Family Business & Entrepreneurship BIP Student Conference
May 13th to 17th saw 77 students and five lecturers from the HWR Berlin’s international partner universities converge at Campus Schöneberg for a BIP Student Conference.
What followed was an engaging five-day journey with participants from Amsterdam University of Applied Science, Kozminski University, FH Wien, and HWR Berlin filled with collaborative activities, insightful company visits, and plenty of opportunities for intercultural exchange.
The Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) entitled “Family Business & Entrepreneurship: Opportunities for Growth” was spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Birgit Felden and HWR Berlin students from the Bachelor programme Entrepreneurship and Corporate Succession. Prof. Felden’s course was responsible for organising the conference, with students working in groups to prepare and manage various aspects such as catering, marketing and content.
The students from Vienna, Warsaw, Amsterdam and Berlin met online in mid-April for a session on intercultural competencies and to connect with their fellow group members. This session laid the foundations for the collaborative work that followed; the students then worked asynchronously online in mixed groups to develop a script for a video on intercultural differences which they would then film together upon arrival in Berlin. This collaborative process culminated in engaging video content that captured the essence of their diverse backgrounds.
Once in Berlin in addition to finalizing their video the students presented the results of a research project: an analysis of a local (family) business on the basis of qualitative research.
The students‘ research and collaborative activities were complemented by visits to Berlin-based family businesses Florida Eis, Ferrum Lasercut GmbH and EBK Krüger GmbH & Co. KG. Students also had the opportunity to hear from local business leaders and attend lectures by HWR Berlin professors. And of course no trip to Berlin is complete without a visit to sights such as the Bundestag and to a local beergarden.
The students reported finding the experience both enriching and fun. HWR Berlin student Matthias Kannengießer said that alongside connecting with interesting fellow students from the countries involved, his personal highlights were the company visits and the presentations the students gave on their qualitative research with local companies. He found the collaboration particularly valuable, as it gave the students the chance to identify interesting cultural differences and connect more deeply with one another. He would highly recommend participating in a BIP to fellow students.
Ahata Kondratsyeva, a student from Kozminski University in Warsaw, Poland also said: "Attending the BIP programme in Berlin was a great way to learn more about the inner workings of family businesses, network with international students and educators, discover common ground and learn something new about one another. The HWR Berlin masterfully coordinated the event making the trip an unforgettable experience. I would most gladly join again!"
Building on the success of this year’s conference, which was a repeat of a similar BIP held at Kozminski University in Warsaw in May 2023, plans are already underway for next year's event in Vienna, where a new group of students from different countries will come together to collaborate and exchange ideas.
The BIP programme from Erasmus+ provides financial support for students and lecturers to collaborate together online and offline with counterparts from at least two other EU countries. The programme must include an online component combined with an in-person programme of at least five days.
Interested in initiating or participating in a BIP? Please contact erica.callery(at)hwr-berlin.de for more information.