI.This year’s Raiffeisen Award worth 3,000 euros has been won by Rosemarie Lechner, whose curriculum vitae – with all its diversity – reflects a consistent focus on an impressive value and target system: appreciation of others – sense of responsibility – professionalism. The scholarship will help Ms Lechner to take the MCI’s Executive Certificate course in Management, Psychology & Leadership. As a future manageress, she would like to contribute to a modern self-image for women between the twin poles of career and family.The five best entrants were shortlisted on the basis of their dossiers and invited to the final round of hearings and interviews. The award was made by Raiffeisen’s Marketing Manager Thomas Wass and Susanne E. Herzog, Head of MCI Executive Education & Development.Tiroler Raiffeisen Banks and the Entrepreneurial School® would like to congratulate all the entrants who made it onto the shortlist and especially the prizewinner Rosemarie Lechner and wish them all the best for their studies and future careers.Executive certificate course in Management, Psychology & Leadership{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=951}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Exciting South Tyrol Business Forum scores with managers from Italy, Austria and GermanyAnother successful event held by Management Center Innsbruck (MCI): With a fascinating program, the 11th South Tyrol Business Forum attracted more than 330 high-level attendees to Brixen and generated enthusiastic comments from them. In addition to a program that need fear no comparisons at the international level, the event was also a unique opportunity to make and refresh contacts with decision-makers from Italy, Germany and Austria.Following words of welcome spoken by South Tyrol’s Governor Arno Kompatscher and President of Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse Karl Franz Pichler, speakers from all over Europe contributed to an excellent program with interesting information and useful insights. Dagmar Chlosta, Vice-president Global Marketing at Adidas, spoke about employee motivation, life-long learning and employment quotas for women. She said that the creativity of employees made all the difference in the innovation process. The Dutch IT engineer Joseph Oubelkas, who was unjustly imprisoned in Morocco for four and a half years, spoke about the power of positive thinking in apparently hopeless situations. Stefan Siegel, a South Tyrolean living in London who founded the successful online fashion platform “Not Just a Label”, stressed that a good idea alone was not enough to set up a business but that it also took perseverance and the right attitude in order to succeed. The Italian entrepreneur Alberto Zamperla, President and CEO of Antonio Zamperla S.p.A., said that alertness, an open mind and continuous image building were fundamental qualities for success in the face of global competition.The international importance of the event was additionally underlined by the keynote speech given by EU Commissioner Violeta Bulc, who participated as a special guest in an added attraction at the event in the form of a European Citizens’ Dialog. Her subject was the challenges confronting Europe in the field of transport.The event was organized by Management Center Innsbruck in collaboration with Verlag business bestseller, Südstern, Netzwerk für Südtiroler im Ausland and Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse.Outlook for 2016:The next South Tyrol Business Forum will be held at Forum Brixen on Friday, March 11, 2016.Photo gallery:www.wirtschaftsforum.it{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=949}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

New cooperation agreements signed with the National University of Singapore, the Cranfield School of Management, Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Bournemouth UniversityStudents at the MCI can spend a semester abroad at one of the MCI’s over 200 partner universities worldwide. Further leading universities were recently added to the list of partners and existing agreements extended with two of the world’s top partner universities.Great Britain is one of the most popular destinations for Erasmus students. That makes the agreement concluded with Bournemouth University particularly attractive. Bournemouth is a coastal resort in the south of England. It is famous for its sandy beach, above-average hours of sunshine and its many visiting students from abroad. The university enjoys a fine reputation in the field of media sciences especially.Students who choose the MCI’s second new partner university will be venturing into a more exotic environment. But Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Malaysia offers not only the experience of one of the world’s most dynamic economic areas but also an outstanding university education in technical subjects. In future, a semester there will be available to MCI students of Energy Engineering and Environmental Engineering.Since 2012, the National University of Singapore has been an MCI partner for Bachelor students in the field of Food Technology. The agreement has now been extended to permit students enrolled in the MCI Master’s program in Bioresource & Food Engineering to spend a semester there, too. That is all the more exciting as the National University of Singapore is classed as the best university in the whole of Asia in the QS World University Ranking, and studying there has the same prestige as at an elite American or British university.And finally, the MCI’s long-standing MBA partnership with the legendary Cranfield School of Management in England has been extended to include mobility at the levels of teaching and administration. The Cranfield School of Management is located to the north of London and regularly achieves top marks in a variety of rankings worldwide.Katrin Bach, Head of Bioresource & Food Engineering says, “We have already had four students from the National University of Singapore at the MCI. Learning, researching and working together is also a rewarding experience for our own students. So I am delighted that cooperation is to be extended to include Master students, too.”Susanne Lichtmannegger, Head of International Relations at the MCI, is also very pleased: “The recruitment of two new attractive partners is excellent news. The extended agreements signed with the National University of Singapore and the Cranfield School of Management are veritable milestones.”{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=948}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Innsbruck’s universities and the MCI with Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz in the heart of the Bavarian capital at the invitation of German Friends of the Universities in Innsbruck – “Integration through Achievement“ as a successful concept for coexistence – bridge building between Austria and Germany and promoting relations between the academic and business worlds and society“Universities Meet Friends - Let’s go Munich!” Under this appealing motto, the German Friends of the Universities in Innsbruck (DFK) and the Innsbruck universities and the MCI again took the Bavarian capital by storm this year with an exciting event held in Munich’s splendid Maximilianeum.Following such prominent keynote speakers in the last few years as Minister of Economic Affairs Reinhold Mitterlehner, Minister of Science Karlheinz Töchterle and Governor Günther Platter, who provided valuable inputs at a forum dedicated to good relations between the neighboring states of Tyrol and Bavaria and between Austria and Germany, this year’s star in an impressive event was Europe’s youngest foreign minister.In a speech packed with specific examples, personal experiences and witty bon-mots, Austrian Federal Minister Sebastian Kurz underscored the motto of the “Meeting Friends” series of events, which was launched four years ago, and explained to his illustrious audience the sociopolitical strategy of “Integration through Achievement”.Minister of Foreign Affairs and Integration Sebastian Kurz said that migrants should be measured, not according to their origins, but in terms of their performance at work, in the family and in society. Successful integration, he continued, is based on a knowledge of German and success in education and at the workplace, which is why his ministry is concentrating on these fields. He pointed out that government spending on language teaching in early childhood had been significantly increased and that an additional 60 million euros would be made available for kindergartens by 2018. He also mentioned that the government was working flat out on legislation to simplify recognition of qualifications obtained in other countries in the interest of equal opportunities on the job market.The Minister then went on to discuss the new Islam Law that was about to come into effect in Austria, which would clarify the rights and duties of Moslems living in Austria and create a framework for a European Islam without influence from abroad. Kurz said that, in an enlightened country based on the rule of law, there was no more room for a political Islam than for any other form of political instrumentalization of religion. Where religious feelings are offended, he added, it is the courts and not policy-makers who must take a decision. In addition to several other pillars, the Minister said he saw in the Islam Law now before Parliament an important step towards an active style of coexistence. There is no contradiction, according to Kurz, between being a convinced Moslem and a proud Austrian, but equally he said there could be no tabu on the withdrawal of state support in cases of a substantial refusal to integrate. Kurz added that an active approach was required to the challenges of migration and that the problems noted had to be debated and solved instead of simply assigning people who pointed to the problems to the extreme right wing. That is how the Foreign Minister sees the responsible policies needed to avoid a social schism. Respect for other cultures, he concluded, is fundamental and can be expected of both the host society and the incoming migrants.DFK Chairman Dr. Yorck Schmidt said he felt the German Friends of the Universities in Innsbruck had fulfilled their mission, namely to bring the University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck Medical University and Management Center Innsbruck into contact with leading public figures, companies and institutions in the worlds of science and business, to promote a dialog and encounter between neighbors and to help further develop Austro-German relations.The event was attended by President of the Bavarian State Parliament Barbara Stamm, long-serving Member of the Bavarian State Parliament and Chairman of the Bavarian Medical Council Dr. Thomas Zimmermann, President of the Jewish Religious Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria Charlotte Knobloch, the Austrian Ambassador Dr. Nikolaus Marschick and the Austrian Consul General in Munich Dr. Helmut Koller. The Tyrolean contingent included President of the Tyrolean State Parliament Dr. Herwig van Staa, Rectors Dr. Helga Fritsch (MUI) and Dr. Andreas Altmann (MCI), Vice-rector Dr. Sabine Schindler (LFU), Innsbruck City Councillor Franz X. Gruber, German Honorary Consul to the Tyrol Dr. Dietmar Czernich and over 200 top academics, business people and leading social figures.A lively and attractively chaired discussion and a successful conclusion to the event are further powerful evidence of the success of the attractive mission adopted by the German Friends of the Universities in Innsbruck with their "Universities Meet Friends“ and their bridge-building function between Austria and Germany and the scientific and business worlds and society.{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=934}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Management Center Innsbruck and Mohemian Ventures invest in the Innsbruck business startup ExperienceFellow A good piece of news from Innsbruck and the Tyrol as a location for science and business: Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) and Mohemian Ventures (mohemian.com) have decided to invest in a young Innsbruck business startup by the name of ExperienceFellow. The company is offering an innovative digital system for recording and evaluating customer experiences. The focus is on authentic insights along the whole customer journey across all online and offline channels, generating new scope for the capture, analysis and optimization of customer experiences.ExperienceFellow users can go to experiencefellow.com to set up and evaluate research projects. A free smartphone app is provided to consumers to enable them to keep a record of their experiences with a product or service. Emotional assessments, images, texts, videos and GPS positioning are additional sources of information. The organizer of such a research project can receive the data generated in real time and has a full range of tools available for the evaluation process.The startup company was founded by Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider as an academic spin-off in 2013. It is the product of an extensive research project that was set up at the MCI back in 2008. The focus of the MCI Mobile Ethnography project was to provide a qualitative assessment of customer experiences with the help of digital tools. A first software version was developed and tested in large-scale trial projects. The research items range from perceived experiences in the context of major events and tourism destinations to assessments of software, malls and flagship stores. The list can be extended almost infinitely; practically every sector stands to benefit from access to the perceptions and thoughts of customers and users.“Our investment in ExperienceFellow is a reflection of our mission as an Entrepreneurial School®. We are excited about the promising development of this young company,” says Andreas Altmann, Rector of Management Center Innsbruck. The MCI’s early support for the innovative idea has been decisive for the progress made with ExperienceFellow. Another investor is the Innsbruck product development company Mohemian Ventures: “We are delighted to have Mohemian Ventures, a progressive tech company with international experience, on board,” adds Marc Stickdorn, CEO of ExperienceFellow.The software recently progressed from the free beta test phase to a professional paid version and is currently in the initial growth phase on the market. While preparing for this step, the company benefited from the professional support available from CAST Center for Academic Spin-offs Tirol and pre-seed funding provided by AWS Austria Wirtschaftsservice.In an agile development environment, the team is continually implementing and testing new features and functions, and always in close collaboration with the user base. This co-creative development approach also has a prominent role in the international bestseller “This is Service Design Thinking” written by Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider in 2010. According to Stickdorn, the combination of work on the book and research at the MCI underscores the startup’s scientific commitment: “Qualitative research is not always based on professional data capture and documentation. That is our point of departure, in which we also fulfill our own practical needs.”Innsbruck has repeatedly produced internationally successful tech startups. Now the exciting growth phase begins for ExperienceFellow in a highly mobile market: Will the concept be convincing enough for large-scale international dissemination? “The team is highly motivated and convinced of the merits of the product,” says Chief Designer Jakob Schneider, and he adds, “ExperienceFellow can do something no other software can. The demonstrable scientific background makes it almost impossible to copy.” We, too, are curious and also confident that the concept will take off!{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=947}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Recognition was given in Paris to the MCI study program as a model of quality in internationalization.The prestigious European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education (ECA) has performed its first evaluation of European study programs with an international orientation. The internationalization strategy pursued with the MCI’s Master program in International Health & Social Management was classified as exemplary in Paris and awarded the CeQuInt (Certificate for the Quality of Internationalization in European Higher Education).The study program in International Health & Social Management was introduced at the MCI in 2008 and within a few years acquired a strong reputation in the field of tertiary education for health and welfare management in Europe. After only two years, the program’s faculty and supporters included staff from the European Union, the World Health Organization and the World Bank. For graduates, there is a variety of job opportunities in international organizations, the public health sector, regional development, and national and international authorities. For a number of leading international universities like Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Bologna and the University of Oslo, this international orientation and the current relevance of the subjects taught were reason enough to seek closer cooperation with the Entrepreneurial School®. In the meantime this has led to the development of harmonized study programs and specializations in the fields of health economics, health care management, public health and global health – a very full offering that has placed the partner institutions in the top European league for university training in welfare and health management. In the report accompanying the award conferred on the MCI study program, the European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education describes it as a model worthy of emulation. The report particularly stresses the way in which the joint study program was developed, the scope and quality of the content, the synergies generated through cooperation to the benefit of the students, the joint positioning of the program on the global university education market, and the joint diploma awarded to graduates.Further Information:Prof. Dr. Siegfried Walch, Head of the Department and Degree Program, Phone +43 664 283 6044,  siegfried.walch@mci.edu Master Program "International Health & Social Management"European Master in Health Economics & Management (EU-HEM)Certificate for the Quality of Internationalisation in European Higher Education (CeQuInt){phocagallery view=category|categoryid=945}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Multidisciplinary Executive Certificate program at the MCI addresses various aspects of complex decision-making processes and provides support for the implementation of modern management methods.In May, Management Center Innsbruck is introducing an Executive Certificate program in Management, Psychology & Leadership. The objective of the program, which is unique in the German-speaking world, it to equip decision-makers working in a multifaceted management world with in-depth management competence at the levels of human resources, the team, the organization and the market.In the context of a scientific approach to business psychology, the individual modules can be seen as the various facets of the relevant spheres of competence, which enable students – on the basis of personal reflection and in-depth interaction – to develop their own individual models for addressing complex management situations.Anna-Kathrin Bald, MA, of the German steelmaker Klöckner and a graduate of the program, praises the targeted content and effective teaching of the innovative program: “The program gave me an opportunity to take a close look at modern management methods and to reflect on and further develop my own style of management. With the support of leading experts from the fields of business and psychology, the program enables students to develop positive solutions for integration in their own business environment.”Professor Heinz K. Stahl, the program’s Scientific Director, stresses the importance of multidimensional thinking: “In the business world, one-dimensional thinking and acting all too often lead to a dead end. The program accordingly has a multidisciplinary design. By linking economics and philosophy, sociology and psychology, we make students aware of a plurality of perspectives leading to new insights, which they can subsequently employ to good effect in their professional lives.”Graduates of this Executive Certificate program also receive credits for the internationally accredited Master’s study programs General Management Executive MBA and Management & Leadership MSc.Further Information Counseling:Claudia Haidacher, +43 512 2070 2122, claudia.haidacher@mci.edu{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=941}

Successful innovation at the 2015 South Tyrol Business Forum in Brixen on March 20: new attraction in the form of a Citizens’ Dialog with EU Transport Commissioner Violeta BulcAs an international platform for managers from Italy, Austria and Germany, the South Tyrol Business Forum is being held for the eleventh time on Friday, March 20, 2015. With an impressive list of speakers and attractive topics on the program, the event is set to be a winner.The organizers already have reason to be very pleased with the 2015 Forum: Its international significance is being underlined by the additional participation of EU Commissioner Violeta Bulc, who is in charge of DG Mobility and Transport, which is so important for the Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino Euroregion. As a special guest, she will participate in an added attraction at the event in the form of a European Citizens’ Dialog and will talk about the challenges confronting Europe in the field of transport.Other speakers from all over Europe will make valuable contributions to a top-class program and a unique platform for dialog and networking: Alberto Zamperla – a roller coaster manufacturer who is familiar with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, Dagmar Closta – a top manager who is shaping change in a global corporation, Joseph Oubelkas – an entrepreneur who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to years in prison, and Stefan Siegel – a fashion pioneer who created a leading global platform for young designers on a shoe-string budget. The 11th South Tyrol Business Forum will be held at Forum Brixen on Friday, March 20, 2015, from 1 - 8 p.m. The organizers are offering special rates for several persons attending from the same organization. Full details of the program and registration are available at www.wirtschaftsforum.it.Further Information:Daniela Lindtner, +43 512 2070 1721, daniela.lindtner@mci.eduwww.wirtschaftsforum.it {phocagallery view=category|categoryid=INSERT ID HERE}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

MCI Tourism graduates come first in two out of four categories.The first day of ITB 2015 in Berlin included the presentation of the DGT Science Awards sponsored by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Tourismuswissenschaft e.V. (DGT). As so often in past, the Tourism Department at Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) was one of the big winners: In two out of four categories, graduates of the MCI Master program in Entrepreneurship & Tourism were victorious and received the coveted award in Berlin on the evening of March 4, 2015.This year was the 21st edition of the DGT’s Science Awards for outstanding final theses submitted for tourism study programs. MCI graduate Julia Zraunig received the prize for the Best Student Thesis for her paper on "Leadership in Generation Y", and Angela Semrajc was the winner in the special eTourismus category with her Master’s thesis on the subject of mobile ethnography. These awards confirm once again the leading role played by the Entrepreneurial School® in tourism research and teaching in the German-speaking world.Bachelor program Tourism Business StudiesMaster program Tourism & Entrepreneurship{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=939}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

As an international platform for managers from Italy, Austria and Germany, the South Tyrol Business Forum will be held for the eleventh time on Friday, March 20, 2015. With an impressive and international list of speakers and attractive topics on the program, the event is set to be a winner.For the eleventh time, Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) and its partners – Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse, Südstern and Business Bestseller – are holding this high-grade event in South Tyrol as a unique platform for dialog and networking. A roller coaster manufacturer who is very familiar with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship (Alberto Zamperla), a top manager who is shaping change in a global corporation (Dagmar Chlosta), an innocent ex-prisoner who handled the hardships of imprisonment under extremely difficult conditions (Joseph Oubelkas) and a fashion pioneer who created a leading global platform for young designers on a shoe-string budget (Stefan Siegel) – these four highly interesting speakers are the big attraction at the 2015 South Tyrol Business Forum. Under the heading “Entrepreneurship as a Roller Coaster – Successful Strategies for Management and Leadership”, the event will be offering fresh stimulus and creative ideas for tackling the future challenges facing entrepreneurs.The Forum accordingly promises to be a top-class event that will draw its audience from the whole of the Tyrol and the Trentino. Managers, decision-makers and self-employed persons also appreciate the opportunity for making useful contacts and holding personal discussions.The 11th South Tyrol Business Forum will be held at Forum Brixen on Friday, March 20, 2015, from 1 - 8 p.m. The organizers are offering special rates for several persons attending from the same organization. Full details of the program and registration are available at www.wirtschaftsforum.it.Further Information:Daniela Lindtner, +43 512 2070 - 1721, daniela.lindtner@mci.edu{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=938}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

More good news for MCI on the Tyrol Campus – Thirty more places for first-year students (making ninety in total) at the Entrepreneurial School® – Additions to IT & Online programs – Ministry of Science promoting science, education and innovation – Substantial investment in the future of the TyrolGood news for Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) in the framework of the Tyrol Campus: In the context of the MCI’s endeavors to expand its offering in terms of study programs, research and services, the Austrian Minister of Science Reinhold Mitterlehner has allocated thirty more places for first-year students to the Entrepreneurial School®, starting with the 2016/17 academic year. Over a full three-year program period, that means an additional ninety students for a total of over 3,000 (including professional development).The decision was the subject of a recent official announcement by the Ministry of Science. The focus of the increase will on the fields of management, communication and IT and above all on strengthening online and e-learning activities (Business Administration Online).A delighted Andreas Altmann, Rector of the MCI, says: “Through its decision, the Ministry of Science has acknowledged the enormous demand for places at the Entrepreneurial School®, the outstanding quality of our programs and also the excellent career opportunities available to our graduates. I am extremely grateful to Minister Mitterlehner and especially to the Governor of the Tyrol, Günther Platter, and to Bernhard Tilg as Regional Minister of Science, who have provided strong support with regard to the capacity increase. We shall do everything in our power to justify the trust placed in us and to ensure positive qualitative effects from the additional funding.”Aussendung des WissenschaftsministeriumsAusendung des Landes Tirol{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=937}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Scientific publishing house again makes awards to four MCI graduates for their outstanding Master’s theses.For the second time, the Springer publishing house has made awards for outstanding Master’s theses in economics in the German-speaking world. The jury for the 2014 BestMasters Award considered final theses that had been awarded the highest possible grade, were written with clarity and rigor, and produced results that are applicable in today’s business world.Four theses written at the Entrepreneurial School® satisfied these criteria and received the prestigious award: Michael Haba, BA, MA (International Business & Law):“The Case of State Liability: 20 Years After Francovich” Bettina Hauser, BA, MA (International Business & Law):“Internal and External Context Specificity of Leadership in M&A Integration” Christoph Samitsch, BA, MA (Management, Communication & IT):“Data Quality and its Impacts on Decision-Making Efficiency in Decision Support Systems” Janosch Untersteiner, BA, MA (Entrepreneurship & Tourism):“Application of Service Design in Product Development for Tourist Destinations” (in German) In recognition of the high quality of the winning Master’s theses, they will be published by Springer in book form at the beginning of 2015. The MCI would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the winners!{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=930}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

The Entrepreneurial School® came joint first with LIMAK in the “Leadership & Strategy” category.“Industriemagazin” recently published the results of a study conducted into the quality and reputation of Austria’s seminar providers in an attempt to provide a clear overview of a confusing market. The good news for MCI: In the biggest category of all, namely “Leadership & Strategy”, the wide ranging offering available at the Entrepreneurial School® came joint first with Linz University’s LIMAK Business School with an image score of 2.4. It is also interesting to see that this good result correlates with a high “self-experience score”, meaning that many respondents have personal experience of the MCI. The study also focussed on HR managers’ expectations of the seminar providers, with particular importance attached to practical relevance, experienced lecturers and trainers, up to date content and effective presentation of content.Further Information:Industriemagazin - SeminaranbieterstudieCounseling:Victoria Lettenbichler, +43 512 2070 2102, victoria.lettenbichler@mci.edu{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=933}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

MCI graduates and their innovative ideas won the third, fourth and sixth prizes plus the Best Video award.Towards the end of 2014, the Tyrol’s students and graduates were again invited to submit attractive business ideas for the CAST Award. The ten best entries shortlisted for the finals included three submitted by teams from the MCI. Another new feature in 2014 was the requirement to accompany the business idea with a video clip, and an MCI team won the special video prize.Third place in the 2014 CAST Award went to Frederick Wirth, a student in the MCI’s Master’s program in Mechatronics - Mechanical Engineering, and his brother Sebastian from Munich Technical University. The two brothers are developing a laser protection cabin using an innovative material. The cabin provides a higher level of safety for laser machining centers and also helps reduce costs. The jury was impressed and provided useful feedback for the further development and marketing of the idea.Students and graduates of various disciplines at the Entrepreneurial School® joined forces to establish Team2020, which took the fourth and sixth prizes in the 2014 CAST Award and also the Best Video award. They won fourth prize with their SelfieHelfie project. This is an innovation in the field of promotional gifts that is right up to date: The SelfieHelfie is targeted at young people as a replacement for old-fashioned freebies like ballpoint pens and lighters. Team2020 also came sixth with its UPski project, which is designed to make the back-country skiing experience available to older and less fit skiers.The successful interdisciplinary Team 2020, which describes itself as a “think tank”, has the following members: Daniel Ganzer (Strategic Management & Tourism), Markus Huemer (Environmental, Process & Energy Engineering), Lucas Konstantinoff (Environmental, Process & Energy Engineering), Roman Leithner (Environmental, Process & Control Engineering; Sport Science; Industrial Engineering & Management), Benjamin Massow (Mechatronics), Thomas Senfter, (Industrial Engineering & Management) and Gerald Streng (Mechatronics).Florian Becke, CAST’s Executive Director, was impressed by the high proportion of outstanding and exploitable ideas submitted for the 2014 CAST Award. “With such a wealth of excellent ideas with such potential, the further development of the Tyrol as a business location is assured,” he concluded.The MCI would like to congratulate the winning MCI teams and all the other successful entrants in the 2014 CAST Award, especially Peter Schwendinger (1st place, MUI) and Peter Winkler (2nd place, LFU). We wish them every success for the future!{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=931}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Innovative technology from the Entrepreneurial School® for aligning crane loads means faster handling, fewer risks and lower costs.A container suspended from the hook of a crane tends to rotate in response to wind or minor impacts and then has to be realigned manually before being set down. That is time-consuming and dangerous, with risks to life and limb for the people working so close to the load as well as the risk of damage to the load and the surroundings.The solution is to be found in a well known physical principle: if you sit on a swivel chair with your feet clear of the ground and move your outstretched arms to the right, the rest of your body will rotate to the left. That is the principle employed in the load-rotation gyroscope developed by the MCI and now the subject of a patent application.Although the idea is simple enough, it takes mechatronic knowhow to turn it into an effective product. To save weight, the gyroscope is designed as an intelligent inertia mass housing a motor, batteries and electronics. The device is also equipped with position sensors and an energy recuperation system – similar to the braking energy recuperation systems used in electric vehicles. A working prototype already exists and is now being tested for a range of applications.A number of big companies – crane manufacturers and helicopter transportation companies – are showing interest in the load-rotation gyroscope.“The development work that still remains to be done offers attractive opportunities for students writing a Master thesis or dissertation, who will be able to prepare the ground for the market launch of the product in collaboration with our industry partners,” says the MCI’s Professor Sebastian Repetzki, under whose guidance the innovative system has been developed.“This new product will save companies valuable working time, accelerate working processes, avoid hazards and reduce costs,” explains the MCI’s Rector Andreas Altmann and he adds, “Now we are looking for corporate partners for further development work leading to series production and the market launch.”{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=928}Mechatronics at the MCI:Bachelor ProgramMaster ProgramPress contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Starting April 2015: part-time MCI Executive Certificate course in Patent & License ManagementThe systematic acquisition, protection and exploitation of patents, licenses and other sole and exclusive rights are decisive for the success or failure of innovative companies, universities and non-university R&D organizations. The MCI is therefore offering an Executive Certificate course that takes an in-depth look at exploitation and protection strategies offering a competitive advantage.On completion of the course, participants are familiar with the international scope and also the rules for the acquisition and exploitation of patents and are capable of developing suitable patent and protection strategies, evaluating existing ones and drawing the right conclusions in terms of risk, financial implications and operative measures.Graduates of the program also receive credits for the MCI's General Management Executive MBA and Master of Science in Management & Leadership MSc, which have both received international accreditation.The course starts on April 24, 2015.More InformationCounseling:Dr. Olena Rigger+43 512 2070 2104olena.rigger@mci.edu

High-level partner universities in Russia, Israel and India cooperating with the Entrepreneurial School® - international elite universities offering new opportunities in teaching and researchManagement Center Innsbruck (MCI) has again scored an international success, adding another three highly reputed universities to its global network of partner institutions: Moscow’s National Research University, the College of Management Academic Studies in Israel and the Indian Institute of Management Indore are now set to cooperate with the Entrepreneurial School® in research, teaching and management.The agreement signed with the National Research University in Moscow gives MCI students the opportunity to study in Moscow. The Russian university specializes in economics and is one of the country’s leading places of learning. Following the collapse of Communism, it was one of the first universities in the Russian Federation to enable students to study the teachings of the “capitalist class enemy” and has since made a clear commitment to the world’s accepted schools of economic thought.Israel is a world power in terms of science and education. The partnership agreement signed with the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion is accordingly a special distinction for the MCI and a wonderful opportunity for its students. Rishon LeZion is Israel’s fourth-largest city. Situated on the Mediterranean just 8 kilometers south of the youthful city of Tel Aviv, with its buzz of activity in the fields of science, technology and start-ups, the location is highly attractive for exchange students quite apart from the new partner university’s high academic standards.The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore is another addition to the MCI’s international academic network. Together with similar institutions in Bangalore, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, etc., it is one of the elite universities of the Indian subcontinent. The IIMs were founded as a prestige project of the Indian government to put India on the map for management universities. Less than 2% of applicants pass the entrance exam and only about one in 600 is finally admitted. Located at the heart of central India, IIM Indore gives MCI students a fine opportunity for a first-hand experience of the world’s most populated country in addition to a prestigious international management qualificationDr. Susanne Lichtmannegger, head of MCI International Relations, says, “These partnership agreements will also bring students from Russia, Israel and India to Innsbruck. Today, in addition to regular students from 50 countries, more than 250 exchange students come to study at the MCI. They enrich academic life at the MCI and also bring more international flair and cosmopolitan thinking to Innsbruck as the capital of the Tyrol.”Dr. Andreas Altmann, as Rector of the MCI, adds, “We have a duty to ensure that students from the Tirol and Austria are in continual contact as undergraduates with international experts, students, curricula and projects and are thus well prepared for international challenges. The new agreements bring the MCI’s international network to 200 partner universities, offering enormous opportunities for our students and faculty, the Tyrol campus in general and potential employers in particular.”{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=927}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

Starting May 2015: part-time MCI Executive Certificate course in Management, Psychology & LeadershipToday’s world of management is complex. For organizational behavior to be successfully steered in such an environment, management and decision-makers must have the necessary understanding and competences in a depth and width that permits them to take full account of a very wide range of factors. In addition to business administration know-how, that presupposes sound leadership skills at the personal, team, organization and market levels.In this context, a scientific treatment of selected questions of business psychology and personal reflection on and the optimization of the student’s own management role have been made the focus of a program that is unique in the German-speaking world.The individual modules of the course can be seen as the pieces of a mosaic, which reflects the facets of targeted areas of competence and permits, at a variety of levels, an individual model to be developed for handling a wide range of situations through a professional and complex response.Professor Heinz K. Stahl, Scientific Director of the course, stresses the importance of multi-dimensional thinking: “In the business world, one-dimensional thinking and acting all too often lead to a dead end. That explains the multi-disciplinary design of the Executive Certificate course in Management, Psychology & Leadership. Linkage between the fields of economics, philosophy, sociology and psychology encourages students to adopt a variety of perspectives and enables them to put their findings to profitable use in their professional lives.”Graduates of this Executive Certificate program can apply for credits for the Master study programs General Management Executive MBA and Master of Science in Management & Leadership MSc, both of which have received international accreditation and have been awarded the FIBAA Premium Seal.The course starts on May 29, 2015.More Information:CounselingClaudia Haidacher+43 512 2070 2122claudia.haidacher@mci.edu

Prestigious US scholarships awarded to outstanding MCI students for a research semester in technical disciplinesThanks to their academic achievements and the quality of their project proposals, two MCI students have this year been awarded one of the much sought-after Marshall Plan Scholarships and will be spending a research semester at elite universities in the United States.Benedek Szulyovszky will be writing his final Master’s thesis at the Robotics Institute of the famous Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, which has 19 Nobel Prize winners among its former staff and students. For his Master’s thesis, Martin Lehmeier is going to the legendary Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, the world’s biggest university for aviation and aerospace.Both scholars are studying Mechatronics at the MCI and will receive generous support for their semester in the USA.The Marshall Plan Scholarship Program (MPS) is an exchange program established to finance scholarships for academic exchange between Austria and the U.S. It has a focus on research in technical disciplines.The philosophy behind the Marshall Plan Scholarships is that students should return home with an “extended perspective” and “new respect for different views” and make a contribution to the transfer of science and technology between the academic institutions involved.{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=924}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}