Projects & Project Seminar

Project Seminar provides a systematic theoretical and practical knowledge of innovation’ project management. Particularly this course focuses on skills of planning the development of innovative projects and business ideas in order to improve professional competencies.

The main goal of Project Seminar
The aim of this course is to consolidate, expand and exercise theoretical and practical skills for successful implementation of projects from start to finish by developing business plans of innovative projects.

The main tasks of Project Seminar
1.   Students will prepare and develop practically applicable business plan for an innovative project.

2.   Discussion of business plans of innovative projects, including market analysis and competition, identification of resources needed, etc.

3.   Students will be able to develop planning skills of the project and its presentations.

The overview of Project Seminar
The course is accompanied by seminars that introduce new approaches to understand and further elaborate different facets of innovation thinking and to provide participants with practical training as well as ready to use state of the art knowledge. Besides, students will present on a regular basis the development of their business plans of practical oriented innovation projects. At last, students will be asked to defend their developed business plans of projects with consideration of discussed aspects.

The Project Seminar consists of four major topics:
1.   Project introduction 
2.   Project environment
3.   Project assessment
4.   Project presentation

Project introduction includes an introductory session where students will understand how to apply specific tools and models in innovation project management, as well as how to manage teamwork. Also during this topic, the ideas of projects will be introduced with taking into account appropriate cases of specific projects across different industries. The session ends with the choice of core stream for which students will be asked to prepare a project.

Project environment allows students to learn market analysis, including identification of current trends in the industry by using suitable strategic planning tools, and evaluating external/internal risk factors. In addition, the competition analysis and the estimation of risks in innovative projects will be introduced.

Project assessment provides understanding and practical knowledge of assessment and forecasting of potential markets by using various approaches within the innovation project management, as well as cost analysis and assessment of the impact of innovation on the cost structure.

Project presentation assumes that students will apply learned knowledge and skills by developing business plans of innovation projects, its discussions and presentations. An oral defense will be held at the last class (final colloquium), in which students present the developed business plan of the innovation project with consideration of addressed issues.

The assessment of the Project Seminar
The final grade will be calculated in accordance with the syllabus of this course. Students are expected to develop and gradually improve their business plans of innovation projects with regular presentations of interim results. Apart from that, by the end of the course students are supposed to submit their final version of business plans of projects as an essay. The oral defense of group project will be held on the final colloquium.

 The assessment of the Project
The activities on the Project Seminar classes and developed projects are assessed separately. Students form groups of 3-5 members in order to develop business plan of practical innovative project plan i.e. project. According to HSE regulation the “project is specifically organized, self-motivated students’ activity with the aim to solve practical or theoretical oriented problem. This activity should be done in the form that can be seen, comprehended and applied in real life”.[1] Therefore, the result of the Project Seminar is the developed business plan of innovation project that is submitted with consideration of received feedbacks after the oral defense.

The policies of the Project Seminar
This course is designed for the second year master students and covers two modules. It takes place once or twice a week according to the schedule. Attendance is needed for the learning process. Unsatisfactory results of the Project Seminar is equal to unsatisfactory results of regular classes. 

 [1]Regulations for HSE Student Project Work, Research and Internships