The second Green Entrepreneurship: “Train the Trainers Program under the SDGs”, was successfully held in Beijing.

From September 19^th to 21^st   2018，as part of the China-EU public green entrepreneurship training series driven by the United Nations sustainable development goals, the second mentor training session was successfully held in Zhongguancun Venture Street. The training session was jointly organized by the Center for International Business Ethics (CIBE) of the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), Center for Green Entrepreneurship, Center for Development and Environment of Oslo University in Norway, Zhongguancun Innovation Training College and UIBER Business.

Under the call of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” developed in support of policies at all levels of government, innovation and entrepreneurship is in full swing. In order to meet the spirit of the Party Central Committee, the State Council and Beijing local government, helping to better land the policy and ensure entrepreneurs do well in "innovation and entrepreneurship" activities, this training project focused on capacity building and the combination of entrepreneurial practice and methods of teaching. At the same time, the project aimed to better integrate notions of green and sustainable development at a practical level, committed to cultivating a group of aspiring entrepreneurial mentors with a broad vision and strong ability.

 

The main purposes of the training included: 1. To enhance awareness: through special lectures and field visits, we helped entrepreneurial mentors to know about the development trend of innovation and related policies. At the same time, by sharing practical experiences, we introduced the green and sustainable development vision, and consolidated knowledge reserves of entrepreneurial mentors so as to lay the foundation for their entrepreneurial training theory; 2. To enhance ability: through ways of special lectures, practical exercises, seminars and exchanges, we provided guidance on how to better enrich training methods, improve training programs and promote method innovation in order to comprehensively enhance mentors’training skills; 3. Better understanding towards practice: through field visits and practical exercises, we provided entrepreneurial mentors with an in-depth understanding of the main management processes and decision-making points of entrepreneurial projects. This was in order to promote the organic integration of guiding methods and commercial practice, so as to promote more effective innovation and entrepreneurship work; 4. Contribution to the community: by providing theoretical understanding to teaching abilities, we promoted the manner in which entrepreneurial mentors may help entrepreneurs seize trends, explore business opportunities, innovate models and integrate green development vision into commercial practice.

 

The China-EU Public Green Entrepreneurship Training driven by the UN Sustainable Development Goals has launched a series of training courses for all social entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial mentors. A total of more than 40 participants were present during the second mentor training program, having come from incubator management institutions, universities and start-ups.

 

In order to promote the understanding of participants towards the innovative business environment and green business opportunities, we invited Ms. Zhang Wenqiong, the Director of Human Resources Department of Zhongguancun Administrative Committee, and Mr. Zhang Zhiqiang, Chairman of the Board of Beijing Green Space Biotechnology Limited Company, to speak in the morning of the first day of training. They respectively introduced to participants the entrepreneurial environment from the perspective of reshaping policy and innovating entrepreneurial practice. Director Zhang began by introducing the efforts and achievements made by Zhongguancun in promoting the development of innovation and entrepreneurship within recent years. At the same time, she detailed the preferential policies of Zhongguancun in talent introduction and personnel training, whilst outlining some of the details that need to be carefully considered when start-ups apply for personnel policy support. Chairman Zhang Zhiqiang, followed on by equipping students with know-how based on his own personal experiences of starting a business, advising on how best to: determine business direction; collect entrepreneurial resources; and, achieve both economic and social benefits from a practical perspective.

Ms. Zhang Wenqiong, the Director of Human Resources Department of Zhongguancun Administrative Committee

Mr. Zhang Zhiqiang, Chairman of the Board of Beijing Green Space Biotechnology Limited Company

 

In the afternoon of the first day, Pro. Hou Shengtian, Executive Director of the Center for Green Entrepreneurship, University of International Business and Economics, and the Director of Department of Marketing and Strategic Management of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, gave an insightful and lively lecture providing guidance to participants on teaching methods through analysis of existing entrepreneurial courses. Providing explanations of the development, latest research and practical results of courses, the Professor explained the principles and application of several entrepreneurial teaching methods and helped mentors to focus on systematic, practical and effective ways for guiding entrepreneurs.

 

Pro. Hou Shengtian, Executive Director of the Center for Green Entrepreneurship, University of International Business and Economics

 

 

On the second day of training, Pro. Xiong Wei, Professor and Director of the Marketing Department at the School of International Business, UIBE, brought students a spectacular and content rich simulation course on decision-making in marketing. By explaining the marketing process from: product development; production; pricing; channel arrangements; and, sales incentives, Professor Xiong demonstrated to participants a comprehensive display of the decision-making process throughout all its stages, critical to an entrepreneurial enterprise. Subsequently, within the next few rounds of simulation and grouping, Professor Xiong taught participants how best to analyze the market situation, explore scientific decision-making, analyze efficiency in decision-making, and combine systematic marketing knowledge with business practice. This was in order to help participants better understand the key considerations that affect the decision-making process for entrepreneurial enterprises, and through the use of the simulations, equip them with methods for guiding this process.

 

Pro. Xiong Wei, Professor and Director of the Marketing Department at the School of International Business, UIBE

 

In the morning of the third and final day, Mr. Zhang Rui, General Manager of the Business Green Finance Company, explained in detail: the development; economic and social benefits; and, future development trends within social innovation, social enterprise and green finance. Through Mr. Zhang's detailed and systematic explanation, participants were provided with a deeper understanding of development trends, opportunities and the challenges of sustainable development, green entrepreneurship and green finance. Meanwhile, his analysis of practical cases, reaffirmed the need for entrepreneurs to firmly follow down the green development path.

 

Mr. Zhang Rui, General Manager of Business Green Finance Company

 

 

Finally, in the afternoon of the third day, a networking environment was provided for participants, in order to promote their direct interaction with instructors. Accordingly, we invited Prof. Liu Baocheng, Professor and Director of the Center for Green Entrepreneurship, UIBE, Mr. Shen Jun, Deputy Director of the National Youth Rainbow Project Implementation Guidance Office, Ms. Wu Lei, Vice Dean of Zhongguancun Innovation Training College and Mr. Dai Jingwei, President of UIBER Business. All were on hand to hold discussions with participants and explore matters relating to issues of green entrepreneurship as well as entrepreneurial guidance methods. In this process, the experts and scholars attending the seminar further elaborated on green entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial guidance methods, providing a platform for in-depth communication exchange with participants, and helping to analyze their respective entrepreneurial projects, guidance work and innovation programs, in order to help participants: better complement one another; collect resources; and, improve efficiency in their own business and guidance work, to achieve both economic and social benefits.

 

 

In the subsequent closing ceremony, Professor Liu Baocheng, Director of the Center for Green Entrepreneurship of the University of International Business and Economics, and Ms. Wu Lei, Vice Dean of Zhongguancun Innovation Training College, expressed their sincere hopes to all participants who had taken part in the mentor training program, that with such training they may put what they had learnt into practice; both in entrepreneurial endeavors and guidance/training schemes to further push forward the vigorous development of green entrepreneurship. Finally, all participants were awarded with a certificate of graduation by the Center for Green Entrepreneurship, University of International Business and Economics, and the Zhongguancun Innovation Training College. Accordingly, the second China-EU Public Green Entrepreneurial Mentor Training Program, under the auspices of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, was successfully concluded in Beijing.

 

About the China-EU Public Green Entrepreneurship Training driven by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals