From Engineers to Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Yang Yang ShanghaiTech University www.ShanghaiTech.edu.cn The 2012 Workshop on Innovations in ICT Education, 22-23 Oct. 2012, Beijing, China.

Entrepreneurship: why and what

   

Frank Huband:

“Society needs engineers who not only solve engineering problems, but who can participate in bringing ideas and products to market .”

Peter F. Drucker:

" Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs , the means by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or a different service.”

Thomas Edison:

"I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others... I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.”

Bill Gates:

"We were young , but we had good advice and good ideas and lots of enthusiasm .” 2

Chinese Student Entrepreneurs



China’s Reluctant Young Entrepreneurs

, The Wall Street Journal, 19 June 2012 

Entrepreneur: 2.2% 1%

four-year college graduates and vocational-college graduates in 2011 

Innovation:

“Some start-up programs by Chinese students are simply

copycats

.” angel capital investor 

Business:

mostly restaurants, pig farms, e-commerce, transportation and storage in

less developed areas



Funding: 80%+

from parents and relatives Source: “2012 Graduate Employment Report”, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and MyCOS Research Institute, June 2012.

3

Chinese Students in the US



Annual Report on the Development of China’s Study Abroad

, Center for China and Globalization, Social Sciences Academic Press, September 2012.

  In 2011,

22%+

overseas students in the US are from China, totally 157.6K. More young-age high-school students are choosing undergraduate programs in the US. 

Chinese Applicants Flood U.S. Graduate Schools

, Wall Street Journal, 3 April 2012.

  China contributes about

50%

international graduate applicants to the US in 2012. 2012 is the

7 th

consecutive year of

double digit gains

from China.

Source: Council of Graduate Schools

Life is a game: a success story in the US



City King

, Funton, launched 2 May 2012  By two 25 y/o Chinese student entrepreneurs, Wu and Lan, graduates of USC and CMU.

 It transforms local hot spots into battlefields by creating game maps around the city based on players’ actual geographic locations (using iPhone's GPS).

 Most popular location based games on iPhone.

Our Challenges in China – 1



Economy:

according to the IMF and the World Bank, GDP per capita of the US and China are USD

48.4K

and USD

5.4K

, respectively, in 2011.  Most Chinese graduates need quickly find a stable job for making money and resolving their daily needs. 

Policy:

local governments and taxes still favor foreign investments and international companies.

 New enterprises face huge competitive disadvantages. 

Culture:

rooted in the Confucianism, Chinese society values stability, harmony and conformity.  The spirit of cautious and modest is a traditional value. 6

Our Challenges in China – 2



Society and Family:

a hierarchy with regulators and parents usually making the final decisions.  People still need time to gain knowledge and experience of capitalism, entrepreneurship and wealth creation. 

Education and Student:

rote learning, but lack of      Knowledge in finance, management, market, business Ability of independent, creative and critical thinking Skills in communications, interpersonal/public relations, leadership, solving problems and learning quickly Funding from angel investors and public resources Characters of curiosity, ambition, passion, courage of

Questions

How should we address these challenges in future ICT curriculum design?

How should we provide better ICT education for students, industry and society?

8

Responses of China’s Higher Education

       Private liberal arts college, Tianjin, 2013 (by Fujia Yang)

ShanghaiTech University

, Shanghai, 2012 New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, 2012 South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen, 2010 University of Michigan – Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai, 2006.

Xi’an Jiao Tong – Liverpool University, Suzhou, 2005 The University of Nottingham Ningbo, Ningbo, 2004  

With Eye to Innovation, China Revamps its Universities, Science

, 10 August 2012

Daring Experiment in Higher Education Opens its Doors

,

Science

, 8 April 2011 9

ShanghaiTech: Vision

 With people-centered development as the core value of the university, ShanghaiTech will create a dynamic hub where

research

,

education

, and

innovation

meet to provide a multi-disciplinary approach for learning and solving challenging problems facing the society. The university is designed to be

small

, focused on pursuing

excellence collaborations

and promoting open with those share the same vision.



Founding Members:

the Shanghai Municipal Government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, endorsed by the Ministry of Education in April 2012.

10

ShanghaiTech: R&D Facilities



12

state key laboratories at local research institutes of CAS  State-of-the-art scientific equipments and platforms  Engineering centers and commercialization bases Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility ShenGuang-II Laser Facility National Protein Science Facility-Shanghai 65m Radio Telescope National Center for Drug Screening Chinese National Compound Library Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites 11

ShanghaiTech: Campus Master Plan



Architect

: Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners 

Award

:

2012 Merit Award for Urban Design

, American Institute of Architects, California Council 

Keywords

: open, interdisciplinary, interaction, exchange, communications, local engagement, global collaborations 12

ShanghaiTech: Goal of ICT Education

 To promote economic growth and social progress 

Research:

Science Masters  New Knowledge 

Innovation:

Creative Engineers  New Technology 

Entrepreneurship:

Business Leaders  New Economy

James Clerk Maxwell

, Electromagnetic Theory, The 1 st permanent color photograph

Guglielmo Marconi

, Inventor of Radio Entrepreneur of Wireless Telegraphy 13

ShanghaiTech: ICT Curriculum Design



Objective:

to transform our graduates from engineers to innovators and entrepreneurs 

Approaches:

    

Time:

students could suspend and resume their study

Knowledge:

business-focused college courses on entrepreneurship, finance, management and market

Ability and Skills:

problem-based learning, group project, business competition, seminar, workshop, study exchange

Funding:

university, and close partnerships with venture capital, local government and high-tech companies

Culture and Environment:

Shanghai Pudong Science and Technology Park of CAS, Zhangjiang high-tech industrial development zone, Yangtze river delta economy district 14

ShanghaiTech: ICT Faculty Members

   

Full-time Professors:

we are

recruiting

active researchers with exceptional track records or strong potentials

Adjunct Professors:

50+ leading researchers from different research institutes of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Visiting Professors:

leading researchers from world-class universities and research institutions

Keywords

: interdisciplinary, international, innovative, experience, entrepreneurship, leadership 龚惠兴 陈桂林 方家熊 何 力 封松林 张钊锋 宋应文 王跃林 曹俊诚 钱 骅 15

ShanghaiTech: New Thinking, New Design, New Opportunities …

 For students, us, industry, economy and society.

Let the bullets fly

上海就是浦东，浦东就是上海

Shanghai is Pudong, Pudong is Shanghai

16

Thank you very much for your attention. Many thanks to Professor Ke Gong and Professor Zide Du for inviting me.

Dr. Yang Yang [email protected]