Soft skills seminar “New Business Development” by MAP Advisory Board Member Dr. Andreas Hoff
During the summer semester, students of the Elite Master’s Program “Advanced Materials and Processes” (MAP) had the opportunity to attend the cycle of lectures in “New Business Development” conducted by MAP Advisory Board Member Dr. Andreas Hoff, Evonik Technology & Infrastructure.
At the beginning, Dr. Hoff gave an overview of Evonik and explained the company’s purpose and goals. He also addressed topics and concepts of particular interest to young professionals, for instance, the company’s work rules and the difficulties faced by new employees at Evonik.
In addition to Evonic-specific aspects, the course focused on the general understanding of the organization of companies in technology and life science and the rules of the market.
In order to understand the complexity of the whole innovation process including the implementation of innovations, the students worked in groups to solve case studies on business planning and financial analysis. An especially important part of the course was studying the principles of business development through real-life exemplary exercises, the basics of finances as well as project analysis. During the lectures, the students were involved in the discussion and could ask many questions.
We are very grateful to Dr. Hoff for taking the time to teach us important lessons for our work life in this soft skills seminar.
By MAP student Aleksandra Klassa (matriculation group 2022)