Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department

EID helps new and startup companies to develop by providing services such as management training or office space.

Entrepreneurship and innovation are one of the components of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), and that is why the University pays great attention to entrepreneurship by providing incubators for student projects and supports students to innovate and be creative in projects that will have a significant impact in the future.

The role of the department is to empower students through feasibility studies, innovation in business models, and creativity in economically feasible projects.




Mr. Masoud Sulaiman Saleh Al Salmani
Head of Partnership and Entrepreneurship Section.

Vision

To become a leading partner of the business sectors by transforming students’ innovative ideas into projects or models and fostering a culture of innovative entrepreneurship within the college and community, contributing to Oman’s national development.

 

Mission

To create a generation of students who can develop their innovation and entrepreneurial capabilities by providing guidance and support in developing business plans for projects.

 

EID Goals

To establish a cooperative relationship between the College and business sectors
with the aim of providing guidance, support and entrepreneurship experience for the students in a real business environment.

To assist the students in the preparation of their business plans and assist interested students in starting their own business ventures by applying the entrepreneurship concept learned in the classroom to real life business environment.

 

 

EID Duties / Responsibilities

  1. Spread awareness of the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship among students and lecturers.
  2. Embracing the students' innovative and creative ideas, and working to encourage them to transform these ideas into innovative products.
  3. Developing students' skills in all fields related to innovation and entrepreneurship by providing the necessary training courses.
  4. Encouraging students to participate in national, regional and international competitions dealing with innovation and entrepreneurship.
  5. Communicating with the competent authorities to obtain intellectual property rights for innovative projects from students.
  6. Work to conclude cooperative programs with various institutions active in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation.
  7. Performing any other tasks assigned to the relevant section.

 

EID Membership

  • UTAS-A students.
  • UTAS-A Alumni Entrepreneurs.
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation club.
  • Staff and industry.

EID Facilitates

 

  • Training and workshops .

This workshop covers various topics related to establishing and running a startup business in the community. The workshop includes topics such as building and assessing startup communities, Entrepreneurial mindset development for your startup community, establishing and running business incubator/accelerator programs for your startup community, and teaching your startup community entrepreneurs.

 

  • Seminars/ Conferences

Representative from Injaz and Sharkah and other partners shall provide academic interaction with the students on topics relevant to current industry.

 

  • Business model

A step-by-step plan of action for profitably operating the business in a specific marketplace statement of what a company offers in the form of goods or services that is of value to potential customers or clients, ideally in a way that differentiates the company from its competitors. The projected startup costs and sources of financing, the target customer base for the business, marketing strategy, competition, and projections of revenues and expenses are included.

 

  • Association to investors

 Comprises of investing clubs along with individual investors from college that provides education on a variety of topics from investing basics, mutual funds, stocks and personal finance. It also strongly emphasizes learning through a group by helping develop investing clubs and facilitating group discussions online.

 

EID Procedures: Appendix 1

 

 

  1. A team from each academic department is formed to provide technical support and consulting to the business.
  2. Nomination of a group of students in order to create a club of entrepreneurship and innovation.
  3. The team chooses samples of business plans from the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit and follow-up in the preparation of their own plans.
  4. The Unit reviews and selects the best business plan.
  5. The selected business project will then be sent to consultants and staff for feedback.
  6. Communicate with third parties that shall fund the selected projects.

 

 

Organizational Structure

 

  • College Council is the elected group from the College who jointly oversees the activities of EIU and establishes policies and guidelines and monitors progress report.
  • The Head of Unit Supervises both sections and Support Team. The assistant head supports the head in his duties.
  • The EIU team constitutes three sections:
  • Academic Team: provides one to one guidance sessions or workshops on technical and consultancy support for students.
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation supports Forums: Provide Technical Support about

        the applicability of the project in the local Omani Market.

  • Private sector: collaborates with students in identifying successful business ideas through research.
  • The unit compromises of three sections; innovative section, entrepreneurship section and industrial partnership.

 

  •  Innovation section: spark the drive of developing new products and services or ways to do business. It pushes creativity, development, and thinking outside the box.
  • Entrepreneurship section: is responsible to assist students in applying the innovative business ideas in real business environment.
  • Industrial Partnership: encourages establishment of network for those interested partnership and share technical and official.

 

 

    Terms of Reference:

  1. College Council
    • College Council oversees the activities of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit and establishes its policies and monitors its progress.

 

  1. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit
    • Maintain cooperative relationship with entrepreneurs regarding technical and logistical support.
    • Maintain confidentiality in information and data exchange.
    • Organize external entrepreneurial training to attain recent market trends.
    • Increase Students’ awareness on entrepreneurship.
    • Organize one to one technical coaching sessions by academic committee.

 

  1. Industrial partnership
    • Share entrepreneurship experience in real market with students.
    • Attend as guest lecturers for the college’s workshops and presentations.
    • Coordinate with EIU for other services to be provided.
    • Attend student’s business plan presentation for financial approval.
    • Provide practical technical knowledge about the local Omani market.

 

  1. Students
    • Prepare their business plans using the available resources in the College or EIU.
    • Apply business concepts relevant to real business environment
    • Establish network required for technical and financial support
    • Research consumers’ demands to identify the current trends.
    • Strengthen relationship through meetings and entrepreneurship and innovation forum
    • Showcase their business in college campus.