TOP STARS 2018
Time: July 16-25, 2017
Venue: CLab - Contamination Lab, Piazza Fiera 4, Trento
Scientific Committee
Matteo Leoni - Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Italy
Alessandro Pegoretti - Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Italy
Massimo Pellizzari - Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Italy
Bart Blanpain - University of Leuven - KU Leuven, Belgium
Katerina Adams - National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Elena Petrucciano - Hub Innovazione Trentino (HIT), Trento, Italy
Local Organizing Committee
Matteo Leoni - Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Italy
Vanessa Maria Caleca - Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Italy
Gert Guri - University of Trento, Italy
Alessandro Pegoretti - Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Italy
TOP STARS 2018 - innovaTion challenge fOr PhD STudents And ReSearchers Summer School will introduce students to entrepreneurial thinking and behaviour, business and innovation processes, high-tech ventures marketing, and business model generation techniques. The Summer school offers a unique hands-in opportunity to address a societal challenge in the Raw Materials framework by combining the technical expertise with innovation and entrepreneurship experience. Topics of challenges proposed by companies are introduced through presentations, tutorials and workshops on approaches focused on techniques to assess and promote feasible solutions on both technical and business aspect. For about two weeks, students will work in teams to identify a technical solution and develop it into a business proposal. This experience will help to foster a community of students among various universities and to create an interaction with companies and start-ups operating in the specific field.
With respect to traditional Summer schools, TOP STARS combines focus-lectures of academics and practitioners, project work, field and usability tests, customer validation work, field visits and socializing events. Focus is put on harmonizing the technical capacities with soft-skills such as: business project work, team building, (personal) networking, cultural exchange, knowledge on interaction between ethics and society and creation of a global awareness of societal and business trends.
Beyond building technical competences and offering potential solutions to societal challenges, in the ten days, the students will learn how to work in teams, how to prepare a business plan, how to be effective in passing key information and how to be successful in pitching. They will transform the way they interact with the job market and they will create opportunities for their future.
In the school multi-disciplinarity is emphasized and students are confronted with participating stakeholders (companies and start-ups) to consider the sustainability and relevance of their ideas. Throughout the Summer school, students will work in teams of 5-7 participants to craft and develop into project-ideas the solutions they have identified to address the technical problems presented to them. A selection of initial use-cases is planned to be provided in cooperation with partner companies participating in the Summer school.
The whole initiative is valued 10 ECTS.
How to apply
The Summer school is open to PhD students and young researchers (*), applications from students in the last years of their Master courses will be also evaluated. PhD candidates that will be enrolled before the start of the school can also participate. A total of 40 participants will be selected on a merit basis, with preferential title given to PhD students and young researchers. Should one of the selected candidates give up, the next candidate in the shortlist will be given the possibility to participate, until all available positions are filled or the shortlist is exhausted. Potential candidates are requested to fill out the application form and to provide any relevant documentation. The documents to be included in the application (to be sent to topstars2018 [at] unitn.it) are:
- Academic career (mandatory)
- CV (maximum of two A4 pages) (mandatory)
- A motivation letter (why the participant wishes to be part of the Summer School and what are the expectations)
- Qualification certificates relevant to the topic and to the EIT Raw Materials initiative (optional)
- Copy of the Identity card (front and back) or of the first page (identification page) of the Passport (mandatory)
Any other documents such as letter(s) of support from supervisor/peers or English language proficiency certification will be considered by the Committee as preferential titles.
(*) the definition of young researcher refers to people with a PhD title or documented post-graduate research experience of no less than 3 years and no more than 10 years.
Due to the generous contribution of the EIT Raw Materials, the participation to the event is free of charge for the selected students. Moreover, a grant covering travel expenses (up to 300 Euros) and accommodation (handled by the school), will be available to all selected students that meet the reimbursement criteria of the EU H2020 programme.
Deadlines
Given the high number of requests and the opportunity to encourage the participation of all potential people interested in TOP STARS 2018 Summer School - InnovaTion Challenge fOr PhD STudents And ReSearchers, which will be held in Trento from 16 to 25 July 2018, the term for registration is extended until May 6, 2018.
March 12, 2018: call for applications opens
April 30, 2018: deadline for application submission - extended to May 6, 2018
May 11, 2018: confirmation to selected participants
May 18, 2018: confirmation of participation by selected students
More detailed information on the official web site TOP STARS 2018
Contact
TOPSTARS 2018 Summer School Secretariat
Dr. Vanessa Maria Caleca
topstars2018 [at] unitn.it