Founding director and chief scientist of SCET, Professor Ikhlaq Sidhu visited Shantou University this May to present a successful model for fostering innovation. Shantou University (STU), founded in 1981 with the approval of the State Council, is a key comprehensive university under the “211 Project” in the Guangdong province. It is a university co-developed by the Ministry of Education, People’s Government of the Guangdong Province, and the Li Ka Shing Foundation. It is also the only public university in the world that is continuously supported by a private foundation—the Li Ka Shing Foundation.
Professor Sidhu started by pointing out that UC Berkeley is a leading university in creating VC-backed entrepreneurs. A university can contribute to the education of skills and culture for innovation, conducting research about companies, sustaining the R&D of existing firms and generating independent studies.
He then dived into the topics about demystifying Silicon Valley. Listing facts and figures, he depicted a vivid picture for the Chinese audience. He also touched on the policy level, explaining the policy to support new ventures is like teaching a bird to fly. A bird has to learn by itself, no one can coach or advise a bird in flight.
At last, he introduced The Berkeley Method Curriculum to the audience. Developed at the Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, The Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship (BMoE) is a unique pedagogy offered in three layers: theory, entrepreneurial mindset, and new venture networks. A seminal aspect of the BMoE is the use of a game-based learning approach to develop the entrepreneurial mindset and social behaviors needed to initiate successful new ventures. The curriculum embeds games and exercises within a competition-based journey of venture creation. The Center’s courses build upon the framework from the BMoE curriculum to expand the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, leadership, and product management.