21 - 24 June | Münster
XRegions is a DAAD project that aims to promote innovative international higher education ecosystems. In the end of June, four higher education institutions from different countries discussed ideas to offer new activities in this international and intercultural frame. In order to define a common view on the central challenge and to get to know the needs of the target group, we conducted a Design Thinking Workshop. This design thinking workshop was led by our PhD student Annika Wesbuer, who is involved in this XRegions project as a design thinking officer.
Annika Wesbuer managed, planned and executed this workshop and guided all participants through the workshop as Design Thinking Officer. During the different phases, our PhD student was supported by her colleagues PhD(c) Iulia Stroila and PhD(c) Dominik Lappenküper as well as by Thuong Huynh.
This workshop became special by having two different keynotes. First, Iulia Stroila laid the foundation for understanding the well-being of an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Prof. Dr. Sue-Rossano continued the keynote session with a contribution on female entrepreneurship as an important part of the higher education ecosystem. Finally, the workshop participants used this input to brainstorm ideas.
For these bright minds from four different countries, the design thinking workshop was the second stop in a week full of different networking and strategy development workshops. Hence, our colleagues from the UK, Chile, Brazil and the US had enough input and were well prepared for a creative phase, which they presented throughout the process. Moreover, they presented them in the final phase in which the international participants had to present their developed ideas. These ideas will feed into activities that will carry the Xregions project forward in the end.
