BOKU and MCI launch joint training program

2017-10-11

Unique training program for craft beer brewers offers support in brewing technology, product development, and innovation: workshop series launched at Management Center Innsbruck

With its origins in the U.S. the craft beer boom perfectly matches European brewing traditions. It provides especially small breweries with enormous market potential and opportunities for development. A training program, jointly developed by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) and Management Center Innsbruck (MCI), now offers support for small breweries in brewing technology and product development. The training program, funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, opened with a two-day workshop in Innsbruck. The workshop was organized by the MCI working group for food technology.

Committed and innovative breweries, often belonging to the smaller or smallest of businesses, enhance the beer market and contribute to the renaissance of beer as a modern beverage. They produce so-called craft beers, in other words “handcrafted beers”, which are known for their unusual diversity in both type and taste. This trend, characterized by its combination of tradition and innovation, receives support from today’s conscious and pleasure-seeking consumer, increasingly demanding high-quality local food and drink.

The craft beer boom creates excellent market opportunities for small breweries, but also presents them with particular challenges: many of them lack the resources required to continuously develop their product range, to improve relevant production processes, and to create suitably effective economic conditions. The joint initiative of BOKU and MCI offers help; selected microbreweries from all over Austria can now participate in a premium training program to deepen their knowledge of modern brewing technology and acquire valuable know-how relevant to their business. The focus of the program is on raw materials, fermentation and brewing technologies, as well as business knowledge and marketing tools.

The workshop series forms part of the “R&D Competences for Industry” promotion program, funded by the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy.

Statements:

Professor Henry Jäger, head of the BOKU working group for food technology: “Training programs are ideally suited to facilitate the development of small and medium-sized businesses, while at the same time demonstrating the benefit of cooperating with research institutions. This pioneering interdisciplinary cooperation with Management Center Innsbruck allows us to create a training program tailored to the needs of the participants and to make the most of available synergies.”

Professor Katrin Bach, head of the agro & food technology program at MCI: "Technology transfer, that is the immediate application of scientific findings to practical problems, forms the basis of all research projects carried out at MCI. Over the past few years, our research in food technology has, thus, increasingly focused on fermentation processes such as those used for brewing beer. It is a pleasure to be able to cooperate with the renowned BOKU on this new training project.”

Funding Authorities:

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Further Information:
Research Topic Agro & Food Technology
Master Studies Food Technology & Nutrition (German)

Press Contact:
Mag.(FH) Ulrike Fuchs
+43 512 2070-1527
ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu

Digital Business MBA starting this Autumn

Master's degree program by MCI and IPA - Entrepreneurial School® and Investment Punk Academy Gerald Hörhan join forces - strong online focus - studying in Innsbruck, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich and BerlinExciting news at MCI: The Entrepreneurial School® will be offering two new Executive Master’s Programs as of fall 2018 in cooperation with Investment Punk Gerald Hörhan. The two part-time programs are targeted toward high achievers seeking leadership positions in the new economy. MCI will be accepting 60 students for these programs and has already received over 200 inquiries.The "Digital Business MBA" and "Master of Science Digital Economy & Leadership" study programs are designed to give students the skills needed in the modern digital workplace and digital enterprise development: skills which currently few people have. Therefore, the programs include modules on topics such as Online Marketing, Data Science, Machine Learning, Blockchain Technology, IT Security, Data Management and Data Protection, Venture Capital and Corporate Entrepreneurship.The Digital Business MBA is an international program focusing on the development and management of digital business models. The MSc in Digital Economy & Leadership deals with leadership psychology, organizational psychology and the psychology of markets. It is a German-language, reflexive program that examines organizations from an inside perspective.The innovative degree programs provide a high percentage of online/mobile learning and can be completed without having to stop working or reducing to part-time hours. Synchronous and asynchronous e-learning elements as well as compact attendance periods are combined in an innovative way (blended learning) and ensure maximum flexibility in terms of time and place. Most of the program can be done online. Based on the MCI blended learning concept, a combination of video courses, online teaching materials, and online live chats and discussions is available. In addition, there are face-to-face events for networking, lectures and group challenges, from Thursday to Saturday, two to three times per semester. These attendance periods are planned to be held in Innsbruck, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin.MCI Rector Andreas Altmann explains: "Digitalization is not only changing the economy and people in a dramatic way, it is also changing the higher education landscape. In this context, MCI is playing a pioneering role together with Gerald Hörhan.""Our mission is to provide as many people as possible with economic and digital knowledge, so that they can succeed and live in financial freedom. Being able to offer academic degree programs to our clients has been a big goal for me, and we have been very committed to it. I am pleased that in MCI Management Center Innsbruck we have selected an innovative institution of higher education as a partner with whom we can offer digital education on an academic level, " adds Gerald Hörhan, founder and CEO of the Investment Punk Academy.Together they put it in a nutshell: "Everyone is talking about digitalization. We - the Investment Punk Academy and MCI - are already training people now."Investment Punk AcademyThe Investment Punk Academy, the leading German-language online financial training platform, is designed for people who want to evolve and make a difference. Online courses, seminars, lectures and a forum help people with their careers, whether it's building their own business or investing their money efficiently.The digitalization offensive of the MCIMCI launched an exemplary digitalsization offensive a few years ago. As of autumn 2018, a total of eight (!) online study programs will be available, three of which will be aimed at further education. The proportion of online students will increase from the current 8% to 20% over the next three years.Further information:Digital Business MBADigital Economy & Leadership MScInvestment Punk Academymba.investmentpunk.academy{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1350}Press contactMag. (FH) Ulrike Fuchs+43 512 2070-1527ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu

MCI Winter Program 2018

This February we are delighted to welcome 35 students from our partner universities at our Winter program.Initiated in 2017, this program is gaining popularity among our partners and this year MCI boasts in hosting students from its longstanding partners in Australia, China, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Hungary, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Taiwan, Turkey, Uruguay, USA and Vietnam.Unique in its nature, this four-week compact Winter program entails a blend of engineering and business disciplines as well as various modes of teaching giving students the opportunity to take courses from either one discipline or mix and match them. Students enjoy the campus experience with face-2-face as well as get a taste of online classes.The courses taught this year are: Business Ethics; Digital Entrepreneurship; Innovation & Start-ups; Beverage Technology; Biotech Product Operations; Renewable Energy; Robot Operating System and Water Pollution Control.For further information check our website at: https://international.mci.edu/en/students/mci-winter-program{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1349}

MCI as condiment specialist: Product development for the global brand Develey

The Entrepreneurial School® cooperates with leading manufacturer in specialty condiments – synergies through transfer of knowledge, joint research, development & innovation.Everything started with a conversation about good food and seasonings. This was when Katrin Bach, program director at Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) first met Bernhard Burger, head of product development at Develey. The discussion quickly expanded and lead to the question of what actually makes great seasonings. Is it taste, easy use, a fair retail price or a manufacturer’s competitive edge based on know-how, expertise and efficiency? Both production and consumption have to be factored into the equation, as well as the entire value chain and the product’s environmental impact.This is where MCI’s services meet Develey’s demands. MCI’s Master’s Program for Food Technology & Nutrition deals exactly with these issues. The cooperation focuses on analyzing and further developing recipes and processes to produce mustard and mayonnaise. Through this cooperation, Develey gains access to the analytical knowledge of MCI’s researchers as well as their specialized know-how on raw materials, such as mustard seeds. MCI students, on the other hand, benefit from working on real products and the production processes of a leading European company.Develey is a Bavarian manufacturer of condiments based in Unterhaching near Munich with a 170-year tradition of pioneering spirit and innovative drive. Its success is built on two pillars: its medium-sized family business structure as well as innovation and growth. The company has become globally known for its cooperation with McDonald’s since the early 1970s. In Austria, the most popular Develey brand is Mautner Markhof, which operates as an independent subsidiary. Develey believes in sustainability and “thinking for generations”. It holds the ZNU Standard certification and has been awarded multiple times for its sustainability concept. In Germany, Develey has six locations with a total of 2,000 employees. Develey also has production sites in France, Russia, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Tennessee (USA).Within the MCI Master’s Program for Food Technology & Nutrition, students acquire profound knowledge on food and nutrition, production technologies and processes. They learn how to identify and characterize nutrition-relevant properties and understand the various effects of different foods. The aim of the program is to empower graduates to contribute substantially to the economic development of companies in the food sector. In the course of their studies, students gain valuable hands-on experience by working on industry and research projects.MCI program director Katrin Bach considers this cooperation a perfect addition to the Master’s program: “Our students can directly apply their theoretical knowledge to practice while acquainting themselves with a highly interesting medium-sized manufacturing company located right on their doorstep.”Bernhard Burger, head of product development at Develey, is pleased to have found MCI as a like-minded academic partner: “We immediately got along well with the MCI team and quickly saw that MCI researchers clearly understood our products and processes and were able to seamlessly integrate their knowledge.”Monika Bauer, head of process development, adds: “What’s exciting and enriching for both sides is that we have been able to accompany several students working on project papers or final theses. We benefit from their findings and meet interesting young people. In turn, they get to work on topical issues that are actually implemented. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”Further information and links:DeveleyCareer at DeveleyMCI Master’s Program for Food Technology and NutritionMCI research focus Agro & Food Technology{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1348}Press contactMag. (FH) Ulrike Fuchs+43 512 2070-1527ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu