Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (January 2024)
We are living in a data-driven society where entrepreneurship and innovation, driven by data, has led to radical social and economic changes. However, advanced technology and data alone is not sufficient to guarantee either user adoption or commercial success. The course will raise your awareness of the legal, business, managerial, ethical, creative, analytical and interpersonal skills relevant to setting up and running a new venture, and more broadly, encourages you to be an innovative thinker in a variety of organisational contexts.
This course provides an on-line enabled curriculum utilising multiple learning modes, including: independent reading, short lecture video presentations, interview videos with individual entrepreneurs, case studies, online discussions, and exposure to practice. Throughout the course, you will engage in a piece of research to evaluate your opportunity ideas.
The course will cover the following five topics related to innovation, entrepreneurship and new ways of organising business activities with data:
- Data-driven innovation and entrepreneurship
- Design thinking, Opportunity discovery and evaluation
- Business models and business model innovation
- Entrepreneurial growth and scale-up strategies
- Entrepreneurial leadership
Further information can be found in the University's course catalogue:
This course is aimed at those looking for an introduction to the theory and practice of entrepreneurship and innovation.
This is an introductory Masters-level course (SCQF Level 11). It provides foundational skills and/or an overview of the subject – no prior knowledge is needed. Masters-level courses are relatively intensive and require independent learning, critical thinking, analysis and reflection.
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent.
Entry requirements by country
If you do not meet the minimum academic requirement, you may still be considered if:
you have professional qualifications with substantial work experience, or
you do not hold a degree or professional qualification, but you have a very strong motivation and experience demonstrating a high degree of responsibility
Experience can be from any industry including the public sector, charitable organisations, or the arts.
Interests in taking entrepreneurial opportunities forward in a variety of contexts
Interests in creating values for the organisation by using data and technology
Individuals from all levels of an organisation
English Language Requirements
You must be comfortable studying and learning in English if it is not your first language.
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Recognise and critically assess an entrepreneurial opportunity in a market (and/or social) space relevant to Data Science, Technology and Innovation
- Critically analyse and consider different business situations where innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities are present or possible
- Research a business start-up opportunity and marketplace to evaluate the attractiveness and/or feasibility of an opportunity
- Communicate and demonstrate interpersonal skills
- Understand and apply the course concepts in the contexts of Data Science, Technology and Innovation, and venture creation and development
This is a 8-week online course, comprising a total of 100 hours study. The course is delivered as an online course. New content will be released on a weekly basis as is worked through in self-study.
There will be weekly online live sessions on Zoom. Students are split into groups and will attend sessions either on Monday evenings (4.30-6pm) or Tuesday mornings (9.30-11am).
The assignment is submitted on an indivudal basis and makes up 100% of the final grade with short online pitching opportunities
Course fees for 23/24 are £1,065 but funded places are available for people employed or unemployed in Scotland (residency requirements apply).
Funding
Through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Upskilling Fund, a limited number of fully-funded places are available on Data Upskilling Short Courses at The University of Edinburgh.
Eligibility
Funded places are available to those who meet SFC fee waiver criteria:
“Courses/provision is open to all Scottish-domiciled/’home fee’ students, which is consistent with SFC’s policy for core funded student places. Students from the rest of the UK (rUK) are not normally considered eligible for SFC funding. If however a university is working with a Scottish/UK employer which has a physical presence or operating in Scotland, rUK employees of that employer would be eligible.”
If you are from outside Scotland, you need to have settled status in the UK and meet other residency criteria:
- be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before course start date, and
- have ‘settled status’ in the UK (as set out in the Immigration Act 1971) at the course start date, and
- be ordinarily resident in Scotland at the course start date.
You can find out more about residency criteria on the SAAS website or in this summary
Funding eligibility will be assessed at the point of each application for each course; you may be asked to provide further information if you do not meet the general residence conditions. You can check your likely fee status here. Please email us at upskilling@ed.ac.uk if you would like to discuss your funding eligibility before applying.
Please note that full-time students (including full-time PhD students) are not eligible for funding.
You will receive a certificate of completion after the final assessment date if you have submitted your coursework.
Applications for January 2024 are now open.
In order to verify that you meet the entry requirements for this course, you will be required to provide either:
- a degree certificate/transcript for your highest/most relevant academic qualification, or
- a CV and reference from an employer (if employed) or professional associate (if unemployed) outlining your suitability for the course
The degree certificate/transcript or CV should be emailed to upskilling@ed.ac.uk within 24 hours of submitting your application. References should be emailed to the same address (from an institutional/company account if from your employer) within 1 week of submitting your application.
Once complete, your application will be processed in 1-2 weeks. Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis with priority given to applicants who meet the criteria for a funded place. We aim to email all applicants within 2 weeks of submission regardless of the outcome of their application.
Applications will close on 20 December 2023.
You may also be able to use credits achieved on this course towards other University of Edinburgh postgraduate programmes, subject to the approval of the relevant Programme Director.
